The National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program

In April, the Mural Art Institutes Senior Program Manager Ellissa Collier and Initiative Manager Accra Zuberi attended The National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program (NEJC), which brings together government officials, academia, Environmental and Climate Justice activists, community members, and industry stakeholders to report on environmental justice issues and share resources. This conference focused on creating Environmental Justice as a solution to environmental racism through information sharing, technical assistance, and providing a national platform for deep discussions between like minded people across various fields. The theme for this year’s conference, which ran from April 16-18, 2024, was Providing Equitable and Just Access to a Healthy, Sustainable, and Resilient Environment.

The Mural Arts Institute’s Art & Environmental Justice Co-Learning Initiative: Strength Through Solidarity looks to grow the capacity of our Environmental Justice cohort organizations and for them to engage their communities in creating public art that promotes much of the work we learned about at the NEJC. Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), the South Baltimore Community Land Trust (SBCLT), and VietLead, have a shared commitment to addressing environmental disparities and advocating for communities of color.

While there, we had the pleasure to meet the Honorable James E. Clyburn, U.S. Congressman, who has been a champion for environmental justice and community empowerment within his work in promoting equitable funding formulas, renewable energy, and broadband access.

We also had the opportunity to meet Aneca Y. Atkinson, the newly appointed Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice at the Maryland Department of the Environment, who has a background in environmental advocacy and community engagement. She is a Philadelphia native, and spoke at length about environmental justice in South West Philadelphia, as well as the importance of partnering with environmental justice organizations like SBCLT to do the work of the EPA.

In addition, Jerome Shabazz, the Executive director of the Overbrook Environmental Education Center presented his work in Urban Farming in West Philadelphia. Mr. Shabazz has successfully rehabilitated land from a brownfield site into a community hub, and discussed his partnership with Perdue University through the Community and College Partners Program (C2P2).

There was much to learn at NEJC, including the shared commitment to addressing environmental disparities and advocating for communities of color within the national environmental justice field. The conference also provided a platform for us to present the arts as a viable tool in the fight for environmental justice. Next year’s conference will be held once again in Washington D.C, March 25-17th 2025.