October 27 – Happy Birthday, Majora Carter

nPosted October 27, 2019

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nYou know that someone has crafted a special, one-of-a-kind life when there is a wide assortment of titles / jobs / accomplishments listed on their Wikipedia article.

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nIn the case of Majora Carter, that list includes:

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• urban renewal strategist

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• real estate developer

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• public radio host

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• economic diversity advocate

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• founder and executive director of a non-profit environmental solutions corporation

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• associate director of a non-profit community development organization

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• grant writer

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• co-founder of a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty through cleaning the environment

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• Olympic torch bearer

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• speaker, including a popular TED talk

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• writer for TV and radio

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• television and documentary host and/or narrator

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• founder and president of a consulting firm

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• co-founder of a tech meet-up

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• innovator, consultant, and prize winner in various tech-economy businesses and contests

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• high-achieving, controversial business woman!

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nMajora Carter started off her life by being born in the South Bronx in New York City, on this date in 1966. She went from Head Start and public schools to a BA and a MFA (Master’s of Fine Arts) in film. 

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nOne day she was walking her dog, and the dog pulled her into a weedy, trash-strewn vacant lot. She was surprised when she discovered that the vacant lot ended on the banks of the Bronx River.

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nWhere others might have concentrated on scolding their dogs and asserting who’s the boss when it comes to dog walking…

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nAnd still others might have been grossed out by the weeds and the trash and beat it back to known sidewalks and streets…

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nCarter did neither of those things. Instead, she looked beyond the surface appearance of that lot, and she saw possibilities. She went to work to get a grant to restore the river bank, and then she leveraged that grant to get funding for developing the entire area as a park. And not just any park: that icky vacant lot has been transformed into an award-winning park.

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nSpeaking of awards, Carter has managed in her busy, varied career to win quite a few. Along the way, she has also caused controversy and has garnered criticism. But I think that environmental justice – which touches on many of her accomplishments – is a really important field and will continue to increase in importance in the future. 

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nAlso on this date:

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nWorld Day for Audiovisual Heritage
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nPlan ahead:

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• October holidays

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• nOctober birthdays

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• nHistorical anniversaries in October

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nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
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• nNovember holidays

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• nNovember birthdays

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• nHistorical anniversaries in November

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