TACOMA, Wash. — Climate advocacy group 350 Tacoma unveiled a sculpture at The Evergreen State College's Tacoma campus Wednesday to honor Dr. Warren Washington, one of the world’s top experts in atmospheric sciences and climate research.
Dr. Washington was the second African-American in the US to earn a doctorate in atmospheric sciences. He currently works as the senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
To highlight his work in the field, the climate advocacy group reached out to Aisha Harrison to create a sculpture in his honor.
Harrison said that she wanted to showcase Washington’s work in her piece, and hopes that the sculpture will continue to inspire the next generation to be pioneers.
“We need some new monuments of people who make a huge difference in this world and maybe don’t get celebrated," Harrison said. "So I feel like Warren Washington is one of those people, and also, he’s Black, and we really need to be celebrating the Black people that make this world possible.”
This monument will be moved to the People’s Community Center in the Hilltop on Saturday, and there will be an event from 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. to display it. Afterward, it will return to Evergreen, but 350 Tacoma is hoping to show the statue in different parts of Tacoma over the next few months.