Tanya Denise Fields
Executive Director & Founder (She/Her)
Inspired by her experiences as a single working mother living in a marginalized community, Tanya Denise Fields founded the Black Feminist Project (formerly the BLK Projek) in 2009 as a response to sexist institutional policies, structurally reinforced cycles of poverty, and harsh inequities in wealth and access to capital that result in far too many women being unable to rise out of poverty and sustain their families. The group’s work has been covered by the New York Times, MSNBC’s The Melissa Harris Perry Show, The New York Daily News and numerous other print and digital platforms. Tanya’s numerous fellowships and commitment to professional development has connected her with a national cohort of social justice change agents. With a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Baruch College, and a talent for public speaking, blogging and singing, Tanya has become a sought after public speaker. She provided widely praised keynote speeches at the 2012 Just Food conference, the City University of New York School of Professional Studies 2013 commencement, the Marion Institute’s Connecting Through Change conference and the 2016 Greenthumb Conference: Grow Together, to just name a few. She has served on several plenary panels, lead and facilitate workshops across the country. Previous to the Black Feminist Project, Tanya worked with several high profile environmental organizations located in the South Bronx - Mothers on the Move, Sustainable South Bronx and the Majora Carter Group.
Tanya built upon the network, skills, resources and knowledge she gained through those experiences to create the Black Feminist Project. She is a reputed and rising public speaker and educator. She has spoken, conducted workshops and participated on panels at Just Food Annual Conference, NOFA NY Winter Conference, Manhattanville College, Kingsboro College, Brooklyn Food Coalition, NEWSAWG and others. In addition to her work as a nonprofit and community leader, she is a thought leader, cultural influencer and social media personality. With a strong following on Facebook and Twitter, Tanya created and stars in Mama Tanya’s Kitchen, a web based cooking and lifestyle show.
With a heaping amount of humor and a dash of sass, Tanya teaches viewers how to cook affordable, diverse meals with gourmet flair. Her episodes and Facebook Lives are popular and attract attention in the food world and beyond. She is a sometimes writer previously writing a column on food and food justice for EBONY.com, giving astute commentary on radical Black motherhood and fashions herself a “rachet feminist”. She has also contributed a chapter for the book "The Next Eco-Warriors" by Emily Hunter and has been cited in many other academic and educational texts. You can find Tanya, the Black Feminist Project and Mama Tanya’s Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Email Tanya tanya@theblackfeministproject.org