Imani is a pioneering African American oyster farmer with a distinguished career in the aquaculture industry. Raised on Maryland's Eastern Shore, her passion for Chesapeake Bay conservation and restoration was nurtured from a young age within a family of watermen with over 200 years of heritage in Rock Hall, Crisfield, and Cambridge, MD.
Imani earned her Marine Biology degree from Old Dominion University, where she was also a Division 1 lacrosse athlete. Her career in oyster restoration began during her internship with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s VA Oyster Restoration Team. After graduating, she advanced her expertise through the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Aquaculture Genetics & Breeding Technology Center’s (ABC) Oyster Aquaculture Training (OAT) program, which covers hatchery operations to grow-out and processing.
Driven by a commitment to inclusivity and empowerment, Imani founded Minorities In Aquaculture (MIA), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting underrepresented groups in the aquaculture sector. MIA focuses on women of color & underrepresented demographics, offering paid internships, technical skills training, and career development resources. Over the past two years, MIA has emerged as a key player in promoting sustainable seafood education, workforce development, and diversity within the industry.
In addition to her nonprofit work, Imani recently completed her Master’s degree at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science. Her research explored the historic involvement of coastal communities of color in Chesapeake Bay commercial fisheries, emphasizing strategies for increasing minority engagement in coastal regions.
Imani continues to make significant contributions to both the aquaculture industry and the broader environmental conservation community through her innovative work and leadership.
Minorities in Aquaculture is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2020 by Imani Black.
MIA was created by a vision of more diverse, inclusive all aquaculture sectors. In 3 years, we have been educating underrepresented demographics about the environmental benefits of aquaculture & growing viable career pipeline, we can create long lasting diverse stewards, employees and innovators that strongly impact the industry for the future.
Currently, we are the only minority workforce development organization in the industry globally.
