ABOUT US
Despite experiencing the effects of the climate crisis, co-founders Alexia Leclercq and Kier Blake didn't see topics such as environmental justice covered in school. So in 2019, they decided to take action and write their own curriculum. As more teachers reached out, Alexia and Kier established Start:Empowerment.
Today S:E's core team members work to infuse environmental justice histories, organizing skills, urban-agro training, and political education into learning and community spaces. We introduce diverse content, drive learner growth and generate community impact while building, strengthening, and connecting various climate movements.
MEET OUR TEAM
Kier Blake, MSc.
Co-Founder, Director of Operations and NYC Programming
Alexia Leclercq, M.Ed.
Co-Founder, and Executive Director
Alysha Berry
Communications, Digital Media and Design Consultant
Gabriella Grinwald-Alves
Director of Transformative Justice Education
Emi Roman
Outreach Coordinator
Kianna Pete
Curriculum Lead
Jasmine Butler
Political Education Specialist
José Noé Elías
Texas Coordinator
Destiny Tullis
Community Education Specialist
Redhawk Gutierrez
Education Specialist
Maia Rivers
Communications and Marketing Specialist
Lalo Remes
Videographer
Kyla Gaganam
Artistic Coordinator
MEET OUR BOARD
Dr. Osbourne
(He/Him)
Osbourne graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Engineering class of 1991 and from USC School of Medicine in 1995. To this day, he has been practicing internal medicine with a special interest in Sickle Cell Disease, a group of disorders that cause red blood cells to become misshapen and break down affecting the health, wellbeing, and mortality of BIPOC populations, especially. Since 1998, he has been practicing at Kaiser Permanente where he is now the Director of the Sickle Cell Disease Care Program. As a resident of Los Angeles, he has been striving to empower people to live the best and healthiest life possible with the goal of centering herbal/osteopathic medicine, while using the least amount of pharmaceutical/allopathic medicine possible. Start:Empowerment's work with Osbourne goes back to its founding in 2020 as Osbourne is a founding board member. The organization's current work ties into his belief that the environment plays a major role in collective health outcomes and contributes to the health disparities that we see everyday. His mission as a board member is to foster environments where everyone can thrive.
Pratik Raghu
(He/Him)
Pratik Raghu (he/him/his) has been a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management (EPSM) Program at The New School in New York City since the start of the 2022-23 academic year. Pratik completed his PhD in Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022. His dissertation analyzes repertoires of ungovernability within Indigenous mobilizations against neoliberal dispossession and state violence in Jharkhand, India and Oaxaca, Mexico. His broader intellectual interests include Indigenous, decolonial, anti-capitalist, and anti-authoritarian movements and theoretical frameworks from South Asia, Latin America, and other parts of the Global South, as well as alternative globalization paradigms and scholar-activist methodologies. Pratik’s research has appeared in both leading scholarly publications, such as 'Perspectives on Global Development and Technology,' and prominent public intellectual platforms, such as 'ROAR Magazine,' 'Society & Space,' 'CounterPunch,' and 'It’s Going Down.' As a Post Growth Institute Fellow for 2023-24, Pratik is exploring the linkages between postgrowth, anti-fascism, and class struggle.
Rev. Yearwood
(He/Him)
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr (he/him) is the President & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus. Establishing the Caucus in 2004, he aimed to merge Hip Hop culture with civic empowerment. In 2018, he launched Think 100% and further propelled the Caucus into environmental justice advocacy, championing a shift to 100% renewable energy. He also spearheads campaigns advocating divestment from fossil fuels, amplifying diversity within the climate movement, and advocating for clean water and air accessibility for all. His dedication extends to frontline efforts, including participation in international climate negotiations in Paris and leading the charge against new oil pipeline developments in Maryland and at Standing Rock. Acknowledged as a Champion of Change by the Obama White House, Yearwood's unwavering dedication continues to shape both Hip Hop and environmental activism, fostering positive global change and social justice.