From Classroom to Community: Erica Beverett's Journey of Advocacy and Environmental Justice
“We always want to see better for our community, and do better for our community, so I think that that is what inspires me to keep going.”
After 18 years of teaching in the education system, both at Head Start and in private preschools, Erica Beverett got to know families and children well. She quickly realized the vast knowledge and experience that caregivers possessed but also the lack of attention that they received when it came to using this knowledge for systemic improvement.
This realization was particularly reinforced after Erica began to volunteer with Parents Engaging Parents, an organization aiming to promote civic awareness and advocacy based on the interests of parents and community leaders. After first supporting the organization's backpack giveaways, she was eventually invited by founder Altorice Frazier to attend a meeting with the Department of Education in 2017. The questions that were posed to parents during this meeting, she felt, were particularly trivial- for example, questions about font and color- rather than appreciative of the experiential wisdom that they held.
It was following this meeting that Erica realized her desire to further connect with advocacy work, and she ultimately made the bold choice to begin a full transition into nonprofit work with families and caregivers. The focus of Parents Engaging Parents on advocating for education, mental health, and environmental justice is something that influenced her to become more involved in leadership roles, first as the part-time outreach coordinator, and now as one of the lead organizers of the non-profit. She has always felt that “when you get comfortable, it’s time to grow.”
As a lead team member of the environmental justice sector of the non-profit, Erica has come to realize the wider effects of what a push towards better air quality could mean. Having a son with asthma, she personally felt the need for clean air but her understanding of the problem was enhanced following a community meeting in which all 12 attendees identified as knowing someone with breathing problems. Quickly, Beverett began to realize the broader effects that air quality has on communities from an economic, physical, and emotional standpoint. Through collaboration and partnership with Friends of the Earth and Pacific Environment, Erica and Parents Engaging Parents have championed on impressive opportunities in the environmental justice space, fighting for healthy ports, clean air and Zero emissions..
In December 2024, Erica Beverett was awarded the National Partnership and Collaborative Leadership award during the Vital Village Unsung Hero celebration. She feels that partnership and collaboration are the key forces which motivate her work, and that it is in these organic connections with other parents and organizations that her joy for the work is derived.
Rather than looking at relationship building from a transactional perspective, Beverett's interests lie in building meaningful relationships with caregivers by “meeting them where they are and walking with them to wherever they want to go.” Through this, she finds great fulfillment and has seen both personal and community growth and through working towards building a brighter future together. It is this growth that keeps her ticking, feeling fulfilled by the challenge. That being said, her advice to others is to “take things one day at a time, and also give yourself space to sit back for your own wellness to get re-energized. Then keep going.”
To connect with Erica and Parents Engaging Parents:
Website: pepnj.org
Erica: ericab@pepnj.org
Facebook: PEPNJ
Instagram: parentsengagingparents
LinkedIn: parentsengagingparents
YouTube: @ParentsEngagingParents222557