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Special Event: Let’s Talk Environmental Justice Panel Discussion

Name: Special Event: Let’s Talk Environmental Justice Panel Discussion
Start: 2022-07-20T15:00:00-04:00
End: 2022-07-20T16:30:00-04:00
Location: Zoom

July 20, 2022 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT

Wednesday, July 20, 3PM (Eastern) | 12 Noon PM (Pacific)

Studies show that people of color are 1.5 times more likely than white people to live in an area with poor air quality. Low-income communities of color bear the brunt of environmental degradation and climate change. Join us on July 20 at 3PM (ET) | 12 Noon (PT) for this special virtual discussion hosted by The People’s Justice Council, Alabama Interfaith Power & Light, and Elders Climate Action, to explore the injustices communities face in the United States. The panel will include frontline activists from across the United States. We will lean in to learn the stories and strategies from these communities and ways to ensure equity in our climate action.

Our Moderators

Kaleia Martin is the Climate Fund Program Manager at FCYO where her job is to support the development and execution of the Youth Organizing for Climate Action & Racial Equity. Kaleia started as a youth organizer at Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) where she supported her young people as they worked to increase access to clean water in schools, helped innovate the Charlotte Public Health department’s tobacco prevention outreach strategy and became sought out leaders for making the connection between racial justice and climate justice in order to create effective policy. She is the former Environmental Justice working group co-chair for the Southeast Climate and Energy Network (SCEN) and a current leadership team member for the NC Climate Justice Collective. Kaleia looks forward to carrying out her dreams of helping the worlds of climate activism and racial justice collide.

Reverend Michael Malcom is the Founder and Executive Director of The People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power and Light and a licensed and ordained United Church of Christ Minister. He is also the Environmental Justice Representative for the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Our Panelists

	Erniko Brown is the Director of organizing and partnership engagement at the Dogwood Alliance. She holds an MA in Organizational Leadership from Columbia College with countless certificates including Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (University of South Florida), Faith-Based Non-Profit Leadership (Wake Forest University), & Master Gardener (Clemson University). She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit OURS (Organized Uplifting Resources & Strategies).
	Kyle G. Crider is Program and Policy Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and The People’s Justice Council and an adjunct instructor at the University of Montevallo. Kyle holds a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree with a double emphasis in Urban Planning & Policy Analysis. He is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional, Neighborhood Development (LEED AP ND).
	Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Lobnitz has a master’s degree in biology and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering from UCLA. She has worked in the environmental consulting industry for over 30 years. Much of her experience involves evaluating the human health impact of both industrial and mobile source emissions in disadvantaged communities. Through her work in this field, she personally experienced the evolution of human assessment techniques over time – from accidental release modeling in chemical plants to early Superfund site fate and transport modeling, to quantification of cancer risk (particularly from diesel sources) in industrial areas and along transportation routes, and most recently, the use of highly sophisticated multi-pollutant, multi-pathway models in assessments of disadvantaged communities. She will provide her perspective on where environmental practitioners started, what they learned along the way, and what they have yet to learn. She is also a founding member of the Elders Climate Action Southern California Chapter.
	Gina Peltier is from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and is a leader and organizer with Honor the Earth. She works with and develops new local leaders, facilitates coalitions, and assists in the development of campaigns. She prioritizes working with Tribes on civic engagement, environmental justice, water protection issues, and voter registration.
	Johana Vincente is the Chispa National Senior Director at the League of Conservation Voters. Before this, she worked directly on the frontlines of climate justice work as a community organizer for Chispa Maryland. She received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Baltimore Maryland.