‘This polar career’ Orangeburg native champions Arctic issues in Canada

Australia, Norway and Germany are among the places the Orangeburg native has lived and worked as she has crisscrossed the globe.

She now lives in Québec City in Canada as the first communications officer for the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group Secretariat based in the city where she lives.

“When I embarked on this polar career of mine, it has taken me to some very interesting places. I have met a lot of wonderful and interesting people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities and cultures and indigenous people from all walks of life,” Aiken said.

“My role as the first-ever communications officer with the Artic Council Sustainable Development Working Group is to manage website content, social media platforms, develop effective communication tools and promote the activities and products of the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group,” she said.

Established in 1996, the Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that promotes cooperation among the eight Arctic States of Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States on issues related to the environment, sustainable development and scientific cooperation.

“The Sustainable Development Working Group is one of six Arctic Council working groups. It is tasked with protecting and improving the environment, the economy and social and human conditions and health of indigenous communities and inhabitants throughout the Arctic,” Aiken said.

She said her work is making a significant impact by amplifying the issues of the Arctic region and the need to address them.

“My work and that of my colleagues enhances the visibility of the diverse cultures, identities, traditional knowledge and languages of Arctic indigenous people and sustainability issues in the Arctic on a global scale,” Aiken said.

She continued, “I believe that the work that I do with the Sustainable Development Working Group is also helping to bring more attention to pressing Arctic issues. … A lot of my work in trying to make such a great impact is done by amplifying the voice of Arctic indigenous people, Arctic youth and local communities.”

Aiken said she works to showcase SDWG projects and foster engagement through “accessible and compelling storytelling content” that she puts across digital platforms.

“I think my communications work brings a greater understanding of Arctic challenges and solutions. …. As an example of my work, I did social media content for World Suicide Prevention Day. I emphasized a Sustainable Development Working Group project called Local2Global,” she said.

The Local2Global project focuses on facilitating international collaboration and connections to prevent suicide and support the mental well-being of Arctic youth and communities, especially indigenous people.

“This project highlights the importance of community-based approaches to mental health and suicide prevention in Arctic communities,” Aiken said.

She said the work she does is not done single-handedly but includes help from her Arctic Council and SDWG colleagues, along with other Arctic Council representatives and indigenous people who make up the SDWG.

“(That) helps to ensure that key messages about Arctic communities and indigenous people and climate resilience and sustainable development are accurately reflected and reach a broad audience,” Aiken said.

The 38-year-old, who became the Arctic Council SDWG’s first communications officer in 2024, fondly reflects on the contributions of African Americans who came before her.

Barbara Hillary, the first African American woman to conquer the North and South poles, and Matthew Henson, who was the African American to reach and stand on the North Pole, are among them.

“In 2016, it became a pursuit of a dream for me to work for the Arctic Council. … I feel like I’ve arrived, like I’ve come full circle today as an employee of the Arctic Council (SDWG),” Aiken said.

“It’s an immensely profound and deeply fulfilling experience for me to not only be associated with pioneers and trailblazers before me past and present, but to follow in their footsteps and be inspired by the things that they have done,” she said.

Aiken also reflects on the impact her hometown of Orangeburg has had in shaping her into the professional she has become. Aiken is the youngest daughter of Marvin and Sandra Aiken of St. Matthews and the granddaughter of Jessie B. Brigman of Orangeburg.

“Orangeburg, South Carolina has a history of historical awareness and activism for the rights and betterment of Black Americans. My formative years were spent being educated by some of the strongest, intellectually grounded Black women and men at Felton Laboratory School,” Aiken said.

She continued, “Being immersed in an educational environment that was rooted in Black excellence, leadership and cultural pride gave me such a strong foundation of confidence, purpose and drive.”

Aiken is grateful for her journey and the blessings she has found through it.

“I was a legal secretary for eight years in New York City, where I lived for 15 years. … I just decided to step away from that work and do something that, for me, is kind of almost larger than life. It’s something much bigger than myself,” she said.

“I wanted to pursue and become part of a different community, to step in a space where I felt more self-gratification for what I do when I wake up and when I put my head on the pillow at night,” Aiken said.