Stack Your Coins: A Game Born From a Lifetime of Environmental Injustice

I grew up in Geismar, Louisiana, a small town in the heart of Cancer Alley—right across the street from chemical plants. As a child, I watched explosions, leaks, and accidents shake our community. Families around me, including my own, suffered deeply. I saw relatives lose their lives to cancer caused by the polluted air, soil, and water. I remember watching my grandmother battle breast cancer and another family member suffer from prostate cancer. Those experiences shaped me. As a little girl, I wanted to understand why this was happening and why so many people were getting sick.

In college, I majored in biology to better understand chemical exposures. However, as I continued my studies, I realized it wasn’t just about the chemicals but also about where these facilities were. Black and Brown communities like mine were bearing a compounded burden. During my master’s program in urban planning, I began exploring these impacts more deeply. I returned home to conduct my thesis research, where I worked directly with residents to educate them on preparing for natural and manmade disasters.

That path led me into my doctoral program in urban and regional sciences, an advanced degree in urban planning. My research focused on how organizations recover after disasters. Through both programs, I discovered my passion for creating new, engaging ways to educate people about risks and preparedness. In 2017, I started developing practical and fun tools to help communities overcome the often-overwhelming task of building capacity to respond to disasters.

I realized that many organizations struggled to create continuity plans—basic plans every organization needs to prepare for disasters. That inspired me to design “Stack Your Coins”. The name reflects a reality: many organizations don’t have the financial resources to respond to disasters, let alone support others. The game challenges groups to build a continuity plan through scenarios that push them to think critically and make adjustments they can later apply in real life.

My next step is to get this game into the hands of those who need it most—nonprofits, businesses, and teams that need support in building their continuity plans.

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