Pikesville Teenager Creates Organization to Fight for Women’s Rights and the Environment

May 1, 2023 Caryn R. Sagal

Sunny Diamond: "Once I learned that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade [in June of 2022], I really wanted to make an impact to give women a voice." (Provided photo)

Advocating for women’s rights or fighting for climate justice is a tall order for anybody of any age group, let alone a busy teenager.

But Pikesville resident Sunny Diamond has found a unique way to do both.

A Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School high school junior, Sunny recently created PlantMyStory, an organization with the mission “to spread awareness about women’s rights and promote how we can save the planet.”

“I believe wholeheartedly that women deserve rights,” she says. “Our mental health issues have long been dismissed, and once I learned that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade [in June of 2022], I really wanted to make an impact to give women a voice.”

While campaigning for the reelection of Baltimore County Councilman Israel C. “Izzy” Patoka (D-2^nd) last July, Sunny met Del. Dana M. Stein (D-11^th), who also serves as executive director of Civic Works, a nonprofit that works to strengthen Baltimore’s communities through education, skills development and community service.

Learning that Civic Works “is committed to creating a more sustainable, economically viable, environmentally responsible agriculture sector in Baltimore” resonated profoundly with Sunny.

“I did not garden or plant when I was younger, but last year I also started to learn more about the environment and climate change, which really sparked my interest,” she says.

After some brainstorming in August, Sunny pitched Stein her idea of planting bulbs and distributing their blooms attached with written stories from women who had survived mental health struggles.

“It was a very creative and imaginative idea, and we were happy to partner with her to bring it to fruition,” Stein says.

Civic Works’ community landscaping team planted 125 bulbs for PlantMyStory in October and has promoted the project on social media.

Stein also connected Sunny with GBMC HealthCare’s SAFE Domestic Violence Program to procure survivor stories from patients.

After realizing the volume of bulbs planted exceeded the number of survivor stories provided by GBMC, Sunny reached out to the Women’s Rights News gender equality platform on Instagram.

“Women’s Rights News has an anonymous digital bulletin board where anyone can share their adversities and struggles, such as overcoming an abortion or a mental health challenge,” she says. “With their consent, we’re attaching the anonymous survivor stories to our potted plants (to supplement the ones from GBMC).”

This Thursday, May 4, PlantMyStory and Civic Works will distribute their newly bloomed perennials — from the October planting — with survivor stories to the Belair-Edison Community Association in northeast Baltimore. (Civic Works is headquartered in Belair-Edison’s historic Clifton Mansion in Clifton Park.)

Sunny hopes to grow PlantMyStory and distribute plants to women’s shelters throughout the state. She recently launched a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $5,000 for pots and bulbs, as well as clothing and food for women’s shelters.

“Her dedication and commitment are impressive, and Civic Works would be glad to continue the partnership,” Stein says.

While PlantMyStory is Sunny’s “passion project,” she also serves on the board of the NCSY youth group, interns with StandWithUs, an Israel educational organization, and works part-time at a local café.

Building on her “love for learning about law and the judicial system,” Sunny plans to eventually become a civil rights lawyer. “I will continuously strive to defend, protect and create change for equal rights across the board,” she says.

For updates about PlantMyStory, follow @plantmystory123 on Instagram. To donate, visit gofund.me/a42564c5.

Caryn R. Sagal is a Baltimore-based public relations consultant and freelance writer.