Environmental Justice, Race, and Class
We know that COVID-19 has affected Black communities and communities of color disproportionately. Environmental factors like toxic dumping, proximity to power plants and factories, and higher exposures to emissions have a lot to do with health outcomes and the reality of environmental racism in New Jersey and nationwide.
Melissa Miles, Executive Director of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, and Nancy Griffeth, member of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Advisory Council, will speak with us about their work and advocacy efforts and answer our questions. We will be updated on issues close to home and learn ways we can get involved and make a difference.
Melissa Miles (she/her) is the Executive Director of New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, the only statewide organization dedicated to serving New Jersey's Environmental Justice communities. Melissa began her career as a grassroots activist and community organizer while living in an Environmental Justice community in Newark, New Jersey. She holds an MA in Anthropology from The New School, and is adamant that when it comes to solutions to the world’s current environmental crises that the best and most relevant solutions come from communities and not from universities: “Those that are most affected, have the solutions” is the sentiment from which her advocacy stems. She is part of the Coalition for Healthy Ports and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Advisory Council as well as several national coalitions including the Climate Justice Alliance and the Moving Forward Network.She's also worked with international coalitions such as The Movement of People Affected By Dams (MAB) and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. Her “expertise” is rooted in her lived experience and her commitment to making sure that people at the frontlines are the protagonists in the struggle for their future.
Dr. Nancy Griffeth, NJDEP Environmental Justice Advisory Council Member is a retired computer scientist. After 48 years of programming, teaching, and research, she is applying her technical and mathematical skills to improving the environment and working for environmental justice.
She was chair of the Environmental Justice Task Force of Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ for two years, from fall 2017 to fall 2019, and continues as an active member. Her primary focus has been on reducing toxic emissions and greenhouse gases in low-income communities, on equity in access to renewable energy, and on the health impacts of climate change. Over the last three years, she has represented UU FaithAction in testifying and commenting on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Community Solar Pilot Program, the state's Energy Master Plan, and the DEP's rule-making associated with the Governor's initiative "Protecting against Climate Threats.