Environmental Justice Leader Mustafa Ali to Review Justice40 Initiative at BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue

Washington, D.C. – Environmental justice leader, Mustafa Santiago Ali, will discuss the progress made on the implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 initiative with White House Advisor Gina McCarthy during the Second Annual BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue. Hosted by the HBCU Green Fund and other environmental groups, the two-day virtual event is open to the public and will take place April 7 – 8, 2022. To register visit: https://bit.ly/35aiE3N.

Moreover, the event will feature discussions and addresses from Ramon Cruz, president, of Sierra Club, U. S. Representative Raul Grijalva (AZ), White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council representatives, federal agencies, and climate leaders about the key accomplishments made by the Biden Administration and next steps for implementation of Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which committed to delivering 40% of climate investment benefits to disadvantaged communities. In addition, recommendations gathered from the discussions will be reported to the federal government.

Furthermore, President Biden appointed McCarthy, a leading environmental health and air quality expert, as the National Climate Advisor in 2021. She was EPA Administrator under President Obama and helped in efforts to secure the Paris Climate Agreement. Ali is a former Environmental Protection Agency official and served as senior vice president for the Hip Hop Caucus. Moreover, he is the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation and the founder of Revitalization Strategies.

US ACE Coalition,  Land Peace Foundation, and the BIPOC Climate Scholars Project joined with HBCU Green Fund to convene the event. In addition to several break-out dialogues, primary discussions planned for the conference are:

Climate Justice: A year of Justice40

Mustafa Ali and Gina McCarthy

WHEJACT Justice40 Report Panel

Moderator: Mustafa Ali,

Panelists: Ruth Santiago, EJ Advocate, Miya Yoshitani, executive director, APEN.

Federal Agencies Justice40 Advancement

Moderator: Richard Gragg, professor, FAMU

Panelists: Daniel Blackman, EPA Administrator Region 4, Christopher Coes, deputy assistant secretary, DOT

Path Forward: Justice40 Frontline Initiatives

Moderator: Chandra Farley, CEO, ReSolve Consulting

Panelists: Nathaniel Smith (video), CEO, Partnership for Southern Equity; Denise Fairchild, president, Emerald Cities; Sherri Mitchell founding director, Land Peace Foundation; Jacqueline Patterson, executive director, Chisholm Legacy Project.

Making Justice40 a Reality: Regional Perspective

Moderator: Donna Hope, president, UHope Consulting

Panelists: Kizzy Guzman, executive director, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice; Larry Lambert, Delaware House of Representatives; Zachary Lou, APEN; Andres Jimenez, executive director, Green 2.0.

The BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue is free and open to the public. To register and get a full agenda go to https://bit.ly/35aiE3N.