Climate Displacement

Tabitha Sookdeo

Tabitha Sookdeo is a formerly undocumented immigrant originally from Guyana in South America, who grew up in Sint Maarten in the Dutch Caribbean. Tabitha completed her undergraduate studies in social and environmental justice from Trevecca Nazarene University, where her scholarship focused on the intersection between climate change and migration.

Tabitha has worked in the immigration field for over a decade, from community organizing to public interest lobbying and fundraising: aiding advocacy efforts for a tuition equality bill giving in-state tuition privileges to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients; and raising hundreds of thousands of scholarship dollars for undocumented university students in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, Tabitha has organized human rights coalitions for migrant farmworkers facing modern-day slavery in Immokalee, Florida.

Tabitha is passionate about finding creative solutions for climate adaptation in cities through a global environmental justice lens. Currently, Tabitha is the Director of Community Engagement at Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services. She is also a joint-degree student at the Yale School of the Environment and Vermont Law School. Tabitha is a fellow at the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative at Yale School of the Environment led by Dr. Dorceta Taylor. She also sits on the board as the vice president of the Greater Dwight Development Corporation. Some organizations Tabitha worked with include: The Tennessee Immigrants and Refugee Rights Coalition, The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Nashville Fair Food, Dignidad Obrera, Equal Chance for Education, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean, and Clean Water Action. Tabitha is proficient in Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, and French.