Balogun, Kemi
Kemi Balogun
Kemi Balogun is the executive director of the Center for Environmental Citizenship (CEC) in Washington, D.C. Before taking on this role, she was involved with several community activism organizations, such as Girl Power through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Balogun credits organizing CEC’s first all-minority environmental training program as the highlight of her career.
“Do not be deterred because the environmental movement is a predominately white one; know that you can have white allies. Some people feel the same way you do regardless of their color, and the environment can mean a lot of different things…” - Kemi Balogun, 2005.
Balogun is the third of six children (the two older sisters are twins), but she feels as though she were the oldest as “there is such a large gap in ages between the twins and the rest of us; [I] felt like I was the oldest.” Her father is a Nigerian-born journalist who received his degree from American University in Washington, D.C., and her mother is an Irish and Native American accountant who works on government contracts. Balogun grew up in Washington, D.C., and when the time came for her to go to college, she did not go far from home; Balogun attended Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland. In 2000 she received her Associate of Arts degree in business management and journalism. While in college, she was involved in community activism. Balogun coached cheerleading and led dance classes at the recreational center in her community; she wanted to help neighborhood youths keep busy and stay out of trouble. She was also involved in activities such as petitioning for the resources needed to clean up her neighborhood and attending Sierra Club events that were promoted around her college campus.
Kemi Balogun has achieved much in her life. She is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Citizenship (CEC or EnviroCitizen) in Washington, D.C., a position she reached by her late twenties. But getting to this place in her career has not been easy. “Being a person of color in a predominately white organization has its ups and downs; being a person of color in the environmental movement is hard,” says Balogun.
Balogun’s first job was with the Washington, D.C., Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). She assisted with the “Girl Power” campaign because it intrigued her that the government was trying to reach out to young girls. Balogun’s time at the DHHS taught her that the government can make good things happen, but those working on government initiatives put in much effort and do not always get to see the results of their work. After working at DHHS for a while, she decided that working in the non-profit sector would allow her to be more “hands-on.” Balogun took a position with the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless (DCCH). “My experience with the DCCH provided me with [another] insight into how the government impacts people,” says Balogun. The DCCH served only served men; many of them were veterans, mentally ill, or had substance abuse problems that resulted in their impoverishment. Though she felt her work there provided a good experience and was very important, Balogun was concerned that the DCCH did not provide services to women. The lack of support for women and internal problems prompted her to leave the organization.
Little did she know that her next move would position her to become the first person of color in the thirteen-year history of the CEC to assume a senior professional position. While looking for non-profit work, she happened upon an opening with CEC for an administrative assistant position. Balogun was impressed because the Executive Director at the time was a twenty-eight-year-old woman, and the staff was also young, vibrant, and empowered. She felt good about working with them, so she accepted the position and has been there for five and a half years. She would move up from this position, eventually becoming the organization’s Executive Director.
Balogun’s time at the CEC has not always been smooth. She came close to quitting when a former supervisor offended her numerous times and abused her. Soon after joining the organization, she realized that her supervisor was racist and that the organization had hired her because they felt some pressure to replace the one person of color who had been working in the organization. 21-year-old Balogun had no previous exposure to such blatant racism. Referring to her supervisor, Balogun says, “I did not understand, personally or professionally, how someone could be so racist and evil.” She continues, “My supervisor would write me notes saying that I was stupid and telling me to re-do my work; she would leave the notes on my desk in the reception area for everyone to see.” Unsurprisingly, the organization had a high turnover of people of color. Balogun suffered the humiliation in silence and was advised not to quit. Balogun says, “My mom told me that for me to leave, the organization would be allowing my supervisor to win…. [My mother] also pointed out that if I let… [the supervisor] get away with it, then whichever person of color came after me would be treated in the same way. So I stayed” (2005).
On one occasion, Balogun’s supervisor locked her (Balogun) in an office and would not let her leave. The supervisor wanted to speak with Balogun, but Balogun did not wish to converse with her. Balogun had to scream for someone to let her out of the office. At this point, she filed a grievance with the board, and a conflict mediator was brought in. Balogun’s supervisor refused to sign the mediation agreement, placing Balogun on three months probation.
However, not all was lost. The intervention by mediators brought positive changes to the organization. A week after the mediation session, CEC brought in Change Works, a diversity consulting firm, to facilitate a dismantling racism workshop with CEC staff. Former minority employees who had left the organization were invited to participate in the workshop. The abusive supervisor resigned shortly after the workshop (in which several current and former employees confronted her about her behavior and racial attitudes).
In 2004, Balogun’s dream finally came to fruition. The CEC received 150 applications from minority students all over the country, and the training session turned out to be an excellent experience for everyone involved. The CEC had established a goal of increasing diversity in the organization, so Balogun used that goal to push CEC to walk their talk and organize a minority STA. Seeing the minority Summer Training Academy become a reality has been the highlight of Balogun’s career thus far. Though CEC planned to hold the traditional and minority STAs in 2005, lack of funding prevented both events from happening.
Balogun stays in contact with many students participating in CEC events and mentors intensively. She is a mentor to a young woman in her community. Her protégé went to the Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy in Washington, D.C. Completing a community service project is a curriculum requirement at Cesar Chavez. Her protégé came to CEC to fulfill her requirement and was assigned to shadow Balogun. The student expressed surprise at seeing a young black woman like Balogun in such an influential position in a predominantly white organization. Balogun’s mentee refers to her as a “big sister,” a role Balogun takes very seriously. Balogun feels that the interaction with her mentee has given her more insight into herself and her career. Balogun encourages her mentee to attend college by showing her different college campuses. Balogun hopes her mentee realizes the many choices she has in life.
Balogun says she wants to empower people who do not know the extent of their power. Traditional environmental issues are important to her, but she feels she can make the most difference by working on environmental justice issues in her community. Balogun considers her ability to work with local activists to make changes and motivate her community to be her most significant achievement. “People are now able to use me as a resource and that makes me very proud,” she says (2005).
While at CEC, Balogun attended a workshop facilitated by Bree Carlson. Carlson, also a person of color, understood what it was like to be the only person of color in a predominately white organization. She became a very influential person in Balogun’s life. Carlson knew the history of racism at CEC very well. As a result, Carlson was able to help Balogun find a new direction for her life and career. Balogun says, “Bree [Carlson] changed my life in many ways and has been very instrumental in my staying on with the CEC.”
Joshua Feldmark was the Executive Director who held the position before Balogun. She learned much from Feldmark as the two became friends. “Feldmark believes in clarity. He believes that no matter the job title, everyone’s input and opinions were important and worthy of being considered. Race truly did not matter to him. Feldmark would use ideas from other managers and his administrative assistant alike. I saw him move from being an organizer in the CEC to a fundraiser and then Executive Director,” Balogun says. She looked up to him as she watched him grow.
Balogun’s work at the CEC puts her in touch with hundreds of students nationwide. Each year the CEC hosts a Summer Training Academy (STA) in which about 40 students from around the country come to Washington, D.C., for a week of environmental leadership training and political strategizing. The STAs often result in some participants joining the organization or becoming organizers. The students participating in Summer Training Academy’s all-expenses-paid training are primarily white. Because she felt that minorities have a different perspective on environmental issues and because communities of color suffer many environmental injustices, Balogun thought it would be prudent for the CEC to host a minority version of the Summer Training Academy to increase the participation of students of color in the event. She proposed the idea and lobbied for support in the organization. Despite the inclusion of environmental justice issues on the agenda of Summer Training Academy training for many years, there was much opposition within the organization to the idea of a minority Summer Training Academy. Some of her colleagues felt that such an undertaking would be an inefficient use of time and that the cost and work involved in organizing the event (such as securing funding and finding staff for the event) would not manifest itself in measurable results. An all-minority event would mean establishing a safe zone for concerns, discussions, etc. Balogun also wanted to hire minority organizers to help with the event. She argued that this event would benefit the students and allow the CEC staff to enhance their skills and broaden their perspectives. Balogun felt that although there might be some discomfort in an organization attempting to recruit and train people they did not normally communicate with, the result would be growth in the CEC.
Balogun wants other minorities to realize that this environmental movement is not the same as the one in the 1970s. “The movement is not only about tree huggers and being a vegetarian…it is broad…it is about being consciously aware of your surroundings,” she says. Balogun also advises, “Do not be deterred because the environmental movement is a predominately white one; know that you can have white allies. Some people feel the same way you do regardless of their color, and the environment can mean a lot of different things. The movement can be defined by whatever you want it to be and by wherever you want to make your most impact.”
Interview conducted by Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative staff. 2016. University of Michigan – School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ann Arbor, MI.
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Not Available