Green For All Fellow Tanya Fields Profiled

Today, Madame Noire featured Green For All Fellow Tanya Fields of The BLK ProjecK for enriching the lives of women in the South Bronx in New York. Tanya discussed her inspiration and motivation for the work she does as well as her vision for the future for herself and her community.

At 22 years old I found myself living on my own in the South Bronx with a three month old while going to school full time. I struggled, getting a crash course in the lesson that poverty is rampant among women, particularly women of color because they are women who many times are subjected to policies and services that are created to marginalize them.  In a patriarchal society, single mothers are PENALIZED for that “decision” and in turn their children are at higher risk for poor nutrition and poor nourishment. As someone who did not grow up in a cycle of poverty, violence or poor education, I had outside resources. I had educational capital, social capital and cultural capital to continue to propel me forward.  I began to think, what about the women who did not? What about their children? These were my sisters and if with all that I still continued to face what felt like impossible odds how were they going to fare? I created The BLK ProjeK for those women. For me, for myself. I am linked to their success because I am inextricably linked to them.

Continue reading: Head Women in Charge: Tanya Fields, Creative & Executive Director of The Blk Projek