March 26, 2018

The Marjorie – Reclaiming #FloridaWoman for the Florida environment [Women’s History Month]

Posted by Laura Guertin

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14732200

Having lived in Florida for six years while attending the University of Miami-RSMAS for my Ph.D., I’ll always have a place for “The Sunshine State” in my heart. I spent countless hours not only in the lab but outdoors in the Florida Keys, Everglades National Park, and Biscayne Bay. One of my first course-based fieldtrips was in a Carbonate Sedimentology course taught by Dr. Robert Ginsburg. Dr. Ginsburg took us to Everglades National Park to one of the look-out spots, sat down, and started reading from Marjory Stoneman Douglas‘s 1947 non-fiction book, The Everglades: River of Grass. I had no idea at the time that it would be one of the most memorable moments of my graduate school career, and my first introduction to Marjory’s words and her work.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas is not the only “MAR-jor-ee” that has played a role in studying and writing about Florida’s natural environment – in fact, you can read about three of Florida’s Marjorie’s at What #FloridaWoman should have looked like (before it became a joke) on The Marjorie website.

I recently learned about The Marjorie while attending the OCEANDOTCOMM 2018 event at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON). One of the attendees was Rebecca Burton, Communications Coordinator at Florida Sea Grant. She shared with me how she’s part of a three-woman team that are working to bring some inspiration to the #FloridaWoman hashtag “by showcasing the great work by women in our state who help fight for, preserve, communicate and garner appreciation for the Florida environment.” As soon as she shared the mission of this online publication with me, I immediately subscribed for the monthly updates.

I was immediately drawn in to the stories on this site, from Florida’s Environment: 11 Women You Should Know to #FloridaWoman Ta-Shana Taylor: Lessons for Inclusivity in Geology and Beyond. The stories address art to dirty jobs to public lands – and the women behind each. This publication looks to acknowledge the roles women have long played in Florida’s environmental movements, and to inspire the reader. In just a few minutes on The Marjorie site, I was inspired, and I know you will be, too.

The Marjorie site is also looking for suggestions, so if you know a #FloridaWoman working for the Florida environment, please contact Becca and her colleagues so this tribute and celebration can continue!

 


This blog post was created from OCEANDOTCOMM and supported by the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON).