{"id":4296,"date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T19:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T00:35:44","slug":"we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power","status":"publish","type":"update","link":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/","title":{"rendered":"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power"},"template":"","class_list":["post-4296","update","type-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","update_type-blog"],"acf":{"details":{"":null,"featured_image":3231,"update_type":[364],"focus_area":false,"authors":false,"abstract":""},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><strong>WE ACT member Neje Bailey has envisioned a project called Plant Power.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nNeje believes that happiness starts with a healthy home and, as a certified horticulturist who lives with an environmentally-induced illness, we should be listening.\r\n\r\nA lifelong\u2014and devoted\u2014Harlemite, Neje got involved with WE ACT last year. At 44 years old, Neje finds vibrancy in the history of her community, knowing that \u201cwherever I go I am retracing my footsteps as a child and passing by family memories.\u201d But despite a lifetime trekking concrete streets and catching underground trains, Neje maintains a firm connection to the soil: she and her fianc\u00e9 are urban farmers. Their plot in the community garden where they live is currently at the height of summer season, bursting with every vegetable you can think of from varieties of tomatoes to acorn squash to chocolate basil and edible flowers. They share their harvest with neighbors and also subscribe to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a program whereby you pay a local farmer at the onset of growing season for weekly delivery of their produce.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of family history, Neje is a direct descendant of Fredrick Douglass, the famous abolitionist who escaped slavery to become one of the most influential authors, orators, and social activists of the 19th century.\r\n\r\nIn addition to an illustrious legacy, Neje\u2019s family has a long history of environmentally-induced illness. Her West Harlem apartment, which she inherited from her grandmother, is in Esplanade Gardens, across from the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot that many WE ACT members know well. WE ACT organized to transform this depot from a toxic pollutant to a cutting-edge, local art and eco-roof-clad facility designed to reduce environmental impact on the neighborhood. But before this 2015 victory, Neje grew up amidst rampant soot and exhaust from the Depot as well as the adjacent FDR highway.\r\n\r\nNeje remembers sickness all around her: her neighborhood had the most cases of asthma in the country, her extended family suffered from cancer, and Neje\u2019s own mother passed from cancer.\r\n\r\nIn 2005, Neje herself was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is an environmentally-induced disease of the central nervous system that has various effects on the mind and body. Neje speaks about her MS forwardly and candidly. (At only a few years of age, Neje\u2019s mom granted her the nickname \u201cFace\u201d because you could read her facial expressions like a book. The nickname\u2014along with Neje\u2019s brave honesty\u2014have stuck.)\r\n\r\nBalance is the key to a healthy, happy life\u2014and also challenging to maintain. Before MS, Neje was a highly successful photo stylist working for magazines Martha Stewart Living, O, In Style, and Real Simple. But after her diagnosis, Neje knew the grueling long-hour, high-stakes photo shoots were too high-stress for her health. She retired from photo styling, tidied her life of everything unessential or stressful, and prioritized self-care. But she remained determined to carry on her family legacy of social change.\r\n\r\nBefore MS and meeting her fianc\u00e9 who is devoted to food justice and urban farming, Neje had always grounded her city surroundings with nature. Since the age of four, she was intrinsically drawn to plants, dozens of which her mother kept in every corner of their home. In college, Neje finally learned why she was so attracted to flora. Despite her mom being a lifelong smoker, it wasn\u2019t until smelling cigarette smoke in her dormitory that she learned how intense and off-putting it can be\u2014her mother\u2019s plants had done such a good job filtering the air of their apartment. Neje decided to learn professionally about her childhood proclivity and earned Floral Design certification from the New York Botanical Gardens, worked in the floral department at Whole Foods, and joined the staff of Nubian Heritage, a Harlem start-up that produces wellness products based on traditional healing practices with indigenous ingredients. Together with her fianc\u00e9, she learned about the hormones and pesticides with which corporate agriculture laces into our food supply, the homogenization of plant varietals, and farm worker abuse.\r\n\r\nHaving witnessed WE ACT\u2019s work to redesign the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot, Neje knew that, like she, WE ACT was committed to Harlem and to making life better for its residents\u2014starting with a safe and healthy environment. In summer 2015, Neje enrolled in WE ACT\u2019s biannual Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training (EHJLT). As part of a class of 20, she learned over the eight-week training the foundations of organizing, the elements of advocacy, and about issues including clean air and affordable and equitable transit. Two sessions were dedicated solely to food justice and healthy homes, where Neje studied the structural racism that results in unhealthy school lunches for Northern Manhattan children of color and WE ACT\u2019s work to prevent environmentally-induced disease with the Columbia\u2019s Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan\u2019s Community Outreach Education Core.\r\n\r\nThe \u201cTrash to Treasures\u201d tour especially resonated with Neje, where she learned things she had never known about economic and policy forces shaping the face of her lifelong neighborhood.\r\n\r\nThis summer, Neje traveled with WE ACT to Albany to rally and meet one-on-one with legislators in support of The New York State Climate and Community Protection Act, climate justice legislation that creates union jobs, renewable energy, and directs funds to neighborhoods disproportionately harmed by climate change by issuing a fee to polluters.\r\n\r\nNeje now plans to apply the skills she learned at EHJLT to her project Plant Power. It is a straightforward, impactful idea: use the power of nature to make your home healthy. \u201cYou may not be able to afford green paint and organic-upholstered furniture,\u201d she says, \u201cbut you can clean your apartment air with a few houseplants. If I pass you on the street and you\u2019re smoking, I\u2019m going to give you a plant.\u201d Neje is currently working to develop grant proposals for Plant Power.\r\n\r\n\u201cWorking with WE ACT has opened my eyes to just how important it is for us all to know the facts about our living environment,\u201d says Neje. \u201cIt made me realize how crucial it is for me to share my message about creating a healthy home. I want to make it common practice that when you buy furniture, you also buy plants.\u201d\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re interested in learning more about Plant Power or joining Neje in her work, you can contact her via email: nejebailey@yahoo.com.\r\n<h5>Author: Courtney Sproule, a new WE ACT member, is a communications professional and creative entrepreneur. As a chef who loves excellent ingredients but can\u2019t keep an air plant alive, she is very grateful for talented farmers like Neje.<\/h5>","include_drop_cap":false}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power - WE ACT for Environmental Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/weact.org\/es\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power - WE ACT for Environmental Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/weact.org\/es\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WE ACT for Environmental Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-17T00:35:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"445\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/\",\"name\":\"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power - WE ACT for Environmental Justice\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-01T04:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-17T00:35:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg\",\"width\":445,\"height\":160},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/\",\"name\":\"WE ACT for Environmental Justice\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/weact.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power - WE ACT for Environmental Justice","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/weact.org\/es\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power - WE ACT for Environmental Justice","og_url":"https:\/\/weact.org\/es\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/","og_site_name":"WE ACT for Environmental Justice","article_modified_time":"2026-02-17T00:35:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":445,"height":160,"url":"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/","url":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/","name":"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power - WE ACT for Environmental Justice","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg","datePublished":"2016-08-01T04:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-17T00:35:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/weact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Neje-Childhood-List.jpg","width":445,"height":160},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/updates\/we-act-spotlight-neje-baileys-plant-power\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/weact.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"WE ACT Spotlight: Neje Bailey\u2019s Plant Power"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/weact.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/weact.org\/","name":"WE ACT for Environmental Justice","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/weact.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update\/4296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/update"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update\/4296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/weact.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}