Dr. Benjamin Chavis Long And Influential Career In Environmental Justice Receives Recognition

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, was honored in October as the Father of the Environmental Justice Movement during the Mississippi Statewide Environmental Climate Justice Summit hosted by Jesus People Against Pollution at Tougaloo College. Aaron Mair, the first African American president of the Sierra Club, acknowledged Chavis's pivotal role in the movement, particularly referencing his impactful 1987 study, Toxic Waste and Race in the United States of America. Mair noted how this research provided an essential evidence-based framework for communities advocating against environmental injustices. Karenna Gore of the Center for Earth Ethics highlighted Chavis’s leadership during a significant 1982 protest against toxic waste dumping in Warren County, North Carolina, a moment widely regarded as the catalyst for the environmental justice movement. Chavis, arresting over 30 times for his activism, remains steadfast in his fight for justice, urging younger generations to engage fervently against climate change.

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