PreserveCast | Episode — No. 202 | November 15, 2021

On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re heading to the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay to talk with Imani Black, founder of Minorities in Aquaculture, a dynamic new organization that is using heritage and history and a host of other innovative tools to develop opportunities for minorities to engage in this growing and sustainable industry.

A new nonprofit seeks inclusivity in aquaculture

Story by Kate Livie for Chesapeake Bay Magazine | November 4, 2021
Photos by Caroline Phillips

In the summer of 2020, as the pandemic surged across the country, many of us watched from lockdown isolation at the horror of George Floyd’s killing and the BLM protests that followed in its wake. In the months that followed, the aftermath hit home as individuals, companies, and organizations began to acknowledge the system of racism in our own communities and workplaces.

We catch up with the founder of Minorities in Aquaculture.

By Lydia Woolever for Baltimore Magazine | October 2021

Thanks to global demand, aquaculture, aka the farming of seafood, has quickly become the world’s fastest growing food system, and Eastern Shore native Imani Black is working to ensure that more minorities are included in the conversation. An alum of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and currently a faculty research assistant at the University of Maryland’s Horn Point Laboratory, the 26-year-old oyster farmer has launched a nonprofit aimed at nurturing a more diverse and inclusive industry, while also honoring the historic contributions of African Americans on the Chesapeake Bay.

by Imani Black for Innovasea Insights | September 29, 2021

As a native of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I had the privilege of growing up in one of the largest coastal communities in the world. Living on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the culture of the estuary is inherently ingrained into our upbringing. No matter the occasion, seafood is usually the star of many family gatherings while the waterways are an integral part of many of the activities.

From a young age, I understood our responsibility to protect coastal communities like those near Chesapeake Bay and knew that I had an enthusiasm for conservation and restoration. Eventually that grew into preparing for an environmental-based career.