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NEW ORLEANS, May 21, 2024 — Dr. Beverly Wright, the founder and executive director of the longest serving environmental justice resource center, will be honored by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Museum and Education Center which is hosting its grand opening today in Washington, D.C.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized in this permanent exhibit at the National Environmental Museum and Education Center,” said Dr. Wright. “This museum is an important reflection of the triumphs and challenges that I hope will educate and inspire more champions.”
Dr. Beverly Wright is a scholar, advocate, author, civic leader, professor of Sociology, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), the first-ever environmental justice center in the United States. Under the Biden administration, Dr. Wright was appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, where she advises on how the federal government can address current and historic environmental injustices.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Dr. Wright has experienced and witnessed the polluting effects of Cancer Alley–an 85-mile stretch of land between Baton Rouge and New Orleans that is home to over 150 petrochemical plants and refineries– her entire life. She has dedicated over three decades of her life advocating for environmental justice and tirelessly addressing the disproportionate impacts of environmental issues on marginalized communities. Wright’s work has left an indelible mark on local communities, national policies and the international EJ movement.
The National Environmental Museum and Education Center, located at EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., which opened in April, held its official grand opening ceremony on May 21, 2024.
To learn more about Dr. Beverly Wright, please visit https://dscej.org/beverly-wright/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 22, 2023
Contact:
Ginger LeBlanc | gingerl@dscej.org
Valerie Keys | vkeys@skdknick.com
New Orleans, LA — Today, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) released its two-year impact report highlighting the organization’s community-centered work through 2021 and 2022. DSCEJ’s efforts to empower communities historically impacted by environmental racism, promote community-led solutions to the climate crisis and put environmental justice at the center of all climate action were bolstered by philanthropic funding and high-profile engagements with federal, state, and local lawmakers.
The DSCEJ’s 2021-2022 Impact Report can be found here.
In 2021, Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director and Founder of The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice was appointed to the Biden Administration’s White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and charged with providing recommendations on how to address current and historic environmental injustice to the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council (IAC) and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). This appointment provided Dr. Wright and DSCEJ with a platform to ensure the priorities of environmental justice communities are being addressed in Washington.
The administration’s commitment to environmental justice kicked off with the announcement of Justice40, a whole-of-government approach to embedding environmental justice in the operations of the federal government by requiring that historically disadvantaged communities receive 40 percent of federal investments in clean energy solutions. The administration followed with various engagements with DSCEJ, including EPA Administrator Michael Regan’s Journey to Justice tour. Backed by community advocates, DSCEJ helped to organize a “toxic tour” throughout Cancer Alley, an 85-mile corridor along the Mississippi River lined with over 150 petrochemical plants and 7 oil refineries. Administrator Regan received an immersive tour that brought him face to face with the devastating effects of living with high polluting industries in your backyard.
Following Administrator Regan’s visit, the EPA has issued enforcement actions to help address air pollution, unsafe drinking water, and additional issues. As part of his commitment, in September 2022, the EPA announced the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, to help better advance environmental justice by enforcing civil rights laws in overburdened communities and providing new grants and technical assistance.
Earlier this year the EPA announced a tighter national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for a fine particle pollution also known as PM2.5.Black communities are exposed to PM2.5 air 1.54 times higher than the rest of the population. In February 2023, the EPA and Department of Justice took a monumental step and filed a lawsuit to compel Denka, a major producer of neoprene synthetic rubber in the Cancer Alley corridor, to cut down its carcinogenic emissions to EPA-safe levels.
DSCEJ’s efforts and Dr. Wright’s recommendations as a member of WHEJAC also influenced the Inflation Reduction Act which included historic investments in environmental justice communities made possible by decades of community advocacy and took a big step toward realizing the environmental justice movement’s priorities.
In November 2022, DSCEJ partnered with WE ACT for Environmental Justice, the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University, along with other international partners to debut the first-ever Climate Justice Pavilion in the Blue Zone at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Supported by 11 major sponsors, the Climate Justice Pavilion brought together representatives from the Global South, the U.S. Environmental Justice Movement, and Indigenous peoples to spotlight the voices of communities disproportionately impacted by climate change on a global stage.
“I am so proud of what DSCEJ has been able to achieve in the last two years and grateful for the new and legacy funding relationships that have sustained our work,” said Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director and Founder of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. “From Administrator Regan’s Journey to Justice tour to hosting the very first Climate Justice Pavilion at COP27, we have made historical steps toward realizing environmental justice, but we still have a ways to go. We are already planning our strategies for the future with our community partners by our side, and we look forward to future engagement with lawmakers in the deep South, Washington, and across the country. We will continue to empower our climate-vulnerable communities to take bold action to ensure that future generations can thrive in a healthy and just environment.”
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.
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.
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.
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.