The HBCU Green Fund fellow says sustainability and Black voting power are inseparable.
Cydnee Harris is 22 years old, holds a cum laude degree from Spelman College, and is already doing the kind of work most people twice her age have not attempted. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee and HBCU Green Fund fellow, she has traveled to Senegal, helped write national policy agendas, and spent her young career making the case that climate change and Black political power are not separate conversations. They never have been. Harris sat down with Rolling Out’s Equity in Focus to break it all down.
What is the connection between climate change and Black political power?
Black political power and climate change often inform each other. Similar to how voting rights is integral to Black political power, being informed about climate work, sustainability, and environmental justice is also important to Black political power. The systems that shape whether a community is environmentally just or unjust are also the systems that provide or revoke Black political power.
When we see how parks are placed in certain neighborhoods, or how certain facilities that provide environmental and health benefits end up in certain neighborhoods, that is strategically done. Black communities and disadvantaged communities are often not the people that receive those benefits or those systemic changes. That is why it is important to utilize sustainability to inform Black political power.
You went to Senegal as part of the HBCU Green Fund Fellowship. What did that experience teach you that changed the way you think about climate work here at home?
My travels to Senegal showed me that we honestly are not all so different. When I traveled with HBCU Green Fund in 2025 for the Eco Spring Break, we stayed in Yin, Senegal, near the Atlantic coast. We could walk directly to the ocean from the beach. It was beautiful and life-changing.
That experience was different when I returned in 2026. The government decided to build a port along that same coast. The port is said to bring economic development and benefits, but the community had no say in the negotiations, and the community can no longer access the ocean.
Beyond beach access, there were community members who would sell clothing, jewelry and other items on that beach to support their families. That economic platform is gone because the port was placed where they used to sell. Those are similar themes to what I see here in America, where people are excluded from political processes that change their lives, and they have no voice in decisions that affect their health, their income, and their futures.
You have worked with RISE and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. How does voting and voter protection connect to environmental justice?
Voting and voter protection connect to environmental justice because they are both human rights that have been threatened or taken away. Voting was once illegal for Black Americans, for women, for people in disadvantaged groups. In the same sense, environmental accessibility has been taken away from communities through structural decisions, whether that is highways dividing neighborhoods or heat islands being placed in Black communities.
Heat islands are areas in urban or suburban spaces that attract more heat, warm the surrounding area, and cause negative health impacts. These structures are systemically placed to burden people. Voter protection is necessary because voting is a human right. Environmental justice is a human right, because everyone deserves clean air, clean water, and safe walkability. These systems are in place to work for us, but far too often they do not.
A lot of people hear the word sustainability and tune out. How do you make this topic feel relevant and personal to everyday Black communities?
I make it accessible by showing people that sustainability is who we are. It is as simple as asking someone to drive 20 minutes from their community to another one and notice the differences. Are there sidewalks? Are there streetlights? How many grocery stores are in a five-mile radius? How many parks? These are systems put in place by governments and supported by certain cultural structures, designed to either sustain us or just maintain us. Sustainability impacts Black communities every day in how they live, work, and go to school.
Which impact of climate change do you think Black communities feel most right now, housing, health, or economic stability?
People find their entry point at money. Everybody has to worry about their bills. But when you really think about it, people should consider how climate change impacts their health, because health is the main entry to everything else. Say you develop asthma because of a power plant near your home. That increases hospital visits, increases prescriptions, which increases the money you are spending. Your health can also affect what structures you need in your home. A flooded house can lead to mold, which leads to other health conditions, which leads to more expenses. It all connects, and the entry point is usually the economy.
What is the biggest thing stopping young people from getting more involved in climate advocacy?
Their phones. Technology is a double-edged sword. It is helpful because you can use it to raise awareness about climate issues, but it also distracts and overwhelms. Young people today consume way too much social media. I even have to stop myself from doomscrolling because it is designed to addict us. But you can train the algorithm to work for you. If you are into climate work, food justice, or policy, train your algorithm to reflect that. It is supposed to work for you.
What makes HBCU’s different when it comes to training the next generation of climate leaders?
HBCU’s target an audience that is unequally impacted by climate change. That gives them a unique perspective on how to solve it. Many communities at PWI’s do not understand what it means to have your water change color because you live in a disadvantaged area. They are not in noise-polluted or air-polluted spaces the same way. HBCU’s were designed as a resiliency strategy, and resiliency is going to be essential to climate work going forward. We are past the point of only asking how to prevent climate change. We have to ask how we are going to adapt, because scientists have said we have hit the threshold.
Where do you think the most important change actually happens, at the local or global level?
The most important change happens in closed-door rooms, and that is unfortunate. Grassroots efforts and community organizing are vital because they inform policy, but when those policies reach government tables and UN conversations, people are often not considered. People need a representative at the table. These government systems are designed to work for us, but they frequently do not, which is why we are sometimes left out of the conversation entirely.
What does a win look like to you?
A win would be when the United States re-enters the Paris Accord, and when global leaders start honoring the agreements through the United Nations that require wealthier nations to compensate countries that face the worst climate impacts despite contributing the least to the problem. When people in power start showing up the way they are supposed to, and when communities are included in the decisions that shape their futures, that is when I will say we have a win.
Tell us about your work with the HBCU Green Fund and what is next.
As a fellow, my work involves enhancing sustainability initiatives, writing national policy agendas for environmental work, and traveling abroad for service activities. Right now, I am a co-communications lead for a block party event happening April 25th from 2 to 7 p.m. in Atlanta. It is centered around the Power of 10 campaign, which promotes investing in HBCU students so they can create sustainable initiatives. A $10 donation goes directly into a fund for students to access and implement those programs.
For people who want to get involved, my advice is simple. Show up. Show up at your local government meetings. Show up at your county utility meetings. Show up at the polls. People can see everything online, but change requires physical presence. Your voice matters in the rooms where decisions are actually being made.