Image courtesy of Melissa Farr
Hello to the members and supporters of Sierra Club of Pennsylvania! My name is Melissa Farr (she/her), and I am so thrilled to join the team as a Distributed Organizer. Distributed organizing advances change through a horizontal lens, building collective power by valuing, supporting, and facilitating local efforts. I will be working with volunteers and partners around the state on a range of Sierra Club initiatives, including the Clean Energy, Beyond Coal, and Dirty Fuels campaigns. I look forward to extending Sierra Club PA’s outreach efforts, helping casual supporters become active participants in advocating for clean energy and climate justice. To learn more about distributed organizing, visit: https://blueprintsfc.org/guide/distributed-organizing/
As a Pennsylvania resident, I spent my childhood in a Delaware County backyard with towering trees overhead, an expanse of grass underfoot, and the near constant hum of animal life. In pursuing my bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degree in social justice and community organizing, it became clear that to love the earth and to love people, it is necessary to fight to preserve their resources and rights.
Serving as president of the South Central Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) since 2018, I have had the opportunity to contribute to public education, community outreach, and volunteer development in ten counties around the Capital region. Connecting with local communities about social justice issues further deepened my understanding that one cannot struggle to improve the conditions of people’s lives in any one area of injustice without also looking at the forces that are shaping the environments in which they live.
I am passionate about helping people develop the tools they need to advocate for the well-being of their communities! Feel free to reach out at: melissa.farr@sierraclub.org
This blog was included as part of the September 2022 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!