Wayne Law is hosting a national conference on environmental justice Friday January 26, 2018. Environmental Justice in Practice features a superb line-up of advocates, attorneys, community leaders, organizers, and policy-makers.
Panels will cover energy and climate justice, water access and affordability, urban air quality, and careers in environmental justice. The conference is co-sponsored by Wayne Law's Transnational Environmental Law Clinic and Environmental Law Society, CURES at Wayne State, the University of Chicago Law School's Abrams Environmental Law Clinic, the American Bar Association's Environmental Justice Committee of the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, and the Environmental Law Institute.
The conference is free (even a free lunch), but you must register online by January 19, 2018. Tremendous thanks to my colleague Professor Nick Schroeck - email him for more details or questions.
Program
Opening Remarks:
Dr. Agustin V. Arbulu, executive director, Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR)
Keynote Speaker:
Mustafa Santiago Ali, senior vice president of climate, environmental justice & community revitalization, Hip Hop Caucus
Panel 1 will cover Environmental Justice issues related to energy production and distribution and climate change impacts on EJ communities.
Energy and Climate Justice
- Denise Abdul-Rahman, environmental climate justice chair, NAACP Indiana
- Jacqui Patterson, director, Environmental and Climate Justice Program, NAACP (invited)
- Juliana Pino, policy director, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) (invited)
- Tony Reames, assistant professor, University of Michigan
Panel 2 will feature an in-depth exploration of Environmental Justice issues related to water access in Detroit, Chicago and Flint, including shutoffs and affordability challenges.
Water Access and Affordability
- Mark P. Fancher, staff attorney, Racial Justice Project, ACLU of Michigan
- Monica Lewis-Patrick, co-founder, president, and CEO, We The People Of Detroit
- Cyndi Roper, senior policy advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council
Lunch featuring keynote speaker Charles Lee, senior policy advisor, Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Panel 3 will explore air quality challenges, regulation and enforcement in Environmental Justice communities, state and local perspectives.
Urban Air Quality
- Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López, city of Detroit
- State Rep. Stephanie Chang, Michigan House of Representatives
- Michelle Martinez, executive director, Third Horizon Consulting; coordinator, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition
Panel 4 will feature professionals in the environmental field focusing on a variety of opportunities for new attorneys, organizers, and other roles.
Careers in Environmental Justice
- Jeremy Orr, vice-chair, Environmental Justice Committee - Civil Rights & Social Justice Section, American Bar Association (ABA)
- Marnese Jackson, regional field organizer, NAACP Environmental & Climate Justice Program
- Maria Thomas, power up program leader, Soulardarity
- Jalonne White-Newsome, senior program officer, Environment, The Kresge Foundation