Mersie Watkins, a senior biology major at Alcorn State University, took center stage at the 10th Anniversary HBCU Climate Change Conference, held from March 5 to 9, 2025, in New Orleans, La. The conference, hosted by the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University, highlighted the voices of students like Watkins who are at the forefront of climate action.

Watkins, who hails from Duck Hill, Miss.—a community often impacted by flooding—shared her work with the EPA’s Environmental Justice Academy (EJA) during a panel discussion. “The specific project that I was working on is the Environmental Justice Academy, a nine-month program based on the EPA’s Collaborative Problem Solving Model,” she explained. “The EJA is a tool for community members, students, and other stakeholders to gain knowledge and capacity in the environmental space. One of the key things that excites me about the EJA is its impact. There are so many people doing environmental justice work who just need a few tools to amplify their effects on their community.”

Reflecting on her own experiences, Watkins noted, “Over the years, we would experience extreme levels of flooding, sometimes causing residents to stay home to remain safe. This resulted in people, including myself, missing school and work.” She became involved with Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity (MCUP), a nonprofit founded in 2018, which provided resources to help understand and mitigate flooding. Through their Creek Ranger Program, Watkins served as president, focusing on S.M.A.R.T. (Science, Math, Art, Reading, and Technology) learning goals and community service. “This role allowed me to immerse myself in climate change and environmental concerns in underrepresented communities,” she said.

Watkins emphasized her evolving perspective on environmental issues, “Environmental issues were the least of my concerns until I had to take my head out of those polluted clouds and realize what was happening to my community and others like mine.” She expressed her commitment to advocacy, stating, “My purpose is to do what others won’t and to advocate for those who think they don’t have a voice or understand how important their voice is.”

During the conference, she was inspired by a speech from Calvin Mackie titled “Not Justice, but JUST-US.” “He shared a conversation with his wife that resonated with me. He said, ‘I told my wife that if I pass away, I want my tombstone to be blank, and when they ask why, I want you to tell them, ‘Because he gave it all he had.’” Watkins reflected, “At that moment, I wondered if I was doing all that I could. By the time he was done speaking, I felt empowered with a new drive and fire in my spirit.”

The conference not only provided Watkins with a platform to share her insights but also allowed her to connect with fellow students, professors, and professionals dedicated to environmental justice. “I had a chance to connect with many students and gain relationships with individuals pivotal to the next steps of my career,” she said.

As this was her first verbal presentation in front of a large audience, Watkins admitted her initial fears. “I was afraid that I didn’t know enough, but a wise man told me, ‘You know what you know and you don’t know what you don’t; that doesn’t mean you can never learn more.’” She recognized that there is always room for growth, stating, “It’s okay to not know everything as long as you stay curious.”

Watkins concluded with a call to action for fellow HBCU students: “It is pivotal for HBCU students to pick up the torch because the fight is not finished. There is enough work for all of us to play a part in. I hope my impact with the EJA will inspire young people like me to try it anyway. We are the hope for tomorrow, and if we don’t start picking up those pieces, the puzzle will never be complete.”