Graphic image courtesy of New York Sea Grant

Contact:

Nate Drag, NYSG Great Lakes Coastal Literacy Specialist, E: nwd4@cornell.edu, P: (716) 645-3610

Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG's Freelance Great Lakes Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: (315) 465-7578


An Environmental Justice Comic Book, Biographies of Notable Black Scientists, Freedom Seekers Curriculum

Ithaca, NY, January 9, 2023 - Among 2023 Black History Month reading suggestions from New York Sea Grant: (a) An environmental justice comic book; (b) A book about the winner of the first NAACP Springarn Medal pioneering cell biologist Ernest Everett Just; (c) A biography of mathematician Katherine Johnson and the NASA Apollo 11 mission; (d) Stories of Harriet Tubman and freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad. These books are included in the “Enviro-Time Storytime: Recommended Environmental Reading Lists for Children Pre-K to 12” and “Freedom Seekers: The Underground Railroad, Great Lakes, and Science Literacy Activities” educational resources freely available from New York Sea Grant at www.nyseagrant.org/gleee.

The Enviro-Time Storytime resource lists include books about Wangari Muta Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and Isatou Ceesay, known as the “recycling woman of the Gambia,” as well as fictional tales of characters inspiring environmental revitalization with public gardens, tree planting, and recycling in New York City and elsewhere. 
 
“The Enviro-Time Storytime title that expresses how this Sea Grant resource engages children in learning about environmental stewardship and science-based careers is “Science is Everywhere, Science is for Everyone.” This book is written by marine microbiologist and climate justice advocate Dr. Jeanette Davis,” says New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Literacy Specialist Nate Drag. 

“Freedom Seekers: The Underground Railroad, Great Lakes, and Science Literacy Activities” curriculum provides middle and high school teachers, homeschoolers, and parents with ways to connect youth to local history through environmental and ecology-based discovery activities. “Freedom seekers” often used their knowledge of nature to navigate the landscape as they escaped slavery. New York Sea Grant collaborated with schools, organizations, and other Sea Grant programs in the Great Lakes region to produce this educational resource.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.