Young Campaigner Award

Choked Up

Our communities were suffering. We needed to speak out against toxic air.

The Campaign

Choked Up was founded in August 2020 by black and brown sixth formers outraged that the people most at risk of the health impacts of air pollution were people of colour and working-class communities. They wanted government to recognise that air pollution isn’t solely a health and environmental issue, but a social justice one, and to help the communities most affected.

Since people can’t see the air they breathe, they are unable to understand the severity of the problem. Choked Up’s aim is to make the invisible visible, and to educate the most badly affected communities about the dangers of toxic air.

In March 2021, Choked Up erected hacked road signs in Lewisham, Brixton and Whitechapel, pollution hotspots on the capital’s Red Routes network. The sign artwork closely mimicked UK road signs, highlighting the dangers of air pollution and its disproportionate impact on people of colour and deprived communities.

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awards

Creator credit: Lola Raman-Middleton

We are delighted to be shortlisted by SMK and look forward to learning more about all the other incredible campaigns recognised in this year’s awards. It is amazing to see our work celebrated by SMK and know young people can make a difference.”

Anjali Raman-Middleton, Co-Founder of Choked Up

awards

Creator credit: Lola Raman-Middleton

We are delighted to be shortlisted by SMK and look forward to learning more about all the other incredible campaigns recognised in this year’s awards. It is amazing to see our work celebrated by SMK and know young people can make a difference.”

Anjali Raman-Middleton, Co-Founder of Choked Up

The Change

Choked Up successfully raised awareness of the disproportionate impacts of air pollution using their hacked signs and a social media campaign. The campaign was covered by national media, including in the Guardian, The Times and the Evening Standard, and targeted several BAME publications and news networks, including Gal-dem and BBC Asian Network, ensuring their message was picked up by opinion formers in these communities.

Choked Up helped to make air pollution a key issue in the London Mayoral election and working alongside other clean air organisations, prompted a Clean Air Hustings where candidates were asked about health inequalities. Follow up meetings were arranged with three of the four Mayoral candidates.

Prior to the ULEZ expansion, Choked Up were asked by City Hall to collaborate on communications, because Choked Up had reach into communities who would suffer the most financially with expansion.

Members of Choked Up were invited to speak at several COP26 events, including the New York Times Climate Hub and People’s Summit, which brought their message to an international audience and allowed Choked Up to share their learning with clean air organisations elsewhere in the world.

The Future

All members of Choked Up are in full time education and have to balance campaigning with schoolwork. Despite these pressures, they are planning to grow their team, in order to develop their relationships with other clean air and social justice organisations, and to participate in larger scale actions. They also plan to work with government, nationally and locally, to change clean air legislation.  

Who else was involved?

Choked Up are a grassroots organisation that met through Advocacy Academy in South London, a charity which teaches young people how to create transformational campaigns. They coordinated their campaign with the help of Purpose, Medact, Mums for Lungs, and Environmental Defence Fund Europe to ensure the message was clear and collective and are very grateful for the support these organisations provided. Choked Up has also received invaluable advice from Ella Roberta Family Foundation, Stop Silvertown Tunnel Coalition, and NEON.