Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru
Colgate’s annual MLK Celebration will be held from January 23 to February 1, 2025, and feature a keynote address by Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru.
Gatheru is the first-ever activist board chair at the Environmental Media Association, an organization that brings climate awareness to the entertainment industry. She is also the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist, a Rhodes Scholar, a Narrative Fellow at the All We Can Save Project, and a recent Revolutionary Power Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she worked under the first-ever deputy for energy justice. She is also the youngest member of the Earthjustice Council and the first Black person in history to receive the Rhodes, Truman, and Udall Scholarships. She has been recognized as a Young Futurist by The Root, a Grist 50 FIXER, a Glamour College Woman of the Year, a Victoria’s Secret PINK Purpose Project Winner, and has spoken about her work across the country.
“We are absolutely thrilled to kick off Colgate’s MLK Celebration with an inspiring opening ceremony featuring Wawa Gatheru,” says Esther Rosbrook, director of the ALANA Cultural Center. “As the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist, she brings a powerful voice to the intersection of equity and sustainability. Her keynote will set the tone for an incredible ten days of reflection, action, and community-building.”
A first-generation American of Kenyan descent, Gatheru has become a voice of her generation, using the power of social media to share how communities of color and women have been adversely affected by climate change. Passionate about bringing climate conversations into untraditional spaces, she works collaboratively alongside other creatives, musicians, and culture shapers to bring climate justice to the mainstream.
“The 2025 MLK Celebration is all about action and impact,” says Rosbrook. “With sustainability at the heart of our ten-day series, together we are shaping equitable communities and fostering sustainable environments — not just for today but for our future.”
The MLK Celebration is a proud Colgate tradition, organized by the ALANA Cultural Center and the Dean of the College Division. Other highlights will include a unity dinner, a day of service, and a social justice summit, featuring student leaders from the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium. View the full program of events online.