About White Oak Strong
Building stronger, greener communities through environmental action, education, and opportunity.
Our Mission
White Oak Strong is dedicated to reversing the effects of environmental injustice in disinvested communities. We believe the conditions shaping these neighborhoods, blighted blocks, food deserts, disconnected youth, undignified work for returning citizens, were never accidental, and that lasting change comes from addressing root causes, not symptoms. Our mission is to restore neighborhoods, rebuild food sovereignty, educate the next generation, and create dignified pathways to employment, empowering residents to reclaim ownership over their environment, their food, and their future.
Our Guiding Principles
These principles, adopted at the 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, form the foundation of the environmental justice movement and guide everything we are built on at White Oak Strong.
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We, the people of color, gathered together at this multinational People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, to begin to build a national and international movement of all peoples of color to fight the destruction and taking of our lands and communities, do hereby re-establish our spiritual interdependence to the sacredness of our Mother Earth; to respect and celebrate each of our cultures, languages and beliefs about the natural world and our roles in healing ourselves; to ensure environmental justice; to promote economic alternatives which would contribute to the development of environmentally safe livelihoods; and, to secure our political, economic and cultural liberation that has been denied for over 500 years of colonization and oppression, resulting in the poisoning of our communities and land and the genocide of our peoples, do affirm and adopt these Principles of Environmental Justice.
Environmental Justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction.
Environmental Justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.
Environmental Justice mandates the right to ethical, balanced and responsible uses of land and renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other living things.
Environmental Justice calls for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction, production and disposal of toxic and hazardous wastes and poisons that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water, and food.
Environmental Justice affirms the fundamental right to political, economic, cultural and environmental self-determination of all peoples.
Environmental Justice demands the cessation of the production of all toxins, hazardous wastes, and radioactive materials, and that all past and current producers be held strictly accountable to the people for detoxification and the containment at the point of production.
Environmental Justice demands the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision-making, including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and evaluation.
Environmental Justice affirms the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work environment without being forced to choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment. It also affirms the right of those who work at home to be free from environmental hazards.
Environmental Justice protects the right of victims of environmental injustice to receive full compensation and reparations for damages as well as quality health care.
Environmental Justice considers governmental acts of environmental injustice a violation of international law, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the United Nations Convention on Genocide.
Environmental Justice must recognize a special legal and natural relationship of Native Peoples to the U.S. government through treaties, agreements, compacts, and covenants affirming sovereignty and self-determination.
Environmental Justice affirms the need for urban and rural ecological policies to clean up and rebuild our cities and rural areas in balance with nature, honoring the cultural integrity of all our communities, and providing fair access for all to the full range of resources.
Environmental Justice calls for the strict enforcement of principles of informed consent, and a halt to the testing of experimental reproductive and medical procedures and vaccinations on people of color.
Environmental Justice opposes the destructive operations of multi-national corporations.
Environmental Justice opposes military occupation, repression and exploitation of lands, peoples and cultures, and other life forms.
Environmental Justice calls for the education of present and future generations which emphasizes social and environmental issues, based on our experience and an appreciation of our diverse cultural perspectives.
Environmental Justice requires that we, as individuals, make personal and consumer choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and to produce as little waste as possible, and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to ensure the health of the natural world for present and future generations.
Adopted October 27, 1991, Washington, D.C. Source: First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit.
About White Oak Strong
White Oak Strong was created to address the intersection of environmental inequity and economic barriers in Maryland communities. We were founded on a simple premise: sustainability and opportunity should be accessible to everyone, not just those with resources. Our work centers communities that have been historically underserved by green initiatives, including returning citizens seeking meaningful employment, neighborhoods overlooked by environmental programs, and families with limited access to fresh food and green space.
We serve Maryland through a dual-impact approach that addresses environmental challenges while creating economic pathways. Whether it's organizing neighborhood clean-ups, teaching students about environmental justice and sustainability, or transforming vacant lots into community gardens, every program is designed to create both immediate community impact and long-term systemic change. This approach ensures we're not only improving neighborhoods today but also building the pathways to jobs and food access that sustain community health for generations.
What makes White Oak Strong unique is our commitment to proving that environmental action and economic opportunity strengthen each other. Through Green Roots, Strong Blocks, and Green Sprouts, we bring hands-on environmental restoration, community stewardship, and sustainability education directly into Baltimore neighborhoods and schools. Our Strong Workforce program is building a pathway to green careers for returning citizens, starting with immediate, practical support at the point of reentry. By addressing environmental, economic, and educational needs together, we create stronger outcomes and healthier communities that last.
Our Board
Lynda Willabus
Treasurer
(Sysco Corporation )
Zarchay Price
Secretary
(William & Mary University)
Marlene Boyd
Program Chair
(Moe Polish & Supply)
Khadee Roberts
(Founder/Executive Director)
Ali Mirsky
Vice Chair
(Empact Art)
Mascot
Meet Captain Oakley
Captain Oakley is our mascot and Baltimore sustainability superhero. He wants to educate the community and promote sustainable actions that create a cleaner, greener Maryland.