Panelist:
The Environmental Justice in New York City panel dove deeper into the important work of various climate advocates and organizations throughout the city. Panelists discussed the links between climate change and housing injustice, resource access, poverty, the importance of bottom-up climate action, and the investigation of systemic inequity.
Daphne Frias
Daphne Frias (she/her) is a 24-year-old youth activist. She is unapologetically Latina. Daphne has Cerebral Palsy, and uses a wheelchair to ambulate. She is fiercely proud to be a loud champion for the disabled community. Born and raised in West Harlem, NYC, she has seen how minority communities are disproportionately affected by climate change. Her passion for advocacy, propelled her to run from county committee women of Assembly District 70, Election District 80 in West Harlem. In June 2019, Daphne won her election and continues to work hard to represent her constituents. She was appointed as one of the North American Regional Focal Points for Sustainable Development Goal 16 at the U.N. Major Group for Children and Youth. In this position, She works to highlight and represent the voice of her fellow youth and the work they are doing to become pivotal peacemakers. Currently, she continues to stay passionate about creating change, as a freelance organizer. She spends her time speaking at various colleges, summits, and panels. In addition, she consults with non-profits, crafting engaging campaigns highlighting the voices of Gen-Z.
Whitney McGuire. Esq. (she/her/hers) is a mother, a New York state licensed attorney, legal and sustainability consultant & strategist, and co-founder of Sustainable Brooklyn, an organization that disrupts the whitewashing of sustainability in order to concretize equity in the sustainability movement. Whitney is a pioneer in the field of fashion law and a fierce advocate for the sustainability of communities first and most impacted by environmental and social degradation due to the climate crisis. In 2013, after graduating from the Catholic University of America - Columbus School of Law, Whitney opened her own law firm to support the sustainability of marginalized artists. Whitney completed a federal clerkship in 2017 and joined The Fashion Law Group as a contract attorney and eventually, of counsel before exiting to begin consulting and advising artists and art institutions on hybrid legal, business, sustainability, and equity issues.
Jasmine Graham is the Energy Justice Policy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, responsible for strengthening and advancing the organization’s energy policies. She joined from Sustainable Westchester, where she served as the Westchester Power Program Manager and developed initiatives to create and promote local renewable generation and community-scale efficiency. Prior to that, she was a Legislative Researcher at the University of Vermont’s VT Legislative Research Service, synthesizing economic and social policy issues and publishing legislative research reports.
Jasmine is a Founding Member of the Trust for Public Land’s Next Gen Steering Committee. She also served as the Founding Political Chair of the Women of Color Coalition at the University of Vermont, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Development.