From the Desk of Dr. Beverly Wright –
A reflection penned on the growing climate risks facing coastal Louisiana, where sea-level rise, land subsidence, and rapid wetland loss are reshaping the region’s future. For New Orleans, the stakes extend beyond infrastructure and flood protection. They include the preservation of Black communities, neighborhood connections, and a cultural identity rooted in place. As the region continues investing in restoration, resilience, and adaptation, Dr. Wright asks a critical question: how can these efforts protect both people and the communities that make New Orleans what it is?
Summer Highlights
2026 EJ INTERNS CLOSE OUT AN IMPACTFUL SUMMER EXPERIENCE
The 2026 HBCU Environmental & Climate Corps Summer Internship program recently concluded with a final presentation at the DSCEJ Community Advisory Board Meeting on August 5th. This summer, the DSCEJ hosted a cohort of dedicated interns who worked alongside partner community-based organizations (CBOs) across the Gulf Coast to translate academic research into real-world advocacy and community resilience.
Throughout the summer, the interns engaged in a “Research-to-Action” model, focusing on the following areas:
- Research & Documentation: Updating the “Living and Dying in Cancer Alley” report and conducting community needs assessments to identify key demographic challenges and organization-specific needs.
- Strategic Communications: Developing communication assets, including social media plans, content calendars, and short-form video reels designed to highlight campaign pillars and elevate community storytelling.
We are incredibly proud of the contributions our interns made this summer and wish them all the best in their future academic and professional endeavors.
Dorcas Gyan
Southern University
and A&M College
Brynnan Smith
Xavier University
of Louisiana
Christian Sutton
Jackson State University
DSCEJ speaks at EJLF Annual Convening
Three DSCEJ Program Managers, Amanda Bonam, Simone English, and Javonda Nix, joined the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum’s Annual Convening in Chicago, June 23 to 26, themed “Frontline Power: Organizing for Environmental Justice.” The city holds deep roots in the movement as home to the late Hazel M. Johnson, and this year’s tour was led by her daughter, Cheryl Johnson, of People for Community Recovery.
Simone English is photographed on the panel “Grounded in Grassroots: Air Quality Monitoring,” sharing DSCEJ’s work on CAMRA and the Environmental Justice Data and Action Platform.
The team returned with strengthened partnerships and fresh insight from grassroots organizations nationwide.
DSCEJ Advocates for Energy Justice in DC
Program Managers Simone English and Javonda Nix, members of the Health Equity and Environmental Action League (HEAL) Coalition, traveled to Washington, DC, from July 20 to 22 to advocate for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) on behalf of communities facing energy burdens nationwide.
They opened the trip by introducing HEAL Coalition members to DSCEJ’s history and the Communiversity Model. In meetings with federal representatives, they spoke to LIHEAP’s impact, funding and staffing needs, and its role in helping participants complete DSCEJ’s Worker Training Program. Their advocacy centered the disproportionate energy burden facing vulnerable communities during extreme heat and other climate-related events.
IN THE COMMUNITY
WATCH NOW:
Alsen-St.Irma Lee: A Generational Fight for Health, Happiness, and Environmental Justice
This storytelling effort is part of a larger campaign against the harms of compounded, long-term petrochemical exposure for fenceline communities. Toxins Harm Health seeks to equip communities with real data to illustrate the environmental harms that exist due to existing and recently permitted facilities across 11 parishes in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley.
The campaign is rooted in a report authored by Dr. Beverly Wright in 1990, Living & Dying in Cancer Alley: The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same. It combines narrative accounts with real Toxic Release Inventory data to illustrate the public health impacts of petrochemical exposure on residents in Cancer Alley.
FEATURED EVENT
Energy & Housing Justice Lunch & Learn Series Continues
DSCEJ’s Energy & Housing Justice Lunch & Learn Series continues Tuesday, September 15, with a session on Nunez Community College’s Wind Energy Worker Training Program, featuring Kat Bell and Derrick Collins.
The monthly series runs through November on the third Tuesday of each month, 1:00 to 1:45 PM CT, connecting residents with guest speakers on housing and energy justice, from clean energy and workforce development to resilient homes.
Each session includes a presentation followed by Q&A.
Register to receive the calendar invitation.
PROGRAM UPDATES
FIRST SOLAR WORKFORCE TRAINING COHORT COMPLETE
On June 15, 32 participants began DSCEJ’s Solar Workforce Training Program, and the first cohort has now completed the program, qualifying them to sit for the NABCEP PV Associate certification.
Graduates leave equipped for careers in the growing solar industry, with DSCEJ continuing to build employer partnerships that connect trainees to jobs.
LEARN MORE & SUPPORT OUR WORK
Watch our official web page for updates and the application to Cohort 2.
Want to help? Donate to continue this free community program or partner with us.
Water Justice Training Institute Completes Fourth Cohort
In July, DSCEJ’s Water Justice Training Institute (WJTI) closed out its fourth cohort since launching in 2019. The program trains community-based organizations across the Deep South in water systems science, geospatial mapping, policy advocacy, and strategic communications, culminating in an Advocacy Tool each participant can use for their own goals.
These organizations completed the 2026 cohort, showcasing tools that confronted polluting industries, advocated for flood-resilient infrastructure, and equipped residents through community-based science.
They now join DSCEJ’s growing network of WJTI alumni working across the region.
2026 COHORT ORGANIZATIONS:
- Cherokee Concerned Citizens
- Culture of Cleanliness
- Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park
- Fishermen Involved in Sustaining Our Heritage (F.I.S.H.)
- Hollygrove-Dixon Neighborhood Association
- New World Believers
- Odi Eka Tech Outreach NPO
- Spectrum CDC
- Update Email
- Visibility Outreach Touch Engage (VOTE SoAR)
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