Destiny Watford

Destiny Watford is an American environmental activist and storyteller known for her grassroots work in the environmental justice movement. Based in the Curtis Bay neighborhood of south Baltimore, an area characterized by heavy industry and a history of resident displacement for oil refineries, chemical plants, and sewage treatment facilities, Watford's activism is informed by the environmental health challenges faced by her community. As a teenager, she observed the health impacts of chronic air pollution, including high rates of asthma and lung cancer among residents.

Watford's involvement in environmental activism began during her senior year of high school after attending a production of the play "Enemy of the People," which resonated with the environmental injustices in Curtis Bay. Motivated to take action, she co-founded Free Your Voice, a student organization focused on community rights and social justice. When plans emerged to construct a large trash-burning incinerator near her high school, Watford and Free Your Voice initiated a campaign to oppose the project. The group engaged in neighborhood canvassing, organized protests, circulated petitions, and lobbied school and government officials. Their advocacy included research into land use and zoning, and they presented their case to the Baltimore City Public Schools board through storytelling, music, and art. Their efforts led the school board to cancel its contract with the incinerator developer, prompting all 22 project customers to withdraw, which resulted in the Maryland Department of the Environment declaring the incinerator's permit invalid.

Watford received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her leadership in grassroots environmental activism. She has also been recognized as a Time Next Generation Leader, a Birdland Community Hero, and was included in Essence's "Woke 100" women. Watford has delivered a TED Talk titled "How one student activist helped her community stop a polluting incinerator" and has spoken at national forums such as the Facing Race Conference. She has worked with Greenpeace as a climate change campaigner, addressing projects like the Texas LNG project and the Sea Port Oil Terminal.

In addition to her work opposing the incinerator, Watford advocates for a zero-waste movement, community-owned solar farms, and green living-wage jobs in Curtis Bay. She regularly serves as a keynote speaker on environmentalism and environmental justice, sharing her experiences in grassroots organizing and community advocacy with audiences worldwide.