Carolyn Finney (author) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carolyn Finney
Education	Ph.D. in Cultural Geography, Clark University
Occupation	Speaker and author. Formerly Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky
Awards	Fulbright Scholar, Canon National Parks Science Scholars Fellowship, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship

Carolyn Finney, born in 1959, is a talented storyteller, writer, artist, and teacher. She is currently a special scholar at Middlebury College. Carolyn helps us understand how nature and the environment are seen differently by people of different races in America.

About Carolyn Finney

Carolyn grew up in Westchester County, New York. Her parents worked for a wealthy family. They were the only family of color in their area. Carolyn first studied liberal arts. But she decided to become an actress instead. She worked in TV for 11 years. She even appeared in 5 episodes of Beauty and the Beast.

After acting, Carolyn spent five years traveling the world. She backpacked through Africa, Asia, and Europe. She even lived in Nepal for a while. Later, she went back to school. She earned degrees from Western Washington University, Utah State University, and Clark University.

From 2007 to 2014, she was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She was the only African American professor in her department. After facing some challenges there, she moved to the University of Kentucky. Today, Carolyn works with many groups. She is a public speaker, a visiting academic, and a writer.

Carolyn in the Media

Carolyn Finney has been interviewed by many different media groups. She has appeared on TV shows like The Tavis Smiley Show and MSNBC. She has also been on NPR and Vice News Tonight.

You can also hear her on many podcasts. These include the Meat Eater Hunting Collective podcast and the Unladylike podcast. She shares her ideas about race and the environment in the U.S. Her podcasts are available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Play, IHeartRadio, and YouTube. During the pandemic, Carolyn started using Zoom (software) and other online tools. This allowed her to continue her live talks and answer questions.

Her Book and Writings

In 2014, Carolyn published her first book. It is called "Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors." This book looks at how African Americans experience nature in the U.S. It also explores their role in the environmental movement.

Carolyn explains that Black people have often faced challenges to enjoy the outdoors. But they have found ways to connect with nature. She argues that this part of history is often ignored. Her book shows the difference between how America generally sees nature and how Black people have experienced it. She writes that their connection to the outdoors has often been controlled by others.

During the pandemic, more people became interested in her book. This led to many requests for her to speak and work on new projects. Carolyn has also written articles for Newsweek, The Guardian, and Outside magazine. She is a regular writer for The Earth Island Journal.

Current Projects

Carolyn Finney is always working on new and exciting projects. She is creating a one-woman show. It is called "The N Word: Nature, Revisited." This show is an imagined conversation with John Muir, a famous naturalist. She presented parts of it in 2021.

She is also working with a documentary filmmaker named Irene Taylor. Irene is making an HBO documentary about how humans connect with trees. Carolyn's family story will be part of this film. Plus, Carolyn is writing a new book. This book will share her personal journey. It will explore the complex ideas of race, land, and belonging in the U.S.

Awards and Recognition

Carolyn Finney has received several important awards. She was a Fulbright Scholar in 2001. She also received a Canon National Parks Science Scholar award in 2003. Later, she earned a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship. This fellowship was for environmental studies at Wellesley College.

Selected Writings

Here are some of Carolyn Finney's important writings:

• Finney, C. 2020. "The Perils of Being Black in Public: We are all Christian Cooper and George Floyd". The Guardian.
• Finney, C. 2020. "Self-Evident: Reflections on the Invisibility of Black Bodies in Environmental Histories". BESIDE Magazine, Montreal.
• Finney, C. 2014. Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. University of North Carolina Press.
• Finney, C. 2012. "Child’s Play: Finding the Green in the In Between". In Companions in Wonder: Reflections on Children and Adults Exploring Nature, Julie Dunlap and Steven Kellert (eds.). MIT Press.