Famous Black Environmental Activists

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Wangari Maathai

(The First African Woman to Receive 'Nobel Peace Prize')

Birthdate: April 1, 1940

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Ihithe, Kenya

Died: September 25, 2011

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental, social, and political activist. She achieved popularity after becoming the first African woman to be honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. She is credited with founding a non-governmental organization called The Green Belt Movement (GBM), which focuses on women's rights and environmental conservation.

Isra Hirsi

(American Environmental Activist)

Birthdate: February 22, 2003

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Isra Hirsi is an American environmental activist best known for co-founding the U.S. Youth Climate Strike, where she also serves as co-executive director. A self-described communist, Isra Hirsi was named in Fortune magazine's 40 Under 40 list in 2020.

Ken Saro-Wiwa

(Nigerian Writer & Environmental Activist Who Led Nonviolent Campaigns Against Environmental Degradation)

Birthdate: October 10, 1941

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Bori, Nigeria

Died: November 10, 1995

Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian writer, environmental activist, and television producer. He is best remembered for leading nonviolent campaigns against environmental degradation of Ogoniland, home to the Ogoni people of Nigeria. Ken Saro-Wiwa's life and career inspired a couple of novels, namely The Other Side of Truth and Eclipse.

Vanessa Nakate

(Activist)

Birthdate: November 15, 1996

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Uganda

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Wanjira Mathai

(Environmentalist)

Birthdate: 1971

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Kenya

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

(Environmental Activist)

Birthdate: 1984 AD

Birthplace: Chad

Fatima Jibrell

(Environmentalist)

Birthdate: December 30, 1947

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Sanaag, Somalia

Nnimmo Bassey

(Nigerian Environmental Activist, Architect, Author, and Poet)

Birthdate: January 11, 1958

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Nigeria

Nnimmo Bassey is a Nigerian environmental activist, architect, author, and poet. He is best remembered for serving as the chairperson of an international network of environmental organizations called Friends of the Earth International between 2008 and 2012. In 2009, Nnimmo Bassey was named among the Heroes of the Environment in Time magazine for his work as an environmental activist.

Nahla Mahmoud

(Writer)

Birthdate: March 2, 1987

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Wau, Sudan Wau, Sudan

Thomas R. Odhiambo

(Kenyan Environmental Activist and Entomologist)

Birthdate: February 4, 1931

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Nyanza Province, Kenya

Died: May 26, 2003

Thomas R. Odhiambo was a Kenyan environmental activist and entomologist. He is credited with founding an international scientific research institute called the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. Thomas R. Odhiambo also helped found three institutions of learning, namely the African Academy of Sciences, the Kenyan National Academy of Sciences, and the Third World Academy of Sciences.

Miriam Miranda

(Honduran Human Rights Activist)

Birthplace: Santa Fe, Honduras