Sister/Mama Naeema Muhammad has been a foundational leader in the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network since 1999, first serving as the organization’s inaugural staff member and now as Senior Organizing Advisor. A lifelong organizer, she began her justice work in Philadelphia, fighting police brutality and racial discrimination under the notorious mayor Frank Rizzo. In 1981, she co-founded Black Workers for Justice to empower Black workers through union organizing and political education. After Hurricane Floyd devastated eastern North Carolina in 1999, Sister Naeema helped communities recover and rebuild, emphasizing the power of seeing themselves as survivors rather than victims. Her leadership and deep-rooted commitment to justice have been instrumental in NCEJN’s work challenging environmental racism—from industrial hog operations to coal ash and petrochemical pollution—by centering grassroots organizing and community power.

Throughout her decades of activism, Sister/Mama Naeema has remained a fierce advocate for racial, gender, and environmental justice. She has co-authored groundbreaking community-based research with the late Dr. Steve Wing and currently serves on the North Carolina Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. A mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she was married to the late Saladin Muhammad for 56 years and made their home in Rocky Mount, NC. Sister Naeema has long emphasized the critical role of women in justice movements, creating space and support for their leadership through child care, meals, and mutual aid. Her legacy is one of strength, clarity, and deep community care. In 2024, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Health and Environmental Funders Network for her tireless work uplifting frontline communities.