From global to grassroots, Solange Bandiaky-Badji, Ph.D. ’08, is a leader
It’s been an exceptionally hectic — but productive — week for Solange Bandiaky-Badji , Ph.D. ’08. As coordinator of the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and president of the Rights and Resources Group, she has been in constant motion during Climate Week NYC — networking with academic and political leaders, hosting events, and simultaneously planning for November’s COP30 summit in Brazil.
Between appointments, Bandiaky-Badji was able to snag a few minutes to chat with ClarkNow about her journey from Senegal to Clark, where she earned her doctorate in women’s and gender studies, and to her leadership post with RRI, a global coalition of over 150 grassroots organizations and their allies, where she advises policy research, advocacy, and engagement in Asia, Latin America, and Africa on issues surrounding gender and climate change, Indigenous rights, natural resource management, and many more.
Bandiaky-Badji came to the U.S. from Senegal in 2002 as a Ford Foundation Fellow, which supported studies in community work and social and environmental justice. She was finishing up her master’s degree in philosophy and environmental sciences when she realized that “teaching wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in the communities and do development work.” She volunteered at a YMCA in Senegal, leading a gender program and becoming a key contributor to a youth alliance. She launched a tree-planting initiative and spearheaded a program for women in prison, where she organized lectures about reproductive health.
When the Ford Foundation offer was made, Bandiaky-Badji opted to study in the United States so that she could become fluent in English.
She went on to earn her doctorate in women and gender studies, citing Professor Cynthia Enloe (pictured above with Solange) as an inspiration, but also embraced the interdisciplinary nature of Clark’s offerings. “I took all the geography and [Department of Sustainability and Social Justice] classes that I could. I wanted to get into the practicalities of field work,” which included immersion in sociology and international relations as well. While at Clark, Bandiaky-Badji worked as a teaching assistant for professors Michael Butler in political science and Amy Richter in history. Professors Barbara Thomas-Slayter (of the former International Development, Community, and Environment Department, now Sustainability and Social Justice) and Dianne Rochelau (Geography) were key advisors.
“The interdisciplinary approach is still very useful for what I do,” she says, noting her broad range of interactions with international institutions, NGOs, and Indigenous peoples.
Her own experience at Clark makes her excited about the potential impact of the newly launched School of Climate, Environment, and Society.
“This is a very timely approach for Clark to have,” Bandiaky-Badji says. “What really struck me is the integration of society into the school — it’s about the people. Climate, for who? Environment, for who? For the people. This is what makes Clark different, and where Clark makes a difference.”
Solange isn’t the only member of her family who’s a Clarkie. Her brother, Julian Bandiaky, earned his Ph.D. in economics here.
Bandiaky-Badji said she’s happy to see such a strong Clark showing at Climate Week, and met with Lou Leonard, D.J.A. Spencer Dean of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society.
“Because of the U.N. General Assembly, there are many government officials here. I enjoy seeing the mixes of perspective together in one place in a single week,” she says. “This is an exciting time.”
