Meet Hampton Roads Activist SheéLee Rock
Your age: 36
Where you live: About 10 years in the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach, VA.
Your profession: Mother of two, Childbirth Educator & Birth Doula. I teach couples how to have awesome birth experiences, and if I’m lucky, they choose me to support them through their labors. I have also supported many women in their goals of breastfeeding. It’s extremely gratifying work!
What are the impacts of climate change that hit closest to home for you? Each time it rains heavily in Hampton Roads we get flash flooding somewhere. It’s a huge safety issue for individuals and for schools responsible for transporting students. How will I make it to a laboring woman in downtown Norfolk during heavy rains? Second to safety is asset damage. Not just my own, but I’m very concerned about the local business owners who may lose their livelihoods by the damage flooding will inevitably cost them.
Why did you decide to get involved in taking action on climate? There are many issues I feel passionately about, including domestic violence prevention and the need for transparency in food labeling. However, when I look at prioritizing the “causes” I’m supporting, it’s just common sense. We cannot argue about anything or advocate any cause, if we are fighting for our lives and homes in a “Hurricane Katrina-type disaster.”
What has inspired you most working with CCAN and/or in your community? Grassroots organizations are, at their core, inspiring. When you witness local, concerned citizens who have a stake in the issue of climate change and coastal flooding volunteering their efforts to make change for the better, it’s hard not to feel that enthusiasm. It’s very motivating. I’ve been serving my community in many ways since a youth involved in Virginia’s 4-H programs. Activism is second nature to me. It’s something my husband and I are instilling in our girls.
What do you hope to see happen in the next year to address the impacts and causes of flooding in Hampton Roads? I’m looking forward to our wonderful state of Virginia getting on board with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). It’s time for them to join the 9 other east coast states in support of the first market-based regulatory program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This twofold program is expected to bring in over $200 million dollars in yearly revenue that will be designated to combat flooding issues and to train coal workers in higher paying renewable energy fields. Wow!! You can’t help but to get excited about that!
What do you like to do when you’re not advocating in your community? My daughters, ages 11 & 2, keep me very busy! I also lead the young women’s youth group at church, enjoy volunteer work, and if there is any time leftover I can be found researching my favorite subjects like holistic nutrition and remedies, natural childbirth and politics.
Who would you high five? I’d like to hi five the nonpartisan and progressive leaders of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont who made the wise decision to adopt the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and whose states are already reaping the benefits of their wisdom; and Oprah, because she’s my hero! She’s overcome many serious obstacles in her life and manages to maintain a heart of service and a love for the human connection.
