It’s Black History Month and we’re talking about Black environmentalist activists you don’t hear enough about.

Dr. Robert Bullard, the father of the environmental justice movement, is the founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University. Named one of Newsweek’s 13 Environmental Leaders of the Century, he has received over 20 different awards for this environmental work, including the United Nations Environment Program’s Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Bullard believes that “if you live on this earth, if you breathe this air, you are an environmentalist.” He is the author of numerous books, including Dumping in Dixie, considered the first book to articulate the ideas of environmental justice. The subjects of his books span environmental racism, waste facilities in predominantly Black communities, urban land usage, climate justice, smart growth, and equity.

John Francis, known as the “Planet Walker,” gave up all motorized transportation for over 22 years to inspire others to rethink the oil industry after witnessing a massive oil spill in the San Francisco Bay in 1971. A United Nations Environmental Program Goodwill Ambassador, Francis co-founded the environmental organization, PlanetWalk, which sponsors walks on an international level to promote environmental education, responsibility, and a vision of world peace and cooperation.

Majora Carter, a Peabody Award winning broadcaster and urban revitalization consultant, works to connect community development with ecology, economics and social degradation. With her own company, Majora Carter Group, she focuses on urban renewal through an environmental lens, opening the potential of every place.

George Washington Carver, unlike many others during his time in the late 19th century and early 20th century, understood the interconnectedness between the health of the land and people. Carver, who educated local farmers on crop rotation and yield, is regarded as one of the greatest agricultural researchers and educators, and even then, supported many modern-day environmentalist concepts.

Quentin James, is the Founder and President of The Collective, a Political Action Committee (PAC) that helps Black people win elections to make the number of African American elected officials in the U.S. representative of the population. James is a former National Director of the Sierra Club’s Sierra Student Coalition, where he taught young people how to run effective campaigns to achieve environmental victories.

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The month of March is Public Lands Month, and we’ve got some big goals. We’re pushing for 5 national monument designations while fighting for clean water, Indigenous land protection, ecosystem conservation, and increasing access to nature. 

But we need your help to make these campaigns a success →