Climate justice demands meaningful frontline solutions now.
While a growing number of colleges and university centers are committed to climate and environmental justice, and private philanthropy and the public sector are providing investments in unprecedented amounts, inclusive and equitable ways of supporting the movement often fall short of what is needed.
In response, the Tishman Environment & Design Center held the Centering Justice Symposium to meet this unique opportunity to catalyze needed transformation in support of environmental justice. The symposium brought together climate and environmental justice leaders and organizations, allied academic institutions, and relevant philanthropists to explore how higher education can better align with movements and advance just partnerships.
This was an invitation-only event, prioritizing participation from higher education institutions working with grassroots environmental and climate justice organizations and leaders.
Resource Kit and Materials for Equitable Partnerships
Academic-community partnerships require careful thoughtful processes that build trust and ensure that community leads. We have put together some resources that can guide these collaborations to be firmly rooted in justice. This curated list aims to serve as a compass for those navigating the intersection of academia and community work, offering a collection of insightful principles and tools. Whether you are an educator, researcher, community organizer, or student, these resources provide valuable insights and practical strategies to ensure that academic-community partnerships reflect and uphold environmental justice principles. These resources were collected in preparation for the Centering Justice Symposium held at the New School in January 2024. Please let us know if you have materials you would like to add to this guide.
Centering Justice Manifesto
During the two-and-a-half days, a variety of discussions foregrounded EJ community voices to explore and codify the role that EJ and climate justice-focused university centers, and to an extent philanthropy and government, should play in advancing environmental justice—particularly in this pivotal moment of historic federal EJ and climate-focused investments. Conversations centered on common barriers, needed reforms, partnership and funding opportunities, best practices, and guiding principles. Participants called for a Manifesto to Center Justice, the core of which was synthesized into three salient areas for action:
Establish just, equitable, transparent partnerships, based on reciprocity and trust.
Ensure internal assessment and accountability systems within universities, while promoting alignment from philanthropy and federal agencies.
Explore formation of an ongoing community of practice with trusted university centers and EJ partners that models and supports academic-community partnerships.
The manifesto is not meant to be a comprehensive reflection of the sentiments and calls to action arising from the symposium, rather it represents a snapshot of some key themes which emerged. Signatories include:
Dr. Ana Isabel Baptista, PhD, Tishman Environment & Design Center, The New School
Mathy Stanislaus, Vice Provost & Executive Director, Drexel University, The Environmental Collaboratory
Maria Lopez-Núñez, Deputy Director, Ironbound Community Corporation
Angela Mahecha, EJ Disrupt Design Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center
Melissa Miles, Executive Director, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
Dr. P. Qasimah Boston, Founder, Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Food Network
Dr. Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California, Equity Research Institute
Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health
Dr. Karletta Chief (Diné), Indigenous Resilience Center, University of Arizona
Dr. Martha Matsuoka, Ph.D., Professor, Urban & Environmental Policy; Executive Director, Urban & Environmental Policy Institute
Kendra Sullivan, Co-Director, NYC Climate Justice Hub
Jacqui Patterson, Executive Director, The Chisholm Legacy Project
Rami Dinnawi, Environmental Justice Campaign & Policy Manager, El Puente
Dr. Denae King, Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University
Dana Johnson, Senior Director of Strategy and Federal Policy, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Kimberly Wasserman, Executive Director, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
Liz Sevcenko, Co-Director, Humanities Action Lab, Rutgers University-Newark
Amy Laura Cahn, Esq., Adjunct Faculty, Tufts University & the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Dr. Beverly Wright, Founder and Executive Director of Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Sheila R. Foster, Professor, Columbia University Climate School
Beto Lugo Martinez, RISE for Environmental Justice
Rajasvini Bhansali, Executive Director, Solidaire Action
Speakers
