Celebrating Black History Month
In honor of Black History of Month, we’d like to celebrate some of the Black Environmentalist working to make our world a better place for all!
“Sonia Galiber is an international activist, artist, and educator. Sonia graduated from Temple University with a BA in Political Science in 2014. Her experience in activist work includes women’s rights, racial justice, food justice, and land justice. She channels inspiration from her family always, especially her grandmother who fought for women, children, people with various abilities, and incarcerated people in Washington D.C. As Director of Operations, Sonia develops and implements procedures to ensure efficiency, to document, evaluate, and support Urban Creators programs, and facilitates communication both internally and externally.” http://www.phillyurbancreators.org/story
“Robert D. Bullard is often described as the father of environmental justice. He is the former Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University 2011-2016. Professor Bullard currently is Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy. Prior to coming to TSU he was founding Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University. He is an award-winning author of eighteen books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, disasters, emergency response, and community resilience, smart growth, and regional equity. He is co-founder of the HBCU Climate Change Consortium. Dr. Bullard is a proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran. In 2013, he was honored with the Sierra Club John Muir Award, the first African American to win the award. In 2014, the Sierra Club named its new Environmental Justice Award after Dr. Bullard. In 2015, the Iowa State University Alumni Association named him its Alumni Merit Award recipient—an award also given to George Washington Carver (1894 ISU alum) in 1937. In 2017, the Children Environmental Health Network presented him with the Child Health Advocate Award. And in 2018, the Global Climate Action Summit named Dr. Bullard one of 22 Climate Trailblazers.” http://drrobertbullard.com/biography/
“Nikki Silvestri is the Founder and CEO of Soil and Shadow, a project development firm designing economic and environmental strategies with human left in. As the Co-Founder of Live Real and former Executive Director of People’s Grocery and Green for All, Nikki has built and strengthened social equity for underrepresented populations in food systems, social services, public health, climate solutions, and economic development. A nationally recognized thought leader, her many honors include being named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans.” https://www.nikkisilvestri.com/
“From 2009 to 2013, Lisa Jackson served as Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Appointed by President Barack Obama, she focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and expanding outreach to communities on environmental issues. She has also served as chief of staff to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and as commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection. Lisa holds a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. She serves on the boards of Tulane and the Clinton Foundation.” https://www.apple.com/leadership/lisa-jackson/