This year has been a powerful reminder of what happens when communities come together to share their stories, struggles, and solutions. As Director of the NC Disaster Response and Resilience Network, I’ve had the honor of helping lead the work of the People’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council (PEJAC) with my former White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) colleagues. Our vision created a national effort to ensure that frontline voices shape the policies and practices that affect their lives.
Through our People’s Hearings and listening sessions, we’ve traveled across the country, beginning in Greensboro, NC, Tucson, AZ, and Pittsburgh, PA. In each city, we sat with residents facing the same environmental justice challenges we know so well here in North Carolina: toxic industries expanding in vulnerable neighborhoods, lack of investment in resilience, and the ongoing fight for clean air, safe water, and healthy communities. We have seen the rollback of many regulations that were protecting our vulnerable communities, but the gloves are off.
These sessions have reached thousands of people, creating space for residents to speak truth to power and for us to collectively identify solutions. The stories we’ve heard – from families living near biomass plants to communities organizing against polluting industries to the impacts of data centers, fracking, unemployment and shortages of affordable housing – are shaping recommendations that will be carried forward nationally to local and state officials across the country.. They remind us that environmental justice is not just a policy issue; it’s about survival, dignity, and the right to thrive.
Our work is deeply rooted in the belief that those most impacted must lead the way. That’s why we continue to build bridges between communities in North Carolina and across the country, ensuring that lessons learned here inform national strategies, and that kind of information sharing and solidarity flows both ways.
We invite you to stay tuned and stay engaged. Visit People’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council to learn more about upcoming hearings and recommendations, and explore and support our work. Together, we can amplify community voices, wisdom, strengthen resilience, craft solutions, and push for the systemic changes our communities deserve.
The fight for environmental justice is far from over, but with your support and engagement, we are building the collective power to win. IT WILL TAKE US ALL!!!
Anita Cunningham at Tucson, Arizona People’s Hearing.
Photo Credit: Anita Cunningham
