“It Takes a Village”: Environmental Activist Catherine Coleman Flowers Visits NMH

Community, communication, and finding common ground — these themes underscored the message renowned environmental activist, MacArthur Fellow, and author Catherine Coleman Flowers delivered to Northfield Mount Hermon students during a Nov. 5 campus visit.

Flowers, featured in Time magazine, Forbes, and other national publications for her environmental justice work, met with student leadership groups, visited classes, and addressed the entire school in a Q&A moderated by Emily Sun ’26 and Seneca Smith ’27.

The former vice chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council shared how her upbringing in rural Alabama fueled her passion for advocacy; described her process for writing her two books, “Waste” and “Holy Ground”; and expressed faith in young people’s power to address environmental issues.

Flowers’ visit was the latest event connected to NMH’s 2025-26 learning theme of citizenship and the interplay of freedom, power, and justice.

After arriving on campus Tuesday evening, Flowers met with the Ecoleaders, the Climate Action Committee, and Interfaith Leaders groups to discuss how students can effect change and raise awareness about environmental issues.

“I am not surprised [by students’ engagement], but I'm moved by their commitment to justice,” said Flowers of her discussions with NMH students.

In a World Literature class, Flowers spoke about her experiences as a writer and how travel and face-to-face communication shape her perspective and ability to forge coalitions. She emphasized storytelling’s power to bridge divides and inspire action.

“Storytelling is very essential to change,” Flowers said. “It allows me to build bridges, to find some commonality. A lot of the books that I've read throughout my life have inspired me to do this work and to reach people that I probably would never have met otherwise.”

During her discussion with Sun and Smith, Flowers reflected on growing up in Lowndes County, Alabama, and being inspired by both the inequity and activism she witnessed.

“I got the chance to see firsthand what community activism looks like,” Flowers told students. “That helped me to see how to be engaged and involved as a high school student.”

Flowers acknowledged that activism can be lonely and difficult, stressing the important role that relatives, friends, and mentors played in keeping her spirits up.

“What I was doing was not popular — most of my peers at that time wanted to play cards and have fun,” she said. “What I did have was a close group of friends who supported each other. My teachers supported me; my parents supported me. There were other activists from the community who would call me and give encouragement. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to support an advocate, too.”

As an environmental activist working in a conservative region of the country, Flowers has forged many unlikely political alliances. She stressed the importance of reaching across political divides to address problems that have far-reaching implications for entire communities.

“Everybody's looking for hope, even if they're looking in the wrong direction,” Flowers told students. “We have to embrace language that builds bridges: the language of commonality, of finding solutions, not based on blaming people for the problems that we have.”

Asked how she stays hopeful despite setbacks, Flowers credited her faith and the responsibility she has to the younger generations in her family. She challenged students to harness their collective strength and take an active role in the fight for climate justice.

“I love the diversity I see here,” she continued. “It's the strength of what everybody can bring from your various experiences to find solutions to the problems that we have. You all care about humanity, and that’s why I'm still hopeful. … You will find solutions, and I challenge you to do that.”

Reflecting on Flowers’ talk, Sun — who is working on a senior capstone project about water quality — said she was inspired by Flowers’ dedication, optimism, and collaboration across differences.

“It gives me a lot of motivation,” Sun said. “I’ve had people ask me, ‘To what extent is youth lobbying actually helpful?’ This opportunity to have someone of her caliber talk to us and emphasize that our efforts do matter is really inspiring.”

Smith said she appreciated Flowers’ passion and focus on intersectionality in the fight for climate justice.

“A huge piece of what we're trying to do today involves collaboration, building community, and building knowledge through connection,” said Smith. “She was such a good model of doing that, and I think her stories really presented that case.”

Both students said they hope Flowers’ visit inspires more collaboration with other communities on environmental issues.

“I think staying connected with and sharing resources with other groups outside of this bubble is really important,” said Smith. “There are towns in Franklin County that are environmental justice communities. I hope NMH students take parts of her speech and stories with them and take the opportunities to collaborate with people off campus.”

– Max Hunt

Photos by Lindsey Topham.