We cannot talk about environmental justice without addressing racial justice. Throughout history, communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by climate change and access to environmental resources, pollution, toxic soil and water, and much more. Here are just a few environmental heroes and their organizations who are creating an incredible impact not only in their local communities but across the U.S.
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Christopher Bradshaw
Bradshaw is a social justice entrepreneur who founded ., an organization dedicated to creating baby直播app opportunities for the marginalized community in the D.C. metro area. They help build more resilient communities with equitable baby直播app opportunity, greater access to education and a healthy environment for all, not just for a select few.
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Tanya Fields
In 2009, Fields founded the because she saw too many women unable to rise out of poverty and sustain their families. As the Executive Director, her mission is to help address food justice and baby直播app development by harnessing the local, good food movement and creating small business and career opportunities for underserved women and youth of color.
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Omar Freilla
Freilla is the Founder of and creator of the academy model of cooperative development. Green Worker Cooperatives is a South-Bronx based organization dedicated to incubating worker-owned green businesses in order to build a strong local economy rooted in democracy and environmental justice. Freilla鈥檚 passion for community self-determination, personal transformation, and creating solutions to social injustice drives the incredible work he does.
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Savonala 鈥淪avi鈥� Horne
Horne is the Executive Director of the , an organization that works to stop land loss in African-American communities throughout North Carolina. She leads an organization that provides assistance to all financially distressed and limited resource farmers and landowners through the use of litigation, public policy, and promoting sustainable agriculture and environment.
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Chantel Johnson
Chantel Johnson founded (OGIC) in 2016 to help lead her community to greater self-sufficiency through farm raised food, birth coaching, and community outreach. Johnson鈥檚 experience with living off the grid is something she feels is important to share with others.
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Jeaninne Kayembe
Kayembe is a Black Queer up and coming thought leader and multi-media artist in this generations industries of entertainment, civic engagement, food security, and arts/environmental activism. She is also the Co-executive Director and Co-Founder of which was founded in North Central Philadelphia by a diverse group of young people, unified by a vision to bridge the gap between isolated communities and transforming a 2-acre garbage dump into a farm.
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Rue Mapp
Mapp founded because she saw a need for her community to have a deeper connection to nature. She oversees a highly-trained national volunteer leadership team who share opportunities to build a broader community, and promote leadership in conservation. Outdoor Afro has become a cutting-edge network in the U.S. that helps people connect to black history found in many natural areas, while inspiring communities to protect vulnerable public lands for everyone.
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Peggy Shepard
Shepard is co-founder and executive director of and has a long history of organizing and engaging Northern Manhattan residents in community-based planning. She campaigns to address environmental protection and environmental health policy both locally and nationally. WE ACT empowers and organizes low-income people of color to build healthy communities for all.