WHO WE ARE

Big Blue & You is the first ocean conservation nonprofit to be founded by African American women and is a passionate proponent of intersectional environmentalism and decolonizing the natural world. In 2008, when she was twenty-one, marine biologist and science show host Danni Washington founded Big Blue & You with her mother, businesswoman Michelle Swaby-Smith. For the past 15 years, the organization has supported emerging environmentalists — especially young women of color — and equipped young leaders with STEAM tools for ocean advocacy. We believe that equitable access to outdoor spaces is critical to engaging BIPOC communities and that people must experience what they are asked to protect.