This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Brent is a 1994 graduate of Mississippi State University in Agriculture and Biological Engineering.  After graduation, Brent worked as an Environmental Consultant for two central Mississippi environmental engineering firms.  In 1999, Brent went to the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation to become the organization’s Environmental Programs Coordinator and served in that capacity for over seven years.  From October 2006 to December 2019, Brent has served as the State Activities Coordinator for the 25x’25 Alliance.  Brent worked with stakeholders to mobilize support for and communicate to the public agriculture and forestry’s role in renewable energy, resource conservation and climate adaptation. In 2019, Brent was elected as Public Service Commissioner for Central Mississippi and began serving in that role in January 2020.

The post S2 E4: Rural Energy & Democracy Part II with Brent Bailey appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Marsha Jackson is the co-chair of Southern Sector Rising, a nonprofit environmental justice organization based in Dallas, TX. Founded to get rid of Shingle Mountain, an illegal dump in a southern Dallas community, SSR’s mission is to offer marginalized residents health equity by ending decades of racist zoning, forcing industrial polluters out of Black and Brown neighborhoods, and by more evenly distributing the pollution burdens of our city. Thanks to Marsha and SSR’s years of unrelenting advocacy, Single Mountain was eventually moved. But they’re just beginning the fight for environmental justice.

The post S2 E3: Respect Your Elders Part II with Marsha Jackson appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Alabama native Catherine Coleman-Flowers is an environmental and climate justice activist bringing attention to the largely invisible problem of inadequate waste and water sanitation infrastructure in rural communities in the United States.

As the founding director of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (formerly the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise), Flowers builds partnerships — from close neighbors, to local elected officials and regional nonprofits, to federal lawmakers and global organizations — in order to identify and implement solutions to the intersecting challenges of water and sanitation infrastructure, public health and economic development.

In addition to leading the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, Flowers is also the rural development manager for the Equal Justice Initiative, a member of the board of directors of the Climate Reality Project and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a senior fellow for the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. Previously, Flowers has worked as a high school teacher in Detroit, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. She has published articles in Anglican Theological Review, Columbia Human Rights Law Review, and American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, among others, and her first book, Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret, came out in November 2020. Flowers was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship–commonly referred to as the “Genius Grant” — in 2020.

The post S2 E2: Respect Your Elders Part I with Catherine Coleman Flowers appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Rev. Michael Malcom is Executive Director of the People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power and Light. He is a licensed and ordained United Church of Christ Minister.

Alexander Easdale is the Executive Director of the Southeast Climate & Energy Network (SCEN), where he leads and manages a network of 78 organizations across 11 Southeastern states.

Michael Hansen is Executive Director of GASP, an organization based in Birmingham, Ala., working to advance healthy air and environmental justice in the Greater-Birmingham area through education, advocacy and collaboration.

The post S2 E1: We’re Back with Rev. Michael Malcom, Alex Easdale, and Michael Hansen appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

This special Earth Day episode is also our season 1 finale — and it’s a good one. Abigail and Mareshah are speaking with Chief Pete Parr and Danna Smith about forests, nature-based solutions, and more. Enjoy!

L to R: Rev. Leo Woodberry, Chief Pete Parr, and Danna Smith. Photo courtesy Dogwood Alliance.

Chief Pete Parr is Chief of the Pee Dee Indian Tribe of South Carolina (PDITSC). He is also a Board Member of the Native American Advisory Committee (CMA) & South Carolina Indian Affairs Commission (SCIAC).

Danna Smith is the founder of Dogwood Alliance. For over 20 years, she has been at the forefront of forest protection in the US, leading hard-hitting campaigns and negotiating ground-breaking forest protection commitments from some of the largest companies in the world. She is a leading voice connecting the dots between climate change, forest destruction and social justice and pushing for forest protection in the US at a scale necessary to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st Century. She holds a law degree from Emory University.

The post S1E15: Forests and Indigenous Rights with Chief Pete Parr & Danna Smith (Season 1 Finale) appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Today is International Women’s Day, a “global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.” We recorded this episode with EEECHO Co-Founder Kathy Egland last year, but what better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than to highlight one of the most iconic Southern women in the fight for environmental and climate justice? We hope you enjoy this conversation with the lady affectionately known to some* as “Mama Kat.”

Katherine T. “Kathy” Egland is the Program Director and Co-founder of EEECHO. She is a native of Gulfport and has been active in the local and global community in addressing climate change and environmental injustice. Kathy chairs the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee for the National Board of Directors of NAACP. Her committee is in charge of governance responsibility of raising awareness of environmental and climate issues from a civil rights, social justice and equity perspective. As a resident of Gulfport, Mississippi, she survived Hurricane Katrina and was instrumental in the restoration efforts in its aftermath. She endured the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill in 2010, which contaminated the Mississippi Gulf Coast waters located a few blocks of her home.

Kathy’s home is located less than four miles from Plant Jack Watson, a former coal fired plant which scored a failing D- on the NAACP’s ‘Coal Blooded’ Report. She organized community trainings and joined forces with The Sierra Club and other organizations, in efforts which led to the plant’s cessation of its coal burning operation in April 2015. This coalition has also led efforts promoting net-metering; commented on Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Proposed State Implementation Plan Amendments in Response to EPA’s Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction SIP Call, which led to revisions; and submitted testimony before the Public Service Commission opposing a rate increase to fund a portion of the cost of a failed carbon capture sequestration in Kemper County, Mississippi.

*Rev. Malcom, co-founder of Climate Justice, Y’all co-creater People’s Justice Council, insists he’s the only one allowed to refer to Ms. Egland as Mama Kat. We thought it’d be fun to let y’all see behind the curtain a little bit.

The post S1E14: Environmental Justice with Kathy Egland (EEECHO Co-Founder) appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Buckle up, because this week’s episode features some heavy hitters in the world of renewable energy advocacy. Seriously, these two are brilliant. Sit back and enjoy!

Dr. Holmes Hummel founded Clean Energy Works to accelerate investments in cost-effective distributed energy solutions to open the clean energy economy to all. As a champion for inclusive financing, Dr. Hummel led Clean Energy Works to win four international searches for breakthrough climate strategies, including the FiRe Award for high-impact innovation at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance “Future of Energy Summit” and the Keeling Curve Prize for Finance in 2019. Previously, Dr. Hummel served as the Senior Policy Advisor in the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy & International Affairs from 2009-2013, and among other responsibilities, led the agency’s finance working group. Dr. Hummel holds a doctorate degree from Stanford University for interdisciplinary research on energy technology scenarios that achieve 100% clean energy for all.

Tamara Jones is the Managing Director of Clean Energy Works. She brings more than fifteen years of managerial experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, including serving as Director of programs and policy in two mayoral administrations in Atlanta and as City Council Chief of Staff in Houston. She also served as Director of Programs and Services for the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance where she administered regional energy efficiency building retrofit programs and for which she was designated a White House Champion of Change in 2011. Ms. Jones holds a Masters degree in Political Science from Yale University.

Dr. Holmes Hummel

Tamara Jones

The post S1E13: Clean Energy with Dr. Holmes Hummel and Tamara Jones appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

Bri Knisley is the Tennessee Campaign Manager for Appalachian Voices, where she organizes campaigns for energy democracy and justice in the Tennessee Valley Authority Footprint. Over the last several years, the fight for coal ash worker safety and expanding union jobs at TVA has been central to realizing a grassroots vision for clean, equitable and publicly controlled power in the TVA region.

A Virginia native who now splits his time between Johnson City, Tenn., and Wise County, Va., Willie Dodson has organized with environmental and social justice campaigns in the region for more than a decade. He is Appalachian Voices’ Central Appalachian Field Coordinator.

Bri Knisley

Willie Dodson

The post S1E12: Just Transition: Coal Workers with Bri Knisley and Willie Dodson appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

This week, we’re talking with two faith leaders from the South, Rev. Leo Woodberry from South Carolina and Dr. Daniel Joranko from Tennessee.

Rev. Leo Woodberry was born and raised in New York City. There he became involved with community organizing at an early age, as a student organizer. Reverend Woodberry is the pastor of Kingdom Living Temple, Executive Director of New Alpha Community Development Corporation in Florence, SC, and a member of the SC Environmental Justice Network. He became involved in environmental work in the 1990s with the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, around the issue of mercury emissions and advisories. He joined the newly formed African American Environmental Justice Action Network (AAEJAN) in 1994. AAEJAN was instrumental in uniting people of color across America, and in influencing the Ford Foundation and other philanthropic entities to support people of color communities disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards. Reverend Woodberry has also worked with a host of other organizations such as the; Southern Organizing Committee (SOC), The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Xavier University of Louisiana, The Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, The Environmental Protection Agency NEJAC (Region Four), SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, The National Wildlife Federation, SC Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Coastal Carolina League, South East Climate Network, Green Faith, Clemson Education and Research Center, Francis Marion University, WEACT, Advancing Equity and Opportunities, Agricultural Missions, Inc. and a host of other organizations. He has and continues to work in the areas of; water, air, as well as renewable and sustainable energy issues with the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Reverend Woodberry attended Francis Marion University and The University of South Carolina. He retired from AT&T after 20 years of service and received three Vice Presidential Corporate awards. The SC State Senate also presented him with an award in recognition of his community service.

Dr. Daniel Joranko is a longtime community organizer focusing on Climate and Energy Justice. He coordinates the Climate Project for Tennessee Alliance for Progress. He convened the Southeast New Green Economy Conference this past year. He serves as the coordinator of both the Creation Care Ministry of the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church and Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. He was a founder of the national Earthkeepers Program hosted through United Methodist Global Ministries. He served as the coordinator of the prison program at Vanderbilt Divinity School from 2007 -2020 – through which he taught courses composed of VDS students and residents at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.  He has a Ph.D. in Resource Development form Michigan State University. He also has a Master of Divinity Degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological School.

Rev. Leo Woodberry

Dr. Daniel Joranko

The post S1E11: Just Transition with Rev. Leo Woodberry and Daniel Joranko appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.

This is Climate Justice, Y'all!, a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. Climate Justice, Y'all

In this episode, we chat with two visionary leaders in Alabama and Georgia: Dr. Mikhiela Sherrod and Susan Diane Mitchell.

Dr. Mikhiela Sherrod is the Executive Director of Agricultural Missions, Inc., an 85 year old ecumenical organization that supports rural people in the US, Africa, Caribbean, Latin America in using advocacy and agriculture to address the structural causes of poverty and injustice. She has over 17 years of experience working as a community organizer with Black farmers and rural communities of color in the U.S. and developing countries.

Dr. Sherrod leads a long-term development and capacity restoration agricultural program in Liberia and Sierra Leone that uses regenerative agricultural practices that reinforce adaptation and mitigation of climate change. She is also experienced leading research and evaluation projects that use a racial equity lens to assess and address disparities in health, access to food, and economic opportunities. Dr. Sherrod is vice president of the US Climate Action Network board of directors. She earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tuskegee University and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Iowa.

Susan Diane Mitchell was born in Washington, DC, the first child of student parents attending Howard University in the 1960s. Growing up for her formative years in the nation’’s capital, surrounded by a culturally rich and excellent education, Susan continued her path in Oakland, California, matriculating in both the finest public and private schools in the area. Ecology, community service, and creative thinking were key principles of her education. The love and sacrifice of her mother and family for her education prepared her well, and upon receiving an Honors Program scholarship, Susan graduated Bishop O’Dowd Catholic High School and left the Bay Area to study at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1985.

She founded the Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust in 2016, and currently serves as their Co-Executive Director. In 2017 she became a Co-Founder of SWEET Alabama, where she still serves as a member of the Advisory Board. As a three year member of the AmeriCorp, she served with Urban Ministries, the YWCA Central Alabama, and The Literacy Council.

Dr. Mikhiela Sherrod

Susan Diane Mitchell

The post S1E10: Land Sovereignty and Food Justice with Dr. Mikhiela Sherrod and Susan Diane Mitchell appeared first on Climate Justice, Y'all.