Congressman Jamal Bowman and Tennessee Consultant Justin J. Pearson ship remarks to environmental activists throughout a latest awards ceremony in Washington, DC
(left to proper) LaTricea Adams, BM4F founder, CEO and President; Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16); and Cecile Brown, senior communications supervisor, EDF, the title sponsor.Picture credit score: BM4F by Cheriss Could
Washington, DC — Just a few blocks from this yr’s Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Convention and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual gala, among the nations’ hardest working younger Black, Latinx, and Indigenous environmentalist justice leaders and neighborhood activists have been being honored by Black Millennials 4 Flint (BM4F) and different main environmental organizations. With the nationwide Capitol because the backdrop, BM4F introduced the 2023 Younger, Gifted, and Inexperienced 40 Beneath 40 throughout an awards ceremony held in Washington. New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and Tennessee State Consultant Justin J. Pearson delivered remarks recognizing the 40 awardees who grapple with complicated options to unravel the local weather disaster and dismantle environmental racism.
“This yr’s recipients, together with our Honorary Awardee, the Youngsters’s Environmental Well being Community, are a celebration of excellence representing leaders who’re positively impacting our communities, particularly traditionally disenfranchised Black and brown communities,” mentioned LaTricea Adams, BM4F founder, CEO and president. “This marks our seventh yr of honoring these persevering with the efforts our environmental elders began of their work to finish environmental injustices.”
The 40 awardees come from quite a lot of organizations and backgrounds, together with North Caroli-na-based William J. Barber III with the Rural Beacon Initiative; Alabamian Crystal Smitherman, who serves because the Birmingham Metropolis Council President Professional Tem; Raul Garcia, Vice President of Coverage and Laws at Earthjustice; David Mills with the Local weather Motion Marketing campaign, to call just a few. Amongst among the recipients working in communities overburdened by air pollution and entrepreneurs embrace Shamyra Lavigne with RISE St. James in Louisiana; Ashley Strozier from Communities First in Flint, Michigan; Dwayne Norris and Alejandro Alvarez, co-founders of the New York-based Soulful Synergy; Diamond Spratling, founding father of Atlanta-based Woman Plus Surroundings; and Jordan Roberts, assistant director of Florida AM College’s Sustainability Institute. For the whole record of 2023 recipients, go to 40 Beneath 40 Award Recipients. Watch the total ceremony streaming on BM4F’s Fb Dwell on October 26.
“You’re the revolution that we want. Don’t anticipate anybody to offer you permission. Don’t let anybody inform you to attend your flip,” mentioned Congressman Jamaal Bowman. “You might be prepared to steer proper now. And we want your relentlessness and braveness as you proceed to struggle the struggle to make our planet utterly inexperienced, clear, renewable, and secure.”
Tennessee State Consultant Justin J. Pearson, a previous recipient of the 40 Beneath 40 award, delivered an inspiring “We the folks” name and response message to the standing-room-only crowd, saying: “We, the people who find themselves going to construct this motion. We the people who find themselves going to verify those that have been not noted, locked out and pushed to the periphery get delivered to the middle. We the individuals who will demand clear air, clear water and clear soil, not only for us however for our descendants and our descendants descendants. We the individuals who will struggle for our collective freedom and liberation as a result of ‘ain’t no person free till everyone is free.’ We the persons are going to alter this nation. We the persons are going to alter the world. I’m so glad to be on this room proper alongside you. God bless you, and congratulations!”
A panel of reviewers chosen this yr’s finalists from nominees, together with educators, scientists, artists, policymakers, healthcare/public well being professionals, faith-based leaders, social justice advocates/activists, journalists, entrepreneurs, and social media influencers, to call just a few. The title sponsor was the Environmental Protection Fund. Different sponsors included Local weather Energy, Cli-mate Motion Marketing campaign, Union of Involved Scientists, and Earthjustice.
Black Millennials 4 Flint is a nationwide environmental justice and civil rights group with the bringing like-minded organizations collectively to collectively take motion and advocate in opposition to the lead publicity disaster, particularly in African-American and Latinx communities nationwide.
For press inquiries, contact Flo McAfee at flo@summerlandstudio.com or 202-486-3673.
