Black History Month
Intergenerational Leaders of the
Climate Justice Movement
Racial justice is environmental justice. To celebrate Black History Month in 2021, we strived to amplify the intergenerational voices of the Environmental Justice Movement. The EJ Movement gained strong momentum in the 1980s, and generations of pioneers and leaders have catalyzed the fight for justice since.
Pioneers of Environmental Justice
“The Father of Environmental Justice” - Dr. Robert Bullard
Dr. Robert Bullard is currently a Distinguished Professor at Texas Southern University, and a longtime environmental justice activist and scholar. His work has been seminal in the fight against environmental racism, and his scholarship has provided deep insight into how systemic racism affects environmental outcomes for people of color.
At the start of his career in 1979, Bullard and his colleagues found that African American neighborhoods in Houston, Texas were often chosen for toxic waste sites. Bullard noted that this type of environmental racism excluded people of color from decision-making, and then began a lifelong journey to combat environmental racism with both research and activism.
Bullard focused his work mostly on communities of color in the South, where he saw a pattern of environmental hazards in black areas when compared to white areas, causing increased health risks to black citizens. He published multiple books and conducted extensive research at various institutions, opening the doors for the field of study we now know as environmental justice. He also worked to help create the EPA's Work Group on Environmental Equity as well as the first National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991.
Today, Bullard continues his work as an environmental justice academic and advocate. You can learn more about him on his website, at: https://drrobertbullard.com/.
“The Mother of Environmental Justice” - Hazel Johnson
Hazel Johnson grew up in the projects of Chicago’s South Side. Her neighborhood was surrounded by landfills, industrial buildings, and sewage-treatment plants that were harmful to the health of residents. Her own husband passed away from lung cancer, and her children all experienced skin and respiratory issues, which led her to her personal stake in the fight for environmental justice. She began to investigate, documenting instances of chronic health problems present in her community as a means to learn about how the area's air and water pollution impacted those around her.
Johnson discovered that her community’s drinking water was contaminated, the air was polluted with asbestos, and that her neighborhood had the highest cancer rate in the city. These conclusions led her to begin organizing and advocating against the city of Chicago’s lack of accountability and neglect for her neighbors’ health.
Hazel became an activist in Chicago and was elected to the local advisory council before founding “People for Community Recovery,” a not-for-profit organization whose main goal was "fighting environmental racism as it affected the residents of Altgeld Gardens public housing project." For her efforts, Johnson has been recognized as the Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement. People for Community Recovery lobbied the city of Chicago to test drinking water, which proved to contain harmful toxins, as well as led to the creation of new infrastructure in the area.
Hazel Johnson’s legacy as the mother of environmental justice is defined by her successes in organizing, research, and advocacy. After her passing in 2011, a portion of a Chicago freeway was named in her honor.
Youth Leaders of Climate Justice
Genesis Butler
Genesis Butler is a 14-year-old Black, Indigenous, and Mexican teen fighting for animals, humans, and the Earth. Genesis Butler uses her platform to advocate for animal rights and amplify awareness regarding animal agriculture’s impact on climate change, loss of biodiversity, and water shortage. Genesis went vegan when she was 6 years old, and is continuing the legacy of revolutionary civil rights activist and labor organizer, Cesar Chavez, as his great-grandniece. Genesis spoke at the Environmental Media Association IMPACT Summit in 2019 and was one of the youngest people ever to give a TEDx Talk.
Jerome Foster II
Jerome Foster is a youth activist and the executive director of OneMillionOfUs: an international youth voting and advocacy organization. He is a change-making representative of Gen Z, and is known for delivering passionate speeches about intergovernmental unity and climate justice in the fight against climate change. Foster has organized climate strikes for over 80 weeks as part of Greta Thunberg’s “Fridays For Future”, spoken at the United Nations, and used his voice to empower other youth to demand environmental justice for all.
Maya Penn
Maya Penn made waves in the climate movement as a teenager with a TED Talk describing her journey as a young entrepreneur in sustainability. Since then, Maya has become an artist, global activist, animator, filmmaker, social entrepreneur, coder, and author by the age of 21. Maya received a commendation from President Barack Obama for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship and continues her climate advocacy efforts on social media and through her businesses.
Mari Copeny
Mari Copeny, a 13-year-old activist and philanthropist, strives to one day become the future President of the United States. Mari serves as an activist on the front lines of the Flint Water Crisis, and at just age 8, wrote a letter to President Obama about her town’s crisis. This letter led him to visit Flint and address the situation of environmental injustice. Mari’s letter ultimately led Obama to approve $100 million dollars in relief money for Flint, and she has impacted thousands of her community’s residents with her courage and optimism. Mari Copeny continues to set an example for youth activists, expanding her work to other cities in the US with water issues.
Combatting the Climate Crisis
with Sustainable Business
Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks
Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks is the President and CEO of ECOS, a company whose mission is to “protect the health and wellness of people, pets, and the planet by creating the most authentic, sustainable, and affordable cleaning products for all.” Kelly is the daughter of an African American mother and a Greek immigrant father and has made environmental & social justice a cornerstone of ECOS’s mission. She has led ECOS to become the first company to achieve the “trifecta” of sustainable manufacturing (carbon neutrality, water neutrality, & TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certification), raised ECOS’ minimum wage to $17/hour (one of the highest in the industry), & much more. EMA is honored to have the inspiring woman that Kelly is on the EMA Corporate Board, pushing for the just treatment of people and the planet.
By Alexa Garcia and Sophia Donskoi