An Action Plan for Advancing Environmental Justice
Written by Robert D. Bullard
The Environmental Justice Movement is confronted with many old and new challenges. The movement has made tremendous gains over the past four decades as documented in Environmental Health and Racial Equity in the United States: Building Environmentally Just, Sustainable and Livable Communities, a 2011 book published by the American Public Health Association Press (APHA) and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Mounting evidence reveals that race and place still matter and impact the quality of life Americans enjoy. Some communities have the “wrong complexion for protection.” One of the most important indicators of an individual's health is zip code or neighborhood.
TSU Signs Important Partnership MOU with EPA
Written by Robert D. Bullard
(HOUSTON, April 12, 2013) On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 and Texas Southern University (TSU) entered into a significant agreement that will help train qualified professionals in environmental policy, economics, and several areas of science, business and technology.
Nation Loses Environmental Justice Warrior-Grandmother Emelda West
Written by Robert D. Bullard
The nation lost a fiery environmental justice warrior on Saturday March 30, 2013 with the death of Emelda West, an 87-year old “take no prisoner” Marine Corps-type leader who became a hero to thousands of environmental justice activists around the country. She was the proud mother of seven children, nineteen grandchildren, and 24 great grandchildren.
Earth Day 2013: Call for Environmental Justice Milestones
Written by Robert D. Bullard
This announcement is a national “Call for Environmental Justice Milestones” (2012-2013) to be released as part of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University (TSU) Earth Day 2013 celebration. Submissions will need to include hyperlinks.
Call for Papers Focuses on Black Houston Over Past Three Decades
Written by Robert D. Bullard
The Barbara Jordan Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University (TSU) is calling for papers for its Invisible Houston Revisited Three Decades Later: The Black Experience in Boom and Bust Policy Summit and Book Project. The initiative follows up Invisible Houston: The Black Experience in Boom and Bust (Texas A&M University Press 1987) that critically examines the state of Houston’s African American population over the past three decades.
Black History Month: "Invisible Houston" Revisited Three Decades Later
Written by Robert D. Bullard
As part of Black History Month this year, the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University kicks off Invisible Houston Revisited, an initiative that follows up Invisible Houston: The Black Experience in Boom and Bust, a book I wrote nearly three decades ago that critically examined the major demographic, social, economic, and political factors that helped make Houston the "golden buckle" of the Sunbelt.
A Call for Transportation Justice Now!
Written by Robert D. Bullard
A 2010 poll from Transportation for America found 82 percent of American voters say that "the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved transportation system," including rail and buses. A 2012 Natural Resources Defense Council poll found 66 percent of Americans want more funds allocated to public transportation. The survey also found 59 percent of Americans believe the current U.S. public transportation system is "outdated, unreliable and inefficient." All transportation is not created equal. Clearly, transportation remains a major civil rights issue in the twenty-first century.
I’ve been called a lot of names over the years in my work fighting for environmental justice, some of which I care not to repeat. Just recently, I was interviewed by Katti Gray for “Urban Living Legend” article in Diverse Issues in Higher Education on my return to Texas Southern University and Houston where I began my teaching, research, policy and community engagement work some three decades ago. In all, I have written seventeen books on a range of subject areas. To view links to a few of my books on cities, metro regions, smart growth, suburban sprawl, transportation equity, and urban apartheid. Click HERE for complete list of books.
Thirteen Environmental Justice Resolutions for 2013
Written by Robert D. BullardThe Environmental Justice Movement has made tremendous progress over the past three decades, rising from local isolated struggles across the United States to become a global movement. Here are thirteen resolutions offered to grow, strengthen and empower the EJ Movement in 2013 and beyond.
It’s An Honor to Be Profiled in Everyday Heroes Book
Written by Robert D. Bullard
Two years ago, photographer Paul Mobley and author and editor Katrina Fried set out to find fifty Americans who had made it their business to improve the lives of others. The result is Everyday Heroes: 50 Americans Changing the World One Nonprofit at a Time from Welcome Books (2012).
Meet the Authors Book Event at TSU: The Wrong Complexion for Protection
Written by Robert D. Bullard
On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 6:30 PM, the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University is sponsoring An Evening with the Authors to hear Dr. Beverly Wright (co-author, environmental justice scholar, Heinz Award recipient and Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) – Dillard University) and me discuss our new book, The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How the Government Response to Disaster Endangers African American Communities (NYU Press 2012), that examines eight decades of government response to natural and man-made disasters. Click HERE for authors’ bios. Event Location: President’s Lounge in the Sterling Student Life Center (4th Floor), Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Avenue, Houston, Texas.
Principles of Environmental Justice Turn 21
Written by Robert D. Bullard
It was twenty-one years ago today that the Principles of Environmental Justice were adopted on October 27, 1991 at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, held in Washington, DC. The EJ Summit, attended by well over 1,000 delegates, was probably the single most important event in the Environmental Justice Movement’s history.
Tribute to Environmental Justice Scholar Bunyan Bryant
Written by Robert D. Bullard
On October 4-6, 2012, the University of Michigan is holding a conference, Honoring the Career of Bunyan Bryant: The Legacy and the Future of Environmental Justice, that pays tribute to Professor Bryant for his 40 years of service. This tribute to Bunyan Bryant forced me to think about a work relationship and friendship that I have taken for granted for more than two decades. Professor Bryant holds the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship and has taught and mentored thousands of students over his long and illustrative career at the University of Michigan.
