It’s no secret that the earth has quickly become the ghetto of the solar system with the effects of climate change creating record-high temperatures and devastating storms. It also goes without saying that many of the communities most severely impacted are BIPOC communities, who must pick up the pieces after such calamities happen. So, when actor and activist Marcus Scribner, the former star of ABC’s Black-ish now on Freeform’s Grown-ish, decided to get involved in fighting climate change, working with Tom’s of Maine was his first venture to support both the planet and the BIPOC community.
Those most affected by climate change are rarely the voices we hear and see championing lessening our carbon footprint across the planet. With that said, Scribner’s participation with Tom’s of Maine is important, as the duo has recently introduced the company’s first-ever incubator initiative. Designed as a seven-month program, this opportunity enables next-gen BIPOC climate change activists and leaders to drive much-needed conversations and initiatives towards solving our climate crisis.
The program will award five selected changemakers with $20,000 in funding to help support their mission, plus mentorship, exposure, and support to advocate for sustainability and climate activism.
BIPOC ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS.
In addition to all of this, the 22-year-old has doubled-down on his motives to push for climate activism by joining the cast of Daniel Goldhaber’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline. In it, he plays Shawn, a young, idealistic climate change activist who follows a group of likeminded individuals who decide that if the law won’t punish those guilty of contributing to the woes of the planet, they will, by setting off on a journey to blow up a West Texas oil pipeline.
With applications for the Tom’s of Maine Incubator open now until Oct. 19, 2022, Marcus Scribner set aside some time from his busy schedule to address how climate change has impacted his life, what inspired him to take up the cause with the Tom’s of Maine Incubator, and how he hopes that his on-screen counterpart, Junior, can help others find their own pathways to be inspired by.
ESSENCE: It goes without saying just how climate change has impacted the daily lives of mankind. Outside of the record-high temperatures and devastating storms — what inspired you to join the voices with the Tom’s of Maine Incubator?
Marcus Scribner: I was inspired from my own personal experience with climate change [and] growing up in Los Angeles, California. My family and I would have Christmases where it was 90 degree weather, while it is Los Angeles, there is [still] something unusual about that. Weather patterns have been shifting for years since then and continued to change, which particularly affected BIPOC communities more than others. I recognized my position. I have a platform. Tom’s of Maine, they have a platform. By coming together, we’re able to use that platform to amplify up-and-coming environmental leaders and give them the funding, the tools, and the mentorship to be able to realize their creativity and make their environmental creations come to life.
ESSENCE: In overly oppressed communities across the U.S., issues such as drinking water, waste management and disposal, and access to healthy resources (food, clean energy, etc.) are mainstay issues they face. For those participating in the seven-month program, what resources are you excited for them to learn about?
Marcus Scribner: I think one of the most major resources that a lot of BIPOC communities are not afforded is money. The $20,000 funding is a huge opportunity, and the mentorship and leadership from other environmental leaders who have been in the same position, who wanted to create change in the world and have done so, is important. [To learn from] those who followed through with those plans and scaled and created organizations and businesses around environmental betterment, those are huge resources and opportunities for BIPOC youth and environmental leaders to take part in to be able to utilize and stimulate their own creative environmental plans.
ESSENCE: Not too long ago, Tom’s of Maine moved to 100% renewable wind energy, which equals planting 214 acres of trees every year. What moves did you make in your personal and professional life to make a similar change?
Marcus Scribner: Not all of us can plant 214 acres a year of trees, but we can all take small steps every single day to create a greener planet. I think change stems from a group of people taking actionable change and making small improvements in their lives. Whether that has to do with getting more reusable containers, walking more, carpooling—small things like that really stack up and add up to reducing your carbon footprint, and I think if we all take those small steps every single day, we can lead to a greener tomorrow.
ESSENCE: You’re a part of the cast of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, based on the Andreas Malm book of the same name. Before researching the project, what were your thoughts about climate activism in the U.S., and how did that evolve while working on the film?
Marcus Scribner: I think like a lot of people who are a part of Gen-Z, we feel like we hear a lot of things all the time, but change is never actually made and nothing gets put into action. That’s what I thought was so exciting about How to Blow Up a Pipeline. Here was a group of like-minded individuals who come from vastly different backgrounds to accomplish a goal. And while definitely extreme, I really like the idea of being able to accomplish something bigger and enact environmental change. Through the Tom’s of Maine Incubator, environmental leaders are able to do just that—come together. They’re able to get funding to realize their environmental dreams and actually do some good for real.
ESSENCE: The book positions the idea of climate sabotage as a logical form of activism, but the film works as a heist film. Your role as Shawn helps to round out this wonderful ensemble cast, who all want to go about the climate fight in the “right way.” What did you learn about yourself during the rehearsal with the other castmates that made joining the incubator a positive decision? What message do you want to bring back to your own community that you feel doesn’t get expressed in popular media?
Marcus Scribner: What I saw in Shawn and what I saw in this amazing group of individuals that we have for How To Blow Up a Pipeline was that we all came from vastly different walks of life. We all had different experiences when it came to climate change, but were nonetheless affected in equal parts. Some definitely more severe than others, but for the most part, we were equally impacted by climate change. I thought it was powerful how when it comes to Shawn’s background, he’s been directly affected—as we all have living on this planet—but he goes to college, he lives a pretty average life, and yet, he’s still able to affect change and really step up to the plate when it comes to an issue as large as climate change.
I would love to take that message back to my community in Los Angeles, California—and also to young people of color around the world. I believe that you can affect change no matter what walk of life you come from, and I believe that’s why the Tom’s of Maine Incubator is such an exciting project for me.
ESSENCE: When it comes to growth in your career, Junior is having a pretty exceptional go at things with Grown-ish Season 6 impressing audiences despite the end of Black-ish. Your on-screen sister shared that she had been trying to get you on the show since its first season. What has it been like delving deeper into what makes Junior tick?
Marcus Scribner: It’s been extremely exciting. Not often do we get to explore the inner workings of being a young black man in America and what that means in the corporate world, or even just being in college, which Junior has explored both at this point. It was exciting to expand on him as a character. Obviously, in a sitcom you can only go so far. And now with the show focused around Junior on Grown-ish, and him pledging [a fraternity] and taking part in a lot of the rituals that young black men get to take part in is really cool and exciting [to see] on television. I hope it inspires a lot of other young men to take part and follow in Junior’s footsteps, but also learn from the mistakes that he makes on the show, too.
Because Junior’s a very interesting, complex character. I mean, he’s a bit of a nerd. He’s soft, he’s sensitive, but he’s also cool and he’s got game. He has so many different layers and it’s been very, very exciting exploring that on Grown-ish. Hopefully [the show continues to] offer an amazing role model for younger generations.
ESSENCE: To bring it back to the first Tom’s of Maine Incubator, five climate activists will receive $20,000, plus access to mentors and have their work amplified. What advice would you share to those who are tasked with engaging and gaining support from other interested climate change advocates?
Marcus Scribner: Drawing from your personal experience is something is a powerful tool no matter what you’re doing. But it’s been especially important when it comes down to dealing with climate activism. I feel like a lot of young POC communities have been affected the most by climate change. So, in drawing from your experiences, the things that you see in your own environment can inspire how you would change them and what they would do to make the world a better place for others around them. And I think that can be scaled up larger. As humans, a lot of us go through the same experiences and if you draw from your experience, you may be able to help somebody else who’s going through the same thing environmentally. That’s probably the best advice I could give when it comes to inspiring other climate activists.
Kevin L. Clark is a screenwriter and digital media specialist, who works at the intersection of music, film, Black pop culture, and social justice. Follow him on @IAmKevitoClark
