January 2015


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


Diversifying the Green Movement - A Call to Action From Green 2.0


urgency. “The lack of inclusion (in the field) is disturbing, particularly when minorities have been found to be as supportive, or more supportive, of dealing with climate change and promoting sound energy policies,” she said. In addition, there is evidence that minorities suffer more negative impacts


from climate pollution.” Raben called


In his closing remarks, Robert on leaders in the


environmental field to sign the pledge to share their diversity data - a call that was quickly embraced by 11 leading groups, including the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, Earthjustice,


the


NRDC and the Environmental Defense Fund. But he made it clear diversity is about more than checking off metrics.


BY KHALIL ABDULLAH WASHINGTON, DC - Robert


Raben, founder of an influential public relations and government affairs firm known as The Raben Group, recalled the moment about a year ago that kicked his personal commitment to expand


diversity within the


environmental movement into high gear.


Speaking to a standing room only


briefing at the National Press Club recently, he spoke of how he was a guest of a prominent environmental organization at its annual dinner. “It was extremely well attended; more


well than 1200 people,” Raben


recalled. “And I could not identify a single person of color other than the servers.”


environmental


After discussions with stakeholders, Raben


concluded that the lack of diversity within mainstream


environmental


organizations “is too much the norm.” His response - to launch Green 2.0 as a working group of professionals dedicated to diversifying the green movement.


The briefing - titled “Breaking The Green Ceiling” and cohosted by New America Media, the country’s first and largest associations of ethnic news organizations - was a coming out party now that Green 2.0 has racked up some solid successes. Joining Raben at the podium to endorse the effort were the director of the Environmental Protection Agency and the incoming President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, among the most influential NGOs in the environmental field.


In a society obsessed with data and metrics, Raben explained, Green 2.0’s first action was to commission an in-depth survey of several hundred environmental nonprofits, government agencies and foundations to create a diversity index for the movement. The findings, documented in The Taylor Report and released last August, were sobering: fewer than 16 percent of leadership and staff and boards are people


of color. Most worrisome, Green 2.0 Director Danielle Deane told the room, while many of those interviewed


for the Report


acknowledged the lack of diversity, few expressed any urgency to address it. Nor did anyone seem to have a game plan.


Now that is likely to change. In a move that promises to up the ante for those nonprofits that remain oblivious to the diversity imperative, GuideStar - the country’s primary collector of data about the nonprofit sector - has launched a “diversity index” to track


data about the leadership, board and staffs of nonprofits, including those in the environmental field. Partnering with GuideStar is D5, a coalition dedicated to expanding diversity in the philanthropic sphere.


“We have been challenged for many years to get a diverse community in the environmental world,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in her keynote address. She lauded the Green 2.0-GuideStar-D5 partnership because, as she explained, “We measure what we value … Let’s measure! Let’s give (diversity) the value we say it has.”


Diversity, McCarthy emphasized,


is a critical dimension of staffing and resources in order to better inform EPA’s mission to protect the health and environment of all Americans.


Rhea Suh, who is leaving the


Department of the Interior to lead the Natural Resources Defense Council - becoming the first woman of color to head a major environmental organization - lamented the fact that “the


diversity needle hasn’t moved


in decades within many government agencies, nonprofit organizations or foundations … Diversity issues are relegated to the EEOC offices or the HR offices and not actually incorporated into the very mission of the organization,” she said.


For Robert-Mark DeSouza,


Director of Population, Environmental Security and Resilience at the Woodrow Wilson Center, diversity “makes all the difference.”


In conversations


with young, aspiring American en- vironmentalists, he said, “they ‘get it.’ A more


diverse environmental


movement and workforce in the United States increases our impact overseas … and allows us to bring lessons back home. That difference makes all the difference.”


agenda


Green 2.0’s action oriented clearly


resonated with the


audience. Leslie Field, who directs the environmental justice and community partnership program of the Sierra Club, was delighted the Taylor Report had inspired the GuideStar-D5 partnership. “I thought this was going to be another report that would merely sit on the shelf,” Field confessed.


She was also pleased that Robert Raben had taken a moment to explain that Green 2.0 is not an environmental justice initiative but one focused on expanding mainstream environmental organizations’ recruitment


and retention


identification, of


individuals from diverse heritages and backgrounds.


Janell Mayo Duncan, President of


Living Well Black, also commended Green 2.0 and echoed McCarthy’s


Leadership FROM PAGE 1


North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its clients comprise of both the federal


government


commercial sector. Since


buying and the the company in


2006, revenue went from around $700,000 to now over $20 million. The company had only a bare minimum number of employees in 2006, but has grown to around 60 in 2014. Projects are scattered across the country from Virginia Islands.


to Louisiana to the Virgin Serving his community donates thousands is


something he has built into his life and business model. Team Henry Enterprises


of


dollars to charities. Henry served on the Board of Directors for the Virginia March of Dimes and his efforts have helped raise over $250,000. Henry frequently speaks at colleges and high schools about Science, Technology, Engineering


and Mathematics


initiatives. He created an endowment at his alma mater, Norfolk State University, to provide scholarships for students majoring in STEM related subjects. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Richmond’s Metropolitan Business League, where he mentors other small


businesses, helping them to write their business plans and strategic plans.


successful no matter what he does. From


coaching


kids to running a business,” said Oliver Singleton, director of the Metropolitan Business League. “He brings so much leadership


to the


community and his business.”


Although he has


received accolades, it didn’t begin that way. Like


owners there are many obstacles


money


most business that


make it challenging to own a business. Coming up with the


needed


can be problematic. Henry solved this problem by dipping into his savings and mortgaging his home to provide collateral for the costs to purchase the business


“Devon will always be his


change and


The Hampton Roads Messenger 3 “Diversity is a value. It is not a


program. It is not an afterthought, it is not a February commemoration,” Raben said in closing remarks. “It is an organic value of an institution, like transparency, integrity, accountability … There’s no beginning and no end. You don’t reach a point where you say, ‘Okay, we’re diverse enough. It’s a constant.”


NRDC’s Suh, a new mother, put


it another way. “I will be damned if I leave the world for my daughter in the same place that I found it.” Echoing Raben’s story in describing her early experiences


with environmental


grantmakers, she said, “I will be damned if I allow her, in 20 years, to walk into a ballroom and feel like she doesn’t belong.”


and sustain it during the Great Recession.


Another challenge Henry faced


was the amount of bonding. Federal construction contracts require bonding for all work and can really limit the type of projects. Initially, he could only work on smaller projects as a subcontractor. Henry eventually went through


the U.S. Small Administration’s Surety


Business Guarantee


Program and now has bonding up to $30 million. This opened the door to submit bids on larger projects as a prime contractor.


struggles, his efforts haven’t


Even though Henry had some gone


unnoticed. Recently, he was named SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year for 2014. Inc Magazine recognized Team Henry Enterprises as the 9th fastest growing African American owned company in the country in 2013. In 2013, Team Henry Enterprises was recognized in Fortune Magazine, ranking 13th on The IC100 List of fastest growing inner city companies in the country.


With all the recognitions and


success, Henry doesn’t want to just stop there.


minority


“Long term success is the goal. I do this not only to make a living but to provide jobs to those living in communities in which we serve. I have a lot of people counting on me and the continued success of Team Henry,” said Henry.


Henry’s success all began


because his mother instilled the need for leadership and what it can achieve.


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