Famed Jane Goodall wows children with her ideas on environmental conservation

Jane Goodall looked out at a crowd of children in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 11, and said to them, “Every child has a role to play and will discover their purpose.” The famed anthropologist told them, “My greatest work is my program, Roots and Shoots, which is now in 68 countries … (where) kids get to choose what they do.”

The SoLa Foundation, in partnership with Seven Arrows Elementary School, hosted globally famed Goodall who spoke to hundreds of South Los Angeles and West Los Angeles youth about hope, human connection and environmental conservation.

The primatologist and author turned to the adults in the audience and told them, “The two most important lessons to impart to the kids today are respect and compassion. … What is your expectation of the kids? Determination that they will do their bit.”

One student was thrilled, saying, “We get to learn about different cultures and the Earth today!”

Later, on a darker issue, Goodall said to the crowd, “The question was, how are we doing with the planet? Are we going in the right direction? No, we’re destroying the environment. We are suffering from poverty, racism, sexism and discrimination. I want to give young people a feeling of hope and empower them.”

The gathering held at The Beehive by SoLa Impact drew young people to a thriving business campus that features the first Black-owned craft brewery in California, a Black-owned art gallery for emerging artists in South L.A., and a state-of-the-art technology and entrepreneurship center to develop future tech leaders in the area. The Beehive is also home to a health-conscious restaurant and an art walk.