“I believe that you shouldn’t have to leave your neighborhood to live in a better one.”
--Majora Carter, on the website for her eco-consulting group
I once invited Majora Carter to a political meeting at my house back when my wife and I hosted a monthly political meeting we jokingly called "The Cabal." I had already know Majora from other events and even had a chance to discuss whether she should run for office or not. One of the other attendees was a local politician and political activist who has been a political ally for some time (and still is). When Majora walked in, this local politician stood up, got on one knee in front of Majora and said, "Don't tell my wife, but will you marry me?"
Yeah...she's that fantastic a person. Majora is one of the most amazing people I have ever met and she should be better known by progressives.
Majora Carter grew up in one of America's toughest neighborhoods, the South Bronx. She tells the story that her brother came home from a stint in Vietnam only to be killed in a drug war in his neighborhood. She got the hell out as soon as she could, getting ahead through education.
When she wound up back in the South Bronx, it hadn't improved...but this time rather than trying to escape again, she decided to take on the city (under mayor Giuliani) and improve her neighborhood. And she has worked miracles.
I first came across Majora Carter's name in John Kerry's book This Moment on Earth. I got an advance copy to review (which I proceeded to do in great detail). The book introduced me to several very interesting people...but the one that probably stood out the most was Majora Carter. In fact reading about Majora Carter in his book was the moment I realized John Kerry's book was doing its job and actively inspiring me. Soon afterward, when I brought her name up with one of my local political connections, he described her as "INCREDIBLE."
From This Moment on Earth:
"I grew up as a child seeing stretches of burned-out, abandoned buildings everywhere I walked," Majora remembered. "As a kid, you never fully understand what makes that sort of thing happen, but it teaches you that you're probably not worth much." When she was just seven years old, her older brother Lenny was killed by gunfire. "He had survived fighting in Vietnam," she said, her voice still cracking at the thought, "but he couldn't survive the South Bronx in the 1970's..."
Jobs...green space...green jobs...youth...environmental justice...she has taken on a huge range of problems facing her neighborhood. She founded Sustainable South Bronx, an organization she led for many years before moving on.
Here is a video of Pete Seeger talking to Majora Carter in a segment from This Brave Nation:
I almost had the opportunity of being on a discussion panel run by Tavis Smiley, on behalf of Kiva.org (for whom I have done some blogging in the past and I am one of their lenders...and was on a BBC interview about them). The panel was set up by Bill Clinton after writing his book Giving. It included both Bill Clinton and Majora Carter (representing Sustainable South Bronx)...and almost included me (at the last minute one of the main staff of Kiva.org showed up, damn him!). But I got to attend. Afterwards I made sure to get two autographs...Bill Clinton's and Majora Carter's. Majora seemed a tad taken aback and flattered that I was asking for her autograph on the same piece of paper I asked for Clinton's autograph. I was happy to get both.
When I wrote about the panel event I commented:
Majora Carter is one of the few people who can exude charisma to match Bill Clinton's. And in a panel with them sitting next to each other, there were both men and women swooning in the audience.
It was a memorable event.
Here is Bill Clinton honoring Majora Carter's work (not from the panel event):
In a recent diary I wrote about progressives and race the issue of America's expanding prison population came up in one of the many, many comments. This is a very much under appreciated and very critical issue, as more and more of our population wind up chronically in jail...a very expensive and unproductive trend in America. America's prison-industrial complex is another issue Majora has focused on. Here is a YouTube video from the Sundance Channel on the topic:
But Majora Carter's primary focus for many years was her home neighborhood. Sustainable South Bronx, which now has its own independent story developing, is one of my favorite local groups. They focus on creating green jobs, training young people for the new green economy, and providing stewardship for green spaces in the neighborhood. They are also on Facebook.
Since leaving the Sustainable South Bronx, Majora Carter has founded an eco-consulting group, the The Majora Carter Group.
Here is Majora talking to an audience at the University of Minnesota more recently. This is a long video, covering a fair amount of ground, but it is worth watching...and is something every progressive should see and absorb:
Majora Carter also has a local radio show (thanks to blueyedace2 for reminding me!) for those who live in NYC:
Majora Carter's "The Promised Land"
WNYC-AM820
Saturdays at 2PM. Sundays at 8PM. Listen to the new radio documentary show hosted by Bronx Science Alumna & Local Environmentalist, Majora Carter.
http://www.thepromisedland.org/
Majora has never shied away from being controversial. One event I didn't know about until writing this diary was that she was a torch-bearer for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the San Francisco leg of the relay (yeah...she really does do everything!). As she was passing the torch, she pulled out a concealed Tibetan flag as a protest against Chinese oppression in Tibet. Agree or disagree with her action, this to me says a lot about her determination and absolute insistence on sticking with her ideals.
I have not talked with Majora for some time. Thinking back, our paths probably only crossed a half dozen or so times, but her impact was strong. I was quite honored the one time she asked my advice on an important decision. I think Hunts Point Park will remain one of her proudest accomplishments. But I think another one must be the role model she provides for so many, particularly African-American women. The model of someone from a tough background with so few opportunities not only creating her own opportunities, but going further and creating them for others to follow her. She has even founded an award, the "Uptown Girl Power" award, honoring women who made a difference...complete with a kick ass mural:
But Majora is not just an inspiration to young black women...she should be an inspiration, a role model to all progressives. She sees society on a broader scale than most, linking race, urban decay, jobs, environmentalism, and justice and works to better society on an equally broad front. If we, as progressives and as activists, learn to be half as broad and ambitious in our thinking, half as determined, and half as good at communicating as Majora Carter, no one could stop us.