16 REAL-LEADERS.COM / SUMMER 2022 KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INSPIRING THE FUTURE AS A CHANGEMAKER? EMAIL US AT EDITORIAL@REAL-LEADERS.COM IT WAS MEANT TO BE A CELEBRATION — an opportunity for young peoples’ voices to be heard. World leaders, philanthropists, and celebrities at the 2020 Davos World Economic Forum were all impressed with the bravery of the participating young climate activists, as well as by their bold statements. They’d been planning for months and more than 20 of them had worked hard to develop a statement, challenging their leaders to take specific actions. Some of them had traveled to Davos from all over the world. They spoke on panels, attended VIP events, and were invited to prestigious photo ops with Prince Charles and other dignitaries. They were prominently featured by the media. On the final day, #FridaysforFuture held a press conference to repeat their demands for concrete actions from the world community. An Associated Press photographer captured the moment, showing climate activists Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Isabelle Axelsson, and Loukina Tille standing next to one another. But, for whatever reason, the photo cropped out the only young black woman: Vanessa Nakate, #FridaysforFutureUganda’s champion. In response, Vanessa posted a powerful message on Twitter: “You didn’t just erase a photo. You erased a continent. But I am stronger than ever.” Many times in her young life as an activist, Vanessa has experienced Africans being left out of the picture — both literally and figuratively. “At some point, it feels like the world just doesn’t care,” she says. “But Africans have been fighting for climate action for many years Teenagers Who Saw a Big Problemand SteppedUp “YOU DIDN’T JUST ERASE A PHOTO. YOU ERASED A CONTINENT. BUT I AM STRONGER THAN EVER.” — Vanessa Nakate By Marianne Larned CHANGEMAKERS now.” That one photo lit up a firestorm. Vanessa received messages from people all over the world voicing their outrage. Eventually, the AP took down the cropped photo and released a new one. In that one, Vanessa stands in the middle of her fellow activists — front and center. It was a small victory, but it provided a broader metaphor for the climate movement. Vanessa quickly seized the moment and leveraged the attention to get the media to focus on the profound role of Africans in the fight against climate change. To Vanessa, fighting for the climate must include Africans — who are contributing the fewest greenhouse gas emissions and yet paying the highest price for climate change. In 2019, when the Congo basin — the second largest rainforest in the world, after the Amazon — caught fire, Vanessa saw just how dangerous climate change could be — not just for African countries, but for the entire world. Vanessa decided that despite her natural shyness, she just had to take a stand. So, inspired by the brave activism of Swedish student Greta Thunberg, she stood outdoors, in front of the Ugandan parliament building to call for more climate action. At first, she dealt with a lot of hostility. People would yell things at her from their cars, saying that she was wasting her time. After a while, however, others began to join her cause. She joined with other activists to form a movement called Youth for Future Africa. As the group grew, and activists and concerned citizens of all ages and nationalities got involved, they changed their name to the Rise Up Africa Movement. “At first, I thought I was fighting to save a tree. Then I thought I was fighting to save a rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity,” she says. n Turning Exclusion into Global Action Vanessa Nakate / Uganda
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