Jan 20, 2024 | Dr. Beverly Wright News, DSCEJ General News, Press Releases
Dr. Beverly Wright to Gov. Jeff Landry: “Meet with us and learn about our achievements and challenges in Louisiana.”
Jan 30, 2024
The Honorable Jeff Landry
Governor, State of Louisiana
Office of the Governor
PO Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
Dear Governor Landry:
It has come to my attention that, as Louisiana State Attorney General, you filed a Freedom of Information Act request for communications between the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Please know that you should feel free to contact me for this information. As the founder and executive director of the Center, I can share with you the work we do to make Louisiana a better place for families and future generations to live, work, and thrive.
The Center provides opportunities for communities, scientific researchers, and decision-makers to collaborate on projects that promote the rights of all people to be free from environmental harm as it impacts health, jobs, housing, education, and quality of life. Our work is centered on education, research, community and student engagement, as well as health and safety training for environmental careers. We strive every day to build the capacities of community-based organizations to advance environmental justice and equitable climate solutions.
I invite you to meet with us and learn about the achievements we have made and the challenges we experience in Louisiana.
Sincerely,
Beverly Wright, PhD
Founder and Executive Director
Dec 13, 2023 | DSCEJ General News, Funding News, Press Releases
For Immediate Release
December 13, 2023
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Receives $825,000 Grant from The Kresge Foundation
NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded an $825,000 grant from The Kresge Foundation to strengthen its organization as a resource for education, research, community and student engagement, and technical training, with innovative programs for community capacity building in the Gulf Coast Region to respond to the impact of systemic inequities, and the devastating impact of climate change and water quality/water justice issues. Activities for this project have begun and will conclude in October 2026.
The DSCEJ will employ its unique “Communiversity Model,” which has effectively fostered meaningful collaborations between communities and academic researchers, to help its partner CBOs learn about policies governing flood protection, to develop strategies to identify and prioritize common and recurring flood risks that threaten their communities and region, and to identify practical solutions to mitigate these flood risks.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant from The Kresge Foundation,” said Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director of DSCEJ. “This funding will bring critical capacity-building support to Black communities who are significantly vulnerable to flood events caused by increasingly frequent rainfall and major storms.” Flood hazards in Black communities in the Gulf Coast Region have deep roots in systemic racism in zoning, housing, and community development. The DSCEJ anticipates that the increased knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy in communities across the Gulf Coast are expected to have long-term impacts on legal decisions, targeted actions, and policy development at the local, state, and national level.
Since 2017, The Kresge Foundation has generously supported DSCEJ community engagement projects with $2.95 million in grants.
About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
Nov 29, 2023 | CIRC News, DSCEJ General News, Funding News, Press Releases
Nov 29, 2023
The Community Investment & Recovery Center (CIRC) Will Help More Than 250 Regional Organizations Secure Vital Federal Funding for Environmental Justice Concerns
New Orleans, LA – The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) announces the launch of an online resource for its Community Investment & Recovery Center (CIRC), one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Thriving Community Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC). Over the next five years, DSCEJ will assist more than 250 community-based organizations in rural and underserved communities in applying for and accessing $50 to $100 million in grants to address their community’s environmental challenges.
Through the CIRC, DSCEJ will provide technical assistance and help build capacity for the community-based organizations to put them in the best possible position to secure federal funding through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 initiative, a whole-of-government approach to ensuring 40% of climate investments flow to underserved communities that are overburdened by pollution.
The launch of the online resource is a part of the CIRC information and outreach hub to serve communities in EPA Regions 4 and 6, which span 13 states and 72 tribes. Community-based organizations interested in accessing technical assistance services provided by DSCEJ’s CIRC program can go online to complete the CIRC Capacity Assessment.
“The historic investments made by the Biden-Harris Administration in environmental justice are coming to bear. We are looking forward to serving communities to build their capacities and secure funds now available to them through the administrations’ Investing in America agenda to improve environmental conditions and reduce climate risks,” said Dr. Beverly Wright, founder and executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. “We have spent decades building the relationships and capacity needed to have an impact on this scale. While our goal is ambitious, we know the most effective solutions are those closest to the community, and now is the time to act on them.”
In August, the EPA awarded DSCEJ a $13 million grant over five years to remove barriers and improve accessibility for communities with environmental justice concerns. DSCEJ is among 16 entities selected nationally through a partnership between the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy to house Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) and receive $177 million in grant funding.
The EJ TCTAC program is part of the Federal Interagency Thriving Communities Network. The new technical assistance centers will help ensure communities with environmental justice concerns can access President Biden’s historic investments in America to address generational disinvestment, legacy pollution, and infrastructure challenges and build a clean energy economy that will lower energy costs, strengthen our energy security, and meet our climate goals.
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Mar 16, 2023 | Justice40 News, Press Releases, The Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2023
HOUSTON, TX – Dr. Robert D. Bullard of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University and Dr. Beverly Wright of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice are continuing their collaboration for the just implementation of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative with the launch of the HBCU Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool (HCEJST).
The Bullard Center convened a team of data and GIS experts from HBCUs led by Dr. David Padgett, to develop the HCEJST to supplement the government screening tool that excludes race. The experts are part of the Bullard Center, Deep South Center and HBCU Consortium Technical Support Team (TST). This team will be conducting training on the government CEJST and the HCEJST with 21 Justice40 hubs from 10 states to help them better understand how environmental data is collected.
On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, Drs. Bullard, Wright and Padgett will be available to speak with the press about the launch of the HCEJST tool prior to presenting it to J40 Hubs. Media is invited to see the tool in action to get a better understanding of its purpose.
WHO: Dr. Robert D. Bullard of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University and Dr. Beverly Wright of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
WHAT: Justice40 Initiative HCEJST Tool Launch
WHEN: Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 11:00 AM CT/ 12:00 PM ET
WHERE: The Sterling Student Life Center, President’s Lounge, 4th Floor
Texas Southern University
3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004
Media Coverage: Media planning to attend in person are encouraged to RSVP by 12 P.M. on Monday, March 20, 2023. RSVP to briana.augustus@tsu.edu or (225) 588-5986.
About the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice
The Robert D. Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University was launched in 2021 to address long standing issues of systemic inequality and structural racism that cause disproportionate pain, suffering and death in Black and other people of color communities. The Bullard Center works to promote environmental, climate, economic, energy, transportation, food and water and health justice. Texas Southern University is a student-centered comprehensive doctoral university committed to ensuring equality, offering innovative programs that are responsive to its urban setting, and transforming diverse students into lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and creative leaders in their local, national, and global communities.
About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
Mar 15, 2023 | Press Releases, The Latest News
New Orleans, LA — In response to President Biden’s budget proposal, Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, released the following statement:
“All communities deserve to live and thrive in an environment free from deadly air and resilient to climate change and extreme weather. For too long, generations of Black and Brown communities have been forced to live next door to deadly chemical plants, breathe polluted air, and drink unhealthy water. The President’s budget is serious about tackling these issues and aligning policies across the federal government to create new and environmentally healthy ones to improve the lives of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
“The proposed budget makes significant investments in workforce development and reducing global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030. Funding these priorities will not only reverse decades of harmful environmental policies, but strengthen communities, making them healthier and safer with good job opportunities for generations to come.
“We are especially pleased to see continued funding for Justice40 priorities, which will give us additional opportunities to engage, enlighten and empower communities directly affected by deadly pollution and severe weather events and continue fighting for formative change. This additional funding will strengthen our efforts to link the most overburdened communities to resources that exist for years to come.
“Today the President reiterated his administration’s commitment to environmentally just policies and we look forward to working with Congress and the administration to turn this funding request into a funding reality.”
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About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
Mar 1, 2023 | Press Releases, The Latest News
Statement from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice on DOJ’s Filing Against Cancer Alley Chemical Plant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2023
Contact:
Ginger LeBlanc | gingerl@dscej.org
Valerie Keys | vkeys@skdknick.com
NEW ORLEANS, LA – New Orleans, LA — In response to the Department of Justice’s recent filing against Denka Performance Elastomer, Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, released the following statement:
“When EPA Administrator Michael Regan visited Cancer Alley more than a year ago, he had the opportunity to see firsthand the disproportionate impact these chemical plants have on the majority Black communities in the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor. He made a commitment to hold these industrial polluters accountable and today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice delivered. For decades Black families have been human experiments for the petrochemical industry in Louisiana, forcing people to choose between leaving a community their family has been a part of for generations or risk illness or even death.
While this has certainly been no secret, as we have been fighting alongside community activists for decades, this filing is a major step in helping to correct years of inaction. We look forward to continuing to work with the EPA to ensure that all communities can live and thrive in an environment free of deadly pollution.”
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About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
