Meet Diamond Spratling | Founder of Millennials 4 Environmental Justice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diamond Spratling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diamond, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for” by Sean Patrick Flanery. This quote has stuck with me since I was in high school actually. I was at my last practice before my dance competition when my coach blurted it out. Back then, to me, it meant that if I just gave it my all the next three hours of practice, my team would do well in our competition. It worked. We scored really good, but today, that quote means so much more to me than a competition did. It means that I have to keep working hard and keep pushing toward my goals no matter what. It means that it’s okay to have bad days and just days where I feel mentally drained, but I have to remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It also reassures me that my persistence and my hard work is going to pay off and that the days I sacrificed were absolutely worth it. This quote serves as a daily reminder for me. It helped me all throughout my master’s program, working to get my nonprofit off the ground, and even just getting through the week. It helps me especially on the days where I feel like I’ve exhausted my energy. One thing I am very big on is paying it forward and spreading positivity, so at the end of all of my speaking engagements, I make sure to share this quote with my audience. So, I am sharing it with you. Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I first started Millennials 4 Environmental Justice (M4EJ) at the beginning of 2019. I always knew I wanted to be a leader in the nonprofit sector, and I had been extremely passionate about environmental and social justice for some time. One day, I woke up and decided that was going to be the day I put my passion into fruition. Millennials 4 Environmental Justice is an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses on advocating for environmental justice in underserved Black and Brown neighborhoods. M4EJ exists to help dismantle disparities in health, community development, food security, and economic development, recognizing that all four issues are contingent on our social, physical, and built environments. M4EJ empowers Black and Brown communities by providing them with the tools and resources to stand up against environmental injustices in their own neighborhoods. M4EJ works diligently for the people and their environments to create communities where we can safely thrive in our neighborhoods, free from environmental, racial, and health inequities.

M4EJ is unique in our approach toward environmental justice in that we advocate for all forms of the human environment (built environment, social environment, and physical environment) because we understand that our quality of life is dependent on the success of all three. Additionally, M4EJ prioritizes the idea of putting the power in the people’s hands. Instead of speaking for those who don’t have the power to speak for themselves, we’ve passed the mic directly to them and equipped them with the tools to feel empowered to advocate for themselves.

Building a nonprofit organization has got to be one of the most challenging things I’ve done, especially as a young adult. Between leading a board, staying on top of legal requirements, and continuing to be the face of the organization, it can get very time consuming. Some of the things I’ve done to overcome these challenges have been to ask for support from my team, keeping a very organized schedule, and taking one day out of the week for self-care. Through my journey as a nonprofit leader, I’ve learned that things are not going to be perfect especially in the first couple of years. Being such an impact-driven person, I’m always eager to see successes and improvements in environmental justice, especially as a result of M4EJ’s work. However, I’ve had to learn that change doesn’t happen overnight, and little progress is still progress.

And lastly, I would just like everyone to know that environmental justice does involve you. It impacts you and it’s on all of us to advocate for it whether you experience it or not. We cannot have social justice, racial justice, or climate justice if we don’t have environmental justice.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The best thing about living in Atlanta is that there’s almost nothing that you can’t do. If I had my best friend visit for the week, we’d definitely have to walk down the Eastside BeltLine Trail all the way down to Ponce City Market to explore the shops. On the way to Ponce, we’d probably do a food and drink tour stopping at all of the different restaurants and bars like Hawkers, Krog Street Market, The James Room, and LadyBird. I’m an outdoors person so I would probably even suggest a hike up the infamous Stone Mountain or even bike ride to Piedmont Park for a nice picnic. I think it’s always nice to get away from the city, so I’d also take my bestie to Chateau Elan or Wolf Mountain Winery for some wine tasting. Now I’d be remorse if I didn’t take my guest to brunch, so we’d probably make reservations for West Egg Café or Negril. The last thing I think is really cool about Atlanta is the history. Therefore, I’d probably suggest exploring one of the many historical sites across the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shout out everyone who has supported Millennials 4 Environmental Justice (M4EJ) since its inception. We have received an overwhelming amount of support from volunteers, friends, family members, board members, and people in the community who see our content and share it across their platforms. I am so grateful for the cheerleaders of M4EJ.

Website: https://millennials4ej.wixsite.com/m4ej

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millennials4ej/ https://www.instagram.com/diamondciara/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/diamondspratling https://www.linkedin.com/company/millennials-4-environmental-justice

Twitter: https://twitter.com/millennials4ej

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millennials4ej

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN-bS45BVdjVm1wXsvPypcg

Other: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4309833

Image Credits
Travis McGinley