DSCEJ Student Interns to Share Documentary Films at Katrina 20 Mini Film Fest
We invite you to attend DSCEJ’s Digital Storytelling session during the Katrina 20 Week of Action on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM. Our interns are participating in the K20 Mini Film Festival at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts, 1419 Basin St., New Orleans, LA 70116.
DSCEJ’s Digital Storytellers Internship allows youth to take on the role of a climate journalist to tell the stories of environmental and climate injustices occurring in their communities and interview people and organizations working locally in their region, on solving the climate crisis. High school interns representing the Gulf Coast region partner with regional experts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEMM) and environmental and climate justice organizations to chronicle stories of vulnerable communities adversely affected by climate change and environmental hazards.
Questions? Contact:
Mary I. Williams
maryw@dscej.org
This project is funded by the NASEM-Gulf Research Program.
HBCU students share community internship experience
Our 2025 HBCU Environmental Justice and Climate Corps Summer Interns had the opportunity immerse themselves in environmental justice advocacy and research with DSCEJ Gulf Coast community partners. The interns shared their internship experience during a Lunch and Learn held on August 1st.
The interns addressed key environmental priorities identified by DSCEJ partner CBOs, including collecting and analyzing data to support environmental justice reinvestment, reviewing state regulations and enforcement on landfills, conducting cost comparisons between incarcerating a child and investing in their future through environmental workforce training, teaching children in food deserts how to prepare nutritious meals, and educating summer camp youth about air pollutants and greenhouse gases that affect their communities.
Environmental Justice Voice Mid-Year Magazine 2025
MID-YEAR MAGAZINE
July 2025 Edition
IN THIS EDITION:
- Community & Partner Engagement
- Worker Training Program Graduation and Highlights
- Student Engagement
- Conference Recap Report
- AND MORE!
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Joins Class Action Lawsuit Against Trump Administration for EPA Grant Terminations
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Today, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) joined a coalition of nonprofits and community groups to sue the Trump administration for unlawfully terminating the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Grant programs – despite a Congressional directive to fund them.
Alongside plaintiffs across the country, DSCEJ is seeking class action certification so all grant recipients who have been harmed by the wholesale termination of the EPA program, may continue their projects.
“All communities deserve to live in clean, healthy and safe environments free from toxic pollutants and resilient to the harmful impacts of extreme weather. This is not a partisan position and our work across multiple administrations has supported communities across the south and nation,” said Dr. Beverly Wright, Founder and Executive Director of DSCEJ. “The Trump administration’s efforts to cut off funding, leaves communities vulnerable and families unhealthy, all while polluters are never held accountable. In terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Program, our agreement to help communities secure needed resources to improve polluted environmental conditions and reduce climate risks was eliminated. The system is rigged against those who need it most. We joined the lawsuit to hold the administration accountable for its misguided actions and to spur the further creation of healthier, cleaner and more resilient communities.”
In November 2023, DSCEJ launched the Community Investment Recovery Center (CIRC) to provide direct services to community-based organizations (CBOs) and Tribal communities through capacity building, technical assistance, and training. The service area spans 13 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas – and 73 Tribes. CIRC leveled the playing field by building the capacity of organizations, most of whom had never applied for a federal grant, to identify potential funding opportunities for their community and navigate the application process.
The cancelled EPA grants supported community-based initiatives that include improving natural disaster preparedness, expanding workforce development opportunities, improving and monitoring air quality, mitigating stormwater and flood damage, combating high energy costs, and improving community members’ ability to participate in decision-making and permitting processes that impact their health and environment.
Earthjustice, Southern Environmental Law Center, Public Rights Project, and Lawyers for Good Government filed the challenge on behalf of ECJ grant recipients to seek the nationwide restoration of the program and to require the administration to reinstate awarded grant agreements.
The Environmental and Climate Justice Program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) under Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 138 to award $3 billion in grants to community-based non-profits, Tribes, local governments, and higher education institutions in every state to tackle the climate crisis and environmental harms at the local level.
The grant-funded initiatives in rural, small town and urban communities across the country include air quality monitoring, community pollution notification systems, tree planting in urban heat zones, lead pipes replacement in community drinking water systems, resilience projects to strengthen communities against more frequent and intensifying extreme weather events, and more.
“Since his first days in office, the Trump administration has unlawfully withheld congressionally-mandated funds,” said Hana Vizcarra, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “Terminating these grant programs caused widespread harm and disruption to on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience and build community capacity to tackle environmental harms. We won’t let this stand.”
“We are proud to stand alongside our partners and these plaintiffs to fight for the communities who have been unlawfully denied the resources Congress promised them. This is a blatant, illegal attempt to sidestep federal law and strip critical funding away from the communities who need it most,” said Jillian Blanchard, Vice President of the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program at Lawyers for Good Government. “These grants were lawfully awarded, binding agreements, backed by clear Congressional authorization under the Inflation Reduction Act. The administration’s unconstitutional termination of these grants are not only destabilizing local projects addressing pollution, public health, and climate resilience, they violate core principles of administrative law and the separation of powers.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ginger LeBlanc – media@dscej.org
Grace Gill Qayoumi – gqayoumi@skdknick.com
Join us for a Community Forum and Book Signing
Environmental Justice Pioneers and Torchbearers: Passing the Torch to Elevate the Voices of Emerging EJ Leaders
We are excited to announce the upcoming Community Forum titled “Environmental Justice Pioneers and Torchbearers: Passing the Torch to Elevate the Voices of Emerging EJ Leaders.” This forum, which will kick off our 10th Anniversary HBCU Climate Change Conference, is designed to be a collaborative space, reflecting the mission of the HBCU Climate Change Consortium in integrating grassroots voices with academic insights.
There will be a dynamic dialogue that harnesses the wisdom of seasoned advocates alongside the creativity and enthusiasm of our emerging leaders.
This event is free and open to the public.
Local media are welcome to attend.
Community Forum Panelists:
Environmental Justice Pioneers:
- Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO, National Newspaper Publisher Association
- Dr. Beverly Wright, Founder and Executive Director, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
- Dr. Robert D. Bullard, Founding Director, Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University
- Peggy M. Shepard, Co-founder & Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
- Vernice Miller-Travis, Executive Vice President, Metropolitan Group
- Donele Wilkins, Founder & CEO, Green Door Initiative
- Dr. Paul Mohai, Professor, University of Michigan, School of Environment and Sustainability
Climate Change Conference Student Alumni:
- Dr. Dominic J. Bednar, Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of California, Irvine
- Dr. Michelle Dovil, Research Scientist, Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Howard University
- Simone English, Community Resilience & Stakeholder Engagement Program Manager, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
- Dr. Alexandria McBride, Senior Program Officer, Waverley Street Foundation
- Dr. Regan Patterson, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
- Dr. Joy Semien, Founder, Leeding With Joy
- Steven Washington, Community Engagement Assistant Director, Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, Texas Southern University
Our evening will begin with an inspiring keynote address from Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., African-American activist, author, journalist, and the current president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. In 1981, Dr. Chavis coined the phrase “environmental racism” after he was arrested for protesting North Carolina’s decision to dump tons of toxic waste in poor, predominantly Black Warren County. The attention garnered by the demonstrations in Warren County laid the foundation for the environmental justice movement in the United States. Dr. Chavis remains active in the environmental justice movement.
We’ll also feature a spoken word performance by local poet Sunni Patterson. A New Orleans native and visionary, she is an internationally acclaimed poet, performer, workshop facilitator, certified spiritual life coach/consultant, and an initiated priestess and minister.
A book signing will immediately follow the forum featuring Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. (The Transatlantic Slave Trade), Dr. Robert D. Bullard and Dr. Beverly Wright (The Wrong Complexion for Protection).
Limited seating is available.
DATE: Wednesday, 3/5/2025
TIME: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
LOCATION: JW Marriott – 614 Canal St.
New Orleans, LA (Vieux Carré- Level 3)
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, in collaboration with the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University, will host the 10th Anniversary HBCU Climate Change Conference, happening in-person from March 5 to 9, 2025 at the JW Marriott in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Media please RSVP to:
Ginger LeBlanc
media@dscej.org
Questions? Conference Contact
Mary I. Williams
hbcuconf@dscej.org