On Wednesday, February 24, 2016, the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program in Washington, DC hosted the National Symposium on the Impacts of Climate Change on the African American Community. The symposium included guests from a number of organizations involved with environmental justice and renewable energy activism. Speakers at the symposium included Brentin Mock of Citylab.com, Gilbert Campbell of Volt Energy, Director of the Environmental Justice Program at the Sierra Club Leslie Fields, Dr. Beverly Wright from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Angela Rye of Impact Strategies, Kim Noble of Green For All, Quentin Pair from the Howard University School of Law, Jermon Williams of Broccoli City, Special Advisor to President Obama Rohan Patel, Mustafa Ali of the EPA, and Stephanie Brown James of Vestige Strategies.
Leaders and activists from a number of groups and agencies came together and discussed some of the most salient topics within the environmental and climate justice movements today. Some of these topics included the future of the Clean Power Plan and the implications on the communities most impacted, the intersection of race and environmental justice, and the importance of cooperation and collaboration between various organizations at all levels of the movement.
The Sierra Club is proud to have hosted this esteemed group of speakers and panelists with Green For All and VestigeStrategies- so many of whom have been instrumental in organizing environmental justice initiatives and policy around the country. Promoting dialogue and collaboration between these groups is essential for the growth of the broader movement and advancement of the social justice and environmental causes central to our work. We are looking forward to hosting and collaborating on many more such events in the future as we work towards justice and inclusion for all in the determination of our shared future.