Persistent Planet

Persistent Planet is a youth-led and youth-founded initiative to use art education as advocation for environmental injustice issues happening around the Bay Area. In San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, and more Bay Area cities, low-income neighborhoods are disproportionally affected by health concerns caused by environmental injustice issues. By using public artwork and education, Persistent Planet aims to push awareness onto ongoing environmental injustices and provide a space for advocation through creative bounds. The idea of Persistent Planet first arose as Diya Sharma, the executive director, had a friend who lived in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood and expressed her concerns about living right beside a highway. After being personally concerned about this news, Diya did more research and found more information about environmental injustices in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, as well as other Bay Area communities. Connecting art, a shared interest amongst her and many friends, and this pressing issue, Persistent Planet was established to address and advocate for the environmental issues seen in the Bay Area. Persistent Planet got assistance through HerIdea, a mentorship program who help young women pursue an idea or passion as a real world project, and established themselves as an organization with three youth leaders. The organization has opened applications and has grown with youth leaders who are skilled in their abilities to help with outreach, create artwork and mural pieces, and advocate on our social media platforms. This team of youth are passionate about addressing the environmental injustices in Bay Area communities. Persistent Planet has received $6,300 in funding from the Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF), and is using this funding to continue reaching our mission.