HBCU Climate Leaders Convene to Address Resilience
Researchers and students gather to develop resilience strategies and community-driven solutions for frontline environmental challenges.
The 11th Annual HBCU Climate Change Conference brings together researchers, students and community leaders this month to address environmental challenges and develop local resilience strategies.
Hosted by the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University, the event runs through March 22 at the Jung Hotel. The conference, titled “Legacy Rising: Charting our Future at the Crossroads of Climate and Justice,” serves as a forum for climate research and community-driven solutions.
Organizers said the gathering provides the infrastructure necessary for communities to protect themselves and maintain progress in environmental science and leadership.
“The ideas, the relationships, and the leadership perspectives we’re building here will be here long after any attempts to undermine decades of hard-won legal and scientific progress,” said Beverly Wright, founder and executive director of the DSCEJ.
The four-day event includes faculty and environmental experts presenting research on sea-level rise adaptation and the intersection of social science with climate trends. A significant portion of the program focuses on the next generation of professionals, with college and high school students participating in oral presentations and poster sessions.
On March 21, the GenNext High School Workshop will focus on interactive sessions regarding disaster resilience and urban heat islands.
Robert D. Bullard, director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, said the HBCU partnerships and networks serve as pillars for future planning.
“Our conference at this critical juncture in history embodies the spirit of Sankofa, a principle that encourages us to look back in order to move forward,” Bullard said.
The schedule features panels led by community-based organizations, keynote speakers and a film festival documenting the environmental justice movement. Featured speakers include Wawa Gatheru of Black Girl Environmentalist, STEM NOLA founder Calvin Mackie, American Meteorology Society President Alan Sealls, and Retired Gen. Russel Honoré of GreenARMY.
About the Author
Jesse Jacobs is Assistant Editor of EPOnline.com.
