A New Honor In Mississippi Applauds Dr. Ben Chavis For Transforming Environmental Justice

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), was honored as the founder of the environmental justice movement at the Mississippi Statewide Environmental Climate Justice Summit, hosted by Jesus People Against Pollution (JPAP) from October 24-26, 2025, at Tougaloo College. Aaron Mair, the first African American president of the Sierra Club and an early advocate for environmental justice from Albany, NY, recognized Chavis for his influential work, particularly his 1987 report, *Toxic Waste and Race in the United States of America*. Mair highlighted that Chavis framed environmental degradation in marginalized communities as a civil rights issue. Karenna Gore from the Center for Earth Ethics credited Chavis with catalyzing the movement during a 1982 nonviolent sit-in against toxic waste dumping in Warren County. His subsequent term “environmental racism” evolved into the broader concept of “environmental justice.” Despite being imprisoned multiple times, Chavis remains a fervent activist. The summit, led by Dr. Charlotte Keys, emphasized the ongoing battle against environmental injustices. (Photo By MeetDrBen: Wikipedia Commons)