Why I Said Yes to the Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship
By Zion Claude
I’m Zion Claude, a 24-year-old law student from Savannah, GA. Environmental justice for me isn’t some sudden “aha” moment or a big epiphany. It’s been a natural part of my life, passed down through generations. Sustainability and caring for the land wasn’t a trend for my family, it was just how life was lived.
My ancestors were already leaders in their own ways, building community and surviving through tough times. That legacy of resilience and leadership quietly shaped me, even before I fully understood what environmental justice meant. Growing up, I just cared about my community, about the everyday realities we faced and slowly those small realizations added up.
One thing that’s always stayed with me is the memory of my grandmother’s neighborhood. It sits in what experts call a “heat island”, a place where the concrete and lack of trees make summer heat unbearable. Seeing how climate change and environmental neglect hit communities like ours the hardest was a quiet but powerful reminder that this is personal. It’s my family, my people.
I don’t see my perspective as unique because I know many others share these experiences and see the same struggles in their neighborhoods. But I do recognize the privilege I’ve had in being able to afford higher education and take on internships in this field that don’t pay much. That opportunity isn’t available to everyone I care about, and it fuels my drive to make sure this work benefits my whole community.
When I say my journey was natural, I mean it. Environmental justice isn’t just a career path, it's part of who I am. My family’s history, the stories I’ve grown up with, and the lived reality of my community have all led me here. I’m an open book about this path because I want others to see themselves in it too to know that you don’t have to come from somewhere extraordinary to be a leader in this movement.
Joining the Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship feels like a continuation of that story. Hazel Johnson was a pioneer, a leader who understood that real change comes from the ground up. That’s the kind of leadership I want to learn from to find where I can serve best, to figure out what kind of work I’m most powerful at, and how I can grow into it.
This summer, I hope to deepen my understanding, build connections, and come away with a clearer sense of how to best serve my community. As Shirley Chisholm said, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth..” I’m ready to pay that price and keep the work moving forward.