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Majora Carter

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Majora Carter
Portrait photo of an African-American woman with her dog.
Majora Carter and her dog Xena
Born (1966-10-27) October 27, 1966 (age 58)
South Bronx, New York, United States
NationalityUSA
EducationBronx High School of Science
Wesleyan University
New York University
Occupation(s)Economic Consultant, Public Radio Host and Environmental Justice Advocate
TitlePresident, Majora Carter Group, LLC
Websitehttp://www.majoracartergroup.com/

Majora Carter (born October 27, 1966) is an African-American environmental justice advocate and economic consultant from the South Bronx area of New York City. Carter founded the non-profit environmental justice organization Sustainable South Bronx[1] before entering the private sector.

Early life

Carter attended primary schools in the South Bronx. After attending the Bronx High School of Science, she entered Wesleyan University in 1984 to study acting and film and obtain a Bachelor of Arts.[2] In 1997, she received a Master of Fine Arts from New York University (NYU).[3] While at NYU, she returned to her family's home in Hunts Point,[4] and later worked for The Point Community Development Corporation.[4] As associate director of the community development corporation, Carter advocated for the development of Hunts Point Riverside Park[5].

From there, Carter helped secure a $10,000 grant from a New York City Parks Department program to provide seed money for projects in the Bronx. Working with other community groups and the Parks Department, over a five-year period she helped leverage that seed money into more than $3 million from the mayor’s budget to build the park.[6]

Career

Activism

In August 2001, after an unsuccessful campaign for City Council,[2] Carter founded Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx),[2] where she served as executive director[7] until July 2008.[8] During that time, SSBx advocated the development of the Hunt's Point Riverside Park which had been an illegal garbage dump.[9] SSBx has also been involved in other restoration projects on the Bronx River waterfront.[3][4] In 2003, Sustainable South Bronx started the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training program.[10][11] This was one of the nation's first urban green collar training and placement systems.[4] [12]Other SSBx projects have centered around fitness, food choices (including the creation of a community market), and air quality.[3]

A December 2008 New York Times profile called Carter "one of the city’s best-known advocates for environmental justice" but reported that some South Bronx activists stated that Carter has taken credit for accomplishments when others should share the credit as well as taking credit for uncompleted projects. Other Bronx activists stated that her recognition was well deserved.[4]

Carter was a torch-bearer for a portion of the San Francisco leg of the torch relay of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Many portions of the torch relay, including the San Francisco leg, were met with protests concerning the policies of the Chinese government toward Tibet. Although Carter had signed a contract pledging not to use an Olympic venue for political or religious causes[13], when she and John Caldera were passed the torch during their part of the relay, she pulled out a small Tibetan flag that she had concealed in her shirt sleeve.[14]

Members of the Chinese torch security escort team pulled her out of the relay and San Francisco police officers pushed her into the crowd on the side of the street.[15] Fellow torch-bearer, retired NYFD firefighter Richard Doran, who was honoring the firefighters who died in the September 11 attacks, called Carter's actions "disgusting and appalling" and said that he thought "she dishonored herself and her family".[16] Another torch-bearer, retired NYPD police officer Jim Dolan, agreed with Doran. [17]

Media

File:Majora Eco-Hero Shai Agassi.jpg
Carter interviews Shai Agassi in 2008

Carter has made appearances on television and radio programs, including HBO's The Black List volume 2,[18] American Public Media's Market Place,[19] and PRX's This I Believe series[20] and has contributed a piece on urban sustainability with Discovery Communications' Science Channel,[21][22]. Since 2007 Carter has appeared on The Green, a television segment dedicated to the environment, shown on the Sundance Channel.[23] The first season consisted of a series of 90 second op-eds shot in studio.[24] The second season consisted of a series of short interview pieces with people who are taking uncommon approaches to environmental problems.[25]

In 2008, Carter and Marge Ostroushko[26] co-produced the pilot episode of the public radio show, The Promised Land which won a 3-way competition for a Corporation for Public Broadcasting Talent Quest grant.[27] The one hour program debuted on over 180 public radio stations across the US on January 19, 2009.[28]

Carter has co-authored two papers, Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Elemental carbon and PM(2.5 )levels in an urban community heavily impacted by truck traffic.

Consulting

Since leaving Sustainable South Bronx, Carter has been president of a private, for-profit "green" economic consulting firm, The Majora Carter Group, LLC. The New York Times reported that her consulting firm charges $25,000 for some of her speaking appearances and that it employs her husband, James Chase, as the Vice President, Communications & Marketing.[4]

Awards and honors

Notes

  1. ^ "Sustainable South Bronx: Mission". Sustainable South Bronx. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  2. ^ a b c Waldman, Amy (August 15, 2001). "Public lives; a dreamer, working for beauty in the South Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Current fellows index (fellows 2005 overview)". The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. September 2005. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Holloway, Marguerite (December 12, 2008). "The green power broker". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2007/09/04/2007-09-04_newlyopened_hunts_point_riverside_park_a-1.html
  6. ^ McIntyre, Linda (December 2007). "Parks Come to the Point". Landscape Architecture. Retrieved 2009-09-06. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Theodore J. Kim, Legal Counsel, OEJ/OECAMemorandum Re: “Environmental Justice in the News” for the Week Ending March 16, 2007, Environmental Protection Agency, March 15, 2007. Accessed online 5 January 2009.
  8. ^ NYU Portraits, Center for Multicultural and Education Programs, NYU. Accessed online 5 January 2009.
  9. ^ Bill Egbert (September 18, 2006). "Bronx River Group Fetes New Park". New York Daily News. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accssdate= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Mendez, J. Edward (April 24, 2006). "Bronx goes green: program trains workers for cleanup". City Limits. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  11. ^ Sustainable South Bronx: Green Jobs, Not Jails Green for All. Accessed online 5 January 2009.
  12. ^ Marisol Bello (December 13, 2007). "Cities cultivate 2 types of green". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  13. ^ "Carrying the Olympic Torch, and Protesting It, Too".
  14. ^ "South Bronx woman pulls flag from sleeve, surprises San Fran cops at Olympic tribute".
  15. ^ Sou Youn & Bill Hutchinson (April 10, 2008). "Olympic torch bearer from Bronx in Tibet protest". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  16. ^ "China protester is torched by critics".
  17. ^ "China protester is torched by critics".
  18. ^ David Hinckley (February 26, 2009). "On HBO's 'The Black List,' Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes and others tell their stories". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  19. ^ "Invest in a 'green-collar' future". American Public Media. November 14, 2007. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  20. ^ "www.prx.org/pieces/33408-this-i-believe-majora-carter".
  21. ^ "science.discovery.com/videos/brains-of-science-majora-carter-extended-interview.html".
  22. ^ "videos.howstuffworks.com/science-channel/32032-brains-of-science-majora-carter-video.htm".
  23. ^ The Green on Sundance Channel. Accessed online June 17, 2007
  24. ^ "www.kidsturncentral.com/topics/tvmovies/sundance.htm".
  25. ^ "world-wire.com/news/0902260001.html".
  26. ^ "www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/details.php?id=1222".
  27. ^ Everhart, Karen (July 14, 2008). "R&D boost for new voices". Current. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  28. ^ url=http://thepromisedland.org/Listen.aspx Stations carrying The Promised Land with Majora Carter
  29. ^ Visionaries Who Are Changing the World
  30. ^ http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/CommitteeView.aspx?key=49008 National Academies of Science
  31. ^ Delfiner, Rita (October 23, 2008). "Post salutes 'angels' of NY". The New York Post. Retrieved 2009-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "2008 Honorees". Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  33. ^ "The Temple of Understanding 10th Annual Juliet Hollister Awards". The Temple of Understanding. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  34. ^ "TBA 2008 - Paul Wellstone Award". Campaign for America's Future. March 19, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  35. ^ Barton, Erica. "The National Audubon Society 2007 Women in Conservation Luncheon". The National Audubon Society. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  36. ^ "Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson honors Women's History Month". New York State Executive Chamber. March 23, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  37. ^ "Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism to speak at first of two commencement ceremonies". Mercy College. May 15, 2007. Retrieved link dead/404. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  38. ^ NYU Division of Student Affairs Annual Report, September 1, 2006 – August 31, 2007, New York University, p. 4. Accessed online 5 January 2009.
  39. ^ "2007 National Arbor Day Awards: Lawrence Enersen Award". Arbor Day Foundation. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  40. ^ "www.fcny.org/scripts/usq/getpage02.pl?orgid=0220".
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