Grace Anderson (she/her) is a network weaver, strategist, and dreamer working at the intersection of race, healing and the environment.

While working in the outdoor and environmental sector, she recognized a lack of people of color in that space, not only in leadership, but also in the program. Their stories have not been being told. She soon realized she did not want to spend her time educating white folks. Instead, she wanted to spend her time, resources and energy on people of color and their experiences, moving resources towards what they needed. 

In this episode, we will hear about what made her become an independent environmental consultant, and what specific issues she is focused on. She shares her thoughts about DEI, volunteering, and philanthropy, among other things. Her insightful article about the problems related to DEI: “Is DEI work upholding the same systems it seeks to challenge?” is available on her web page. 

Episode Highlights

• Nature has played two different roles in my life. Every time I’m outside, I am reminded how small I am in a big system of things and also how powerful I am in a big system of things. 
• Now I see my work as just liberation and joy work. My focus has stayed the same; I’m just approaching it differently.
• We’ve been advocating for what we need for so long. And we know what we need. My goal now is to move resources toward that. 
• Yes, I think DEI is tricky because it does provide some space, and there is a lot of education that needs to be done. I just think it is so out of balance. 
• In 2020, after I left PGM ONE, I was granted a fellowship from the Pisces Foundation alongside Angela Mooney D’Arcy and we are creating a fellowship for folks of color in the environmental space.
• We are creating a framework and infrastructure to have a long-standing fellowship, specifically focused on black and indigenous folks, who need resources and time to create. Another part of it, is acquiring land for people to retreat and rest on. 
• I’m genuinely curious and genuinely care about people outside of the work that I do. 
• I often volunteer on the scholarship committee because I can see the benefit of other people. 
• I would like to distinguish between the people with the money – philanthropist behind the foundation and the people working in that foundation. 
• Too often, we look at philanthropy as a solution, and it’s not. People who have the money need to acknowledge where the money came from. No one gets that much money without extraction and exploitation, like slavery and child labor.

Contact information and other Resources:

Grace Anderson (she/her) is a network weaver, strategist, and dreamer working at the intersection of race, healing, and the environment. She is committed to building the capacity of people of color in the environmental space by moving resources toward their dreams and creating structural programming to support their growth.

With over a decade of experience in the outdoor and environmental sector, Grace has worked in several different capacities to uplift and center Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. At People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature, and Environment (PGM ONE), Grace co-directed the largest gathering of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who work in connection with the land. Her time in this role significantly deepened her commitment to building and sustaining the networks, dreams, and joy of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Breaking Green Ceilings:

Website: https://www.breakinggreenceilings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaking_green_ceilings/

Follow Grace: 

Website: https://www.graceanderson.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amaze_me_grace/