Fatimata Chan is a poet, author, climate activist, speaker, and an award-winning scholar. She has founded multiple initiatives, published a poetry book, and takes different approaches to her activism such as through academia, policy, and art. Fatimata’s interconnected approach to human rights allows her to address multiple injustices at once, including gender inequality, racial discrimination, the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis, and more.

Fatimata grew up in the Bronx, New York City. Her upbringing in one of the most underresourced communities in the city, along with her immigrant background, inspired her to begin her activism at a young age by advocating for policy change. Her activism expanded over the years to include mutual aid efforts, community building, creating accessible spaces in academia, and spreading joy through art.

We at Closing the Gap podcast acknowledge that the Bronx lies on unceded Munsee Lenape land.

Resources

• Fatimata’s Website

• Fatimata's LinkedIn

• Fatimata’s Linktree

• Poem published by the Malala Fund: What do criminals look like?

• Perfectly Imperfect Poetry Book on Thrift Books

People Mentioned

• Trayvon Martin

• Tamir Rice

• Sandra Bland

Organizations to Support

• The People's Forum

• BRIC Arts Media

Definitions

• Boycotting: to refuse to buy or handle goods, or to refuse to participate in an event, as a form of protest.

• Coalition: formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal.

• Colonialism: the practice of extending and maintaining political, social, economic, and cultural domination over a territory and its people, by another group of people who claim superiority.

• Doomscrolling: the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading or watching large quantities of negative news on the web and social media.

• Gender equality: equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations, and needs equally.

• Lobbying: a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials.

• Mutual aid: an organizational model where voluntary, collaborative exchanges of resources and services for common benefit take place amongst community members to overcome social, economic, and political barriers to meeting common needs.

If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @closingthegappod ✨

We want to hear from you! Email us at closingthegappod@gmail.com

Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

Welcome, Angelina Alanis! Angelina is the Communications & Partnerships Coordinator at Festival Beach Food Forest. She talks about the importance of food forests and urban green spaces in general. The Festival Beach Food Forest, based in Austin, Texas, was founded on Indigenous land stewardship practices. It’s filled with edible plants, rest spaces, and a communal gathering area under the tree canopy where different events are held, including weekly yoga sessions and monthly plant ID walks. This abundant space was intentionally designed to build community and foster a connection to the Earth. It sits next to a large highway, I-35, and is situated in a historically redlined neighborhood. The Festival Beach Food Forest illustrates the power of healing through community and urban green spaces, and is a great example for cities everywhere.

We acknowledge that Austin, Texas lies on unceded Sana, Comanche, Coahuiltecan, and Jumanos land.

Resources

• Festival Beach Food Forest Website

• Address: 25-1/2 Waller Street, Austin, Texas 78702

• Donate to Festival Beach Food Forest

• Instagram

• Facebook

Definitions

• Food forest: a type of garden where you grow many different fruits, nuts, herbs, and vegetables. It is designed to mimic a natural forest and has many different layers, from trees to shrubs, ground cover plants, vines, and more.

• Redlining: typically refers to the practice of creating and enforcing discriminatory policies or laws, particularly in relation to housing, lending, and access to resources. The term originates from the practice of drawing red lines on maps to outline areas that were deemed too risky for investment, often based on the racial or ethnic composition of the neighborhood.

• Permaculture: a type of agriculture intended to be self-sufficient, based on traditional practices that use natural resources and minimize waste.

• Topography: features of land surfaces or landforms

• Swales: a sunken or marshy place with gently sloping sides designed to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration. Bioswales are swales that involve the inclusion of plants or vegetation.

• Natives or native plants: a plant is native if it has occurred naturally for thousands of years in a region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction.

• Biodiverse: Biodiversity is the variability of life on Earth. The more biodiverse an area, the more species variety there is.

If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @closingthegappod ✨

We want to hear from you! Email us at closingthegappod@gmail.com

Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)