Mariama White-Hammond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mariama White-Hammond |
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White-Hammond in 2023
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | African Methodist Episcopal Church |
| Parents | Ray Hammond, Gloria White-Hammond |
| Spouse | Rahn Dorsey |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Education | Master of Divinity |
| Alma mater | Boston University School of Theology |
Mariama White-Hammond is a pastor and the founder of the New Roots African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This church is a place of worship and community. Before becoming a pastor, she worked for the City of Boston as the Chief of Energy, Environment, and Open Space. She held this important role under Mayor Michelle Wu.
Before her work with the church and the city, Mariama was the director of Project HIP-HOP. This was a youth organization that used arts like hip-hop to teach young people about important social justice topics.
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Early Life
Mariama White-Hammond grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents are Ray Hammond and Gloria White-Hammond. Both of her parents are medical doctors. They are also ordained ministers in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mariama is the older of two children. Her sister's name is Adiya White-Hammond.
Mariama grew up in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Dorchester. She started caring about politics and social issues when she was young. As a teenager, she joined a boycott against Coke. This was to support the movement against apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation.
She attended the Winsor School, which is a private school in Boston. After that, she went to Stanford University. There, she studied human rights law and international relations.
Making a Difference
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In 2005, Mariama White-Hammond became the director of Project HipHop. This group was a nonprofit organization. It focused on using arts programs for young people of color in Boston. Mariama herself had been a youth member of the organization when she was a teen. The group was first started to teach young people about the history of the civil rights movement.
As director, she helped the group change its focus. They started using hip-hop culture and arts to encourage young people to speak up about social justice issues. She worked with the organization for eleven years. During this time, she saw the challenges faced by young people in the city.
Connecting Nature and Justice
In 2005, Mariama traveled with young people from Bethel AME Church to New Orleans, Louisiana. This was after Hurricane Katrina caused a lot of damage. This trip helped Mariama see how environmental problems are connected to racial and economic fairness. She became very active in local politics. In 2006, she helped with Deval Patrick's campaign for governor.
In 2014, she decided to become an ordained minister. She began studying at Boston University School of Theology. She earned a Master of Divinity degree in 2017. While she was a student, she worked as the Minister for Ecological Justice at Bethel AME Church. She became an ordained minister in the African Episcopal Methodist Church in April 2016.
Since her studies, she has become a well-known leader. She works on issues related to environmentalism and racial justice. She is a Fellow of the Green Justice Coalition. This group works on environmental activism in communities of color. In 2016, she was appointed to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy's Racial Justice and Equity Council.
She also spoke out against a natural gas pipeline. This pipeline was planned for the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. In 2017, she took part in a protest against the pipeline. She was among 22 activists, including Karenna Gore, who is the daughter of former Vice President Al Gore.
In January 2017, Mariama White-Hammond was the Master of Ceremonies for Boston's Women's March. This was a very large protest held on Boston Common. That same year, she was also the Master of Ceremonies for the Boston People's Climate Mobilization.
Following her father's example, Mariama White-Hammond started the New Roots AME Church in Dorchester in 2018. She serves as the pastor there.
In June 2020, Mariama preached at a special memorial service. It was held at Bethel AME Church. The service remembered the lives of three African-Americans. They were George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The memorial followed a symbolic funeral procession through the streets of Boston.
Leading the Way in Boston
In April 2021, Mariama was appointed by Acting Mayor Kim Janey. She became the city of Boston's chief of environment, energy, and open space. She kept this role after Michelle Wu became mayor. In this job, she helped oversee several city departments. These included Parks, Historic Preservation, Food Justice, and Environment. Mariama left this role in April of 2024.
Awards and Recognition
Mariama White-Hammond has received several awards for her important work:
- Barr Fellowship (2009)
- The Celtics Heroes Among Us (2005)
- The Roxbury Founders Day Award (2004)
- Boston NAACP Image award
- Grist 50 Fixers for 2019
- Sojourners 11 Women Shaping the Church.
