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NEW ORLEANS, LA – On Wednesday, August 16, 2023, leading environmental justice organizations, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) and Robert D. Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, will kick off the Justice40 August convening in New Orleans, LA. The three-day convening brings together Justice40 hub leaders, activists, community leaders, and policymakers committed to advancing environmental justice and realizing the Biden Administration’s commitment to delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.
Executive directors Dr. Beverly Wright and Dr. Robert Bullard have been working to collectively engage, enlighten, and empower communities that are directly affected by deadly pollution and severe weather events to successfully advocate for resources intended for them.
During the convening, White House Senior Advisor John Podesta and Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, Senior Director of Environmental Justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), will give keynote remarks throughout the convening. Additionally, representatives from federal agencies will speak with Hub leaders about their agencies' role in implementing Justice40 equitably, including the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Health and Human Services, and Environmental Protection Agency.
WHAT: Justice40 August Convening for Community-Based Organizations
WHO:
- Dr. Beverly Wright, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
- Dr. Robert Bullard, Robert D. Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice
- John Podesta, White House Senior Advisor
- Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, Senior Director of Environmental Justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality
- Environmental justice community leaders, activists, and policymakers
WHERE:
JW Marriott
614 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 16 to Friday, August 18.
If interested in covering a particular session, please reach out to DeepSouth@skdknick.com for additional details.
The Justice40 initiative is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s whole-of-government approach to embedding environmental justice in the federal government's operations. It sets a goal that disadvantaged communities receive 40 percent of the overall benefits of federal investments in the areas of climate change; clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure.
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About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader, and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
About Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice
The Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University addresses longstanding issues of systemic inequality and structural racism that cause disproportionate pain, suffering, and death in Black and other people of color communities. The Center is directed by environmental justice scholar Dr. Robert D. Bullard and is housed in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. It strives to be a leading force for transformative environmental, climate, and racial justice using rigorous science, community-driven research, policy, civic engagement programming, and effective advocacy.
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