NCEJN Signs Petition to Limit Support for Manure Digesters

On Janauray 14, 2026, NCEJN and 33 national organizations submitted a petition to urge USDA to limit federal support for costly manure digesters that funnel money to industrial-scale livestock operations.

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NCEJN: Our Year In Review – 2025

Please view or download our end of year report here. This report was finalized on December 18 and does not reflect the metrics of the entire month of December. An

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Community Resources – ICE + CBP

Recursos comunitarios – ICE + La Patrulla Fronteriza (CBP)

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NCEJN’s Book Recommendations 2025

On January 21st, 2025 we announced the addition of our BOOK CORNER in our Tuesday newsletter. Here is the list of books we have recommended since then: Do you have

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Press Release: NC Environmental Justice Network formally requests public records related to animal feeding operations’ role in highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks

Press Contact: Rania Masri, PhD; Co-Director, NCEJN rania@ncejn.orgSeptember 4, 2025 NC Environmental Justice Network formally requests public records related to animal feeding operations’ role in highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks 

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A Comprehensive Organizer Guide on Data Centers

A new comprehensive Organizer Guide titled “The Costs of Data Centers To Our Communities- and How to Fight Back” has been published by Kairos and Media Justice. For more on

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Resources on Understanding Data Centers and Their Environmental Impacts

Below you will find a number of resources that have been compiled over a couple of months for our NCEJN newsletter – please consider subscribing to learn more about the

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NCEJN’s Summit 2025

We Are Still Here: 27 Years of Holding Our Ground Resisting Injustice, Organizing the People, Mapping the Path, Building Power To Register visit: tinyurl.com/ncejn-summit2025-register Address: Franklinton Center At Bricks  

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Coalition Comments on Alcoa’s Badin Business Park NPDES Permit Renewal

The Southern Environmental Law Center, Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice respectfully submit the attached comments on behalf of the Yadkin Riverkeeper, the

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New Report Published Includes National Data on The Environmental Injustice of CAFOs

A New report was published last Tuesday showing that Animal feeding operations are associated with heightened concentrations of fine particulate matter and affect vulnerable communities in the United States. Our

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PODCAST: Listen to Dr. Rania Masri discussing Environmental Justice in North Carolina

Listen: Hear from our own Dr. Rania Masri in this week’s episode of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL)’s Podcast: Frontline Voices: Environmental Justice in North Carolina. In Our

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NCEJN Joins “NC to Gaza Solidarity” Campaign

The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN) has signed onto “NC to Gaza Solidarity” organized by Triangle Jewish Voices for Peace with a call to senator Tillis : STOP STARVING

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Unveiling Buc-ee’s Burden- NCEJN’s Statement at the Mebane Press Conference

Good morning, and thank you for being here. My name is Rania Masri, co director of the NCEJN. This report that you see before you is a consequence of a

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Press Release – Buc-ee’s Burden

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2025 CONTACT: Kasey Kinsella, kasey@7directionsofservice.com ; Rania Masri, rania@ncejn.org  New Report Exposes Buc-ee’s Risks to Health & Local Economies MEBANE, NC – Buc-ee’s Burden: How

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Dr. VJ’s 2025 Book List to Celebrate Women’s History Month

In Celebration of Women’s History Month, Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson, NCEJN Co-Director shares this bibliography with the network. Please onsider buying books from an independent book store. To celebrate Women’s

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CDC Urged to Release Bird Flu Data as Trump Slashes Key Staff Combatting Outbreak

For Immediate Release, February 24, 2025 Contact: Hannah Connor, (202) 681-1676, hconnor@biologicaldiversity.org WASHINGTON— Public-interest groups called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today to release updated public information critical

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NCEJN Mourns The Passing of Rev. Dr. Nelson N. Johnson

With heavy hearts, we at NCEJN join the Beloved Community Center (BCC) in mourning the passing of Rev. Dr. Nelson N. Johnson of Greensboro, North Carolina. Rev. Johnson was the founding pastor

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End of Year Report – 2024

We are excited to share with you our first End of Year Report! Thank you to all of our NCEJN family and network, and especially to the communities we serve.

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A Coalition of Eight Organizations Hold Statewide Heat and Human Rights Events to Urge Adoption of Federal Heat Standards

Updated: News coverage of the events can be found here from NC Newsline and here from NC Health News. SPRING HOPE, NC (December 8, 2024) 7840 Old Bailey Hwy, Spring

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Hurricane Helene Relief Resources

More Information

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Funding Cop City in Durham – Postponed

This past Tuesday, November 12, the Durham Board of County Commissioners was to vote on spending $16 million to build a police training center – also known as Cop City.

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Bill Violating Due Process – Halted!

On November 12, the House voted on a bill (HR 9495) that would give the executive branch power to strip nonprofits of their status. This incredibly dangerous and unconstitutional legislation

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NCEJN In The News: Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina, making federal support for climate action and the just energy transition more critical than ever

Impacted communities across North Carolina speak on the elections and how the outcome affects their work and access to funding. The article also includes an interview with our Co-Director of

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North Carolina Poet Laureate Ms. Jaki Shelton Green Shares A Poem On NCEJN In Honor Of Our 25th Summit

“To celebrate the waking, wake. Burn in the daylong light… & praise.” – Muriel Rukeyser May these grounds, walls, & the soul of the Franklinton Center remind us that we

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North Carolina Communities’ Battle Against Animal Factory Pollution

From Earthjustice: “Overburdened communities in North Carolina face the harshest impacts of industrial animal production. Now, they’re taking a stand.” This article features Devon Hall, of the Rural Empowerment Association

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Energy Embargo Now to End the Genocide! No Environmental Justice Without Palestinian Liberation!

On the occasion of COP29, Palestinian grassroots organizations call on all civil society organizations at COP29 and around the world to mobilize urgently to impose an energy embargo on Israel

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Latino organizations seek solutions at environmental justice symposium

This year’s NCEJN summit broke records with the number of communities represented (~133), number of individuals which attended (~300), and the diversity of issues addressed. This article highlights the issues

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Naeema Muhammad Receives A Lifetime Achievement Award

Mama Naeema, Sister Naeema Muhammad was honored last night by Health & Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) with a lifetime achievement award for her role in the environmental justice movement and

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Congratulations to Our NCEJN 2024 Summit Award Winners

Every October since NCEJN’s establishment in 1998, we have acknowledged our EJ warriors with awards of appreciation. This year only, on our 25th Summit anniversary, we have created the Quarter Century

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North Carolina Communities’ Battle Against Animal Factory Pollution

Earthjustice, a nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, reported recently on the history of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in Duplin and Sampson County, specifically the work being done by

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Attorneys working with alleged victims of ‘toxic building’ on NC State campus

WRAL News recently reported on Poe Hall, on the campus of North Carolina State University, regarding an environmental attorney accusing the school of neglecting cancer risk in the building. More

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U.S. Representative Alma S. Adams, (NC-12), Rep. McGovern (MA), and Senator Booker (NJ) Introduce The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act (IACA)

This Climate-Smart Farm Conversion Bill would use existing agricultural conservation funds to support farmers who opt to transition from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to sustainable and humane production systems.

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Press Release: Vigil to Protect NC Farmworkers

Rocky Mount, NC – As part of the Not One More Death campaign, El Futuro es Nuestro (The Future is Ours) and the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), the

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Spidey Sense-r initiative kicks off in three North Carolina communities

Air pollution in the U.S. has been seen as a cost of progress – a necessary evil to have the gains provided by industrial manufacturing. However, Black, brown, and rural

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NCEJN Annual Environmental Justice Summit

At this annual summit, we strengthen relationships and networks and deepen inclusive spaces through linguistic equity and true intersectionality. We develop a stronger strategy for action – all toward building

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February 2026
Feb 04
04 February 2026

Speak Out - Tell Google and YouTube: Stop taking money from ICE. Take down vile ICE recruitment ads now  

Feb 04
04 February 2026

Sign on: Organizations, Businesses and Elected Officials: Sign Resolution to Gov. Stein re Duke Energy's Climate Deception

Feb 26
26 February 2026
Tompkins Hall G123,
2211 Hillsborough St
Raleigh,NC27607United States

Join the Party for Socialism and Liberation for a panel discussion about US imperalism. NCEJN's own Rania Masri will be on the panel. This event will be on Thursday, February […]

Feb 26
26 February 2026
Midway Church,
9795 Old, US-52
Lexington,NC27295United States

Pipeline giant Williams Transco has been granted federal approval for the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project — a new high-pressure methane gas pipeline that would run through Wallburg, Midway and Welcome. […]

Feb 28
28 February 2026
Durham Black Wall Street,
100 W Parrish St
Durham,NC27701United States

Village of Wisdom is hosting Black Genius Fest 2026: Architects of the Dream, a free community celebration for all ages on Durham’s historic Black Wall Street. This year’s Fest features […]

March 2026
Mar 08
08 March 2026
Durham Central Park,
501 Foster St
Durham,NCUnited States

Join many organizations to learn directly from leaders who are advancing renewable energy projects, pushing back on pipelines and data centers, supporting education and labor rights and creating sustainable food […]

Mar 08
08 March 2026
People’s Solidarity Hub,
1805 Chapel Hill Rd
Durham,NC27707United States

Get information about ways to support actions against ICE in Durham. This event will be on Sunday, March 8 at the People's Solidarity Hub at 3:00 pm.

Mar 10
10 March 2026
New Hill Community Center,
3101 New Hill Holleman Rd
New Hill,NC27562United States

Join the Protect Wake County Coalition at the New Hill Community Center to discuss tactics to stop the new data center. This event will be on Tuesday, March 10 at […]

Mar 12
12 March 2026

Join us for a beginner-friendly introduction to solar energy development in North Carolina for community organizations, environmental advocates, and concerned residents. This is the first session in a three-part webinar […]

Mar 13
13 March 2026
The Garrison Institute,
14 Mary's Way, Route 9D
Garrison,New York10524)United States

Register: Join us for Inner Transformation and Care as a Pathway for Well-being, Peace and Regeneration, a transformative intergenerational weekend retreat on the sidelines of the 70th UN Commission on […]

Mar 24
24 March 2026
Apex Town Hall,
73 Hunter St
Apex,NC27502United States

Join the Protect Wake County Coalition at the Apex Town Meeting to discuss blocking the proposed new data center. This event will be on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:00 pm.

April 2026
Apr 17
17 April 2026
atlanta,
atlanta,georgiaUnited States

Register for the Take Back Tech 3 Conference. April 17-19 • Atlanta. Media Justice wants to ensure that as many folks as possible who want to join us are able […]

Apr 17
17 April 2026

Take Back Tech is a gathering for organizers, artists, tech workers, academics, lawyers, and more to rally together and strategize our next power-building moves. Tech has made it clear: they […]

May 2026
May 05
05 May 2026
Marbles Kids Museum,
201 East Hargett Street
Raleigh,NC27601United States

2026 is a critical year to harness our collective power, connections, and resilience to build the future we want to see. Join NC Conservation Network for a chance to strengthen […]

Reflection On The 2025 Black Ecologies Field School

Danielle Purifoy (JD, PhD), is a former NCEJN Board Member, a UNC-CH Assistant Professor, Dept. of Geography & The Environment, and an author of so many articles relevant to our

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Megawatts Over People: The Real Cost of Artificial Intelligence — and Why It Is Not Inevitable

Dr. Rania Masri, NCEJN Co-director, gave a variation on this speech on January 20, 2026 for Democracy Out Loud [Updated February 20, 2026] There is a new monster spreading like

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Violence Is Not The Anomaly – But The Rule For This System

Rania Masri, NCEJN Co-Director, gave this speech on Monday, January 19, 2026 at the annual MLK March & Rally at the Thomas Foreman Park in Greenville, organized by Coalition Against

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From Chains To Change: Justice Is Still Demanding Justice

This speech was given on Monday, January 19, 2026 at the annual MLK March & Rally organized by the Coalition Against Racism (CAR) at the Thomas Foreman Park in Greenville,

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On Community Land & Power

A New Durham-Rooted Land, Housing and Environmental Justice Org/Co-Op Leslie St Dre, Founder, Organizer, Facilitator, Community Land and Power Community Land and Power (CLP), a new Durham-rooted land, housing and

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A New NCEJN Project for 2026

Luma Kennedy, NCEJN Communications Manager Last year on a warm December day, a chef, a farmer, an anthropologist and I took a walk on hallowed ground. Chef Wayne took Ms.

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On The People’s Hearing In Pittsburgh

Dr. Rania Masri, NCEJN Director of Organizing & Policy The National People’s Hearing Tour, which began in Greensboro in June, has traveled to Tuscan (September) and Pittsburgh (November). The full

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Updates On the Fight Against Data Centers: Edgecombe County

Dr. Rania Masri, NCEJN Co-Director There is much to fight for. There is much to win.  And one fight now is to protect communities and the precious land and water

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In A Moment of Clarity, The Veil Has Fallen

Rania Masri, NCEJN Director of Organizing and Policy We are in a moment of clarity: the veil has fallen. The U.S. federal administration today is openly and brazenly showcasing its

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How Colonialism Erased “The Embodied Expert”

A Decolonial Perspective on Knowledge and Expertise With permission from the author : Tania Shoukair, Decolonized Mind-body Coach, Writer & Poet, Embodied Expert in Cooking! Colonialism was never just about

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NC Public Service Workers Union’s Call to Break The Bonds

Yesterday afternoon, NCEJN joined UE Local 150 and JVP triangle and other NC organizations for an event organized by the Break the Bonds NC Coalition. A petition was delivered to

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BWL’s Message to the People About Assata Shakur

This is a collective statement and it is published here with permission from the Black Workers League. “No movement can survive unless it is constantly growing and changing with the

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Data centers & AI: draining our water resources, fueling fossil fuel expansion, and expanding the powers of repression and oppression

Sun Day and Make Billionaires Pay- September 21, 2025 – Rania Masri, NCEJN Director of Organizing & Policy I was asked to speak on climate change, immigration, and fascism.  Three

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On Finding Your Place In the EJ Movement

Bea Baxley, NCEJN 2025 Intern I grew up in the suburban bubble that is Chapel Hill, and I never felt a strong connection to North Carolina. I didn’t feel that

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Testimony from The People’s Hearing, Tucson Arizona

Ya Basta! Enough is Enough! by Linda Robles, founder of The Envrionmental Justice Task Force Introduction My name is Linda Robles, I was born in the 1960s, and have lived

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Science Says: Badin Lake Needs Clean Water, Not More Toxins

On Tuesday August 19th, 2025, a public hearing was held on the renewal of the NPDES permit to Alcoa’s Badin Business Park. Among the 21 speakers, 14 spoke critically of

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Uphold Environmental Justice in West Badin: Enforce Title VI, Protect Our Community

On Tuesday August 19th, 2025, a public hearing was held on the renewal of the NPDES permit to Alcoa’s Badin Business Park. Among the 21 speakers, 14 spoke critically of

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Just Futures: Aligning Investment with Social Justice, Equity, and Community Power

At NCEJN, we have been searching for a 401(k) service provider for our staff. While our financial resources are modest, we firmly believe that everyone deserves access to retirement and

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Testimony on the NC Carbon Plan: A Call for Justice, Transparency, and Local Power in Our Energy Future 

My name is Rev. Mac Legerton. I serve as Co-Director of the Robeson County Cooperative for Sustainable Development (RCCSD). I’m here today to sound the alarm about NC’s 30-year energy

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Testimony As Resistance

yh Patt gave testimony at the People’s Hearing on Wednesday, June 11 in Greensboro. Hello,  My name is “yh”.  That is, one letter from my mother and another from my

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Testimony of Resistance: On Kinship, Settler Colonialism, and the Many Futures We Must Build

Madhusudan Katti, Assoc Professor and Director of Science, Technology and Society + Leadership in Public Science, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NCSU, gave this testimony at the People’s

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Testimony of Resistance: Public Education, Empire, and Environmental Justice

Tina Shull, PhD, UNC Charlotte professor, at the Peoples Hearing (June 11, 2025) It’s an honor to be here and participate in solidarity; thank you NCEJN for your organizing and

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A Testimony On The Fight Against Systemic Injustice: Disruptive Peace and Imaginative Ambition

Shaun McMillan, educator and activist with Blueprint NC, gave testimony at the People’s Hearing on Wednesday, June 11 in Greensboro.   Good morning my name is Shaun McMillan. I use he,

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Testimony on Exploitation by Design

Amy Elkins, Community Health Worker and Co-Founder of NC Field gives a testimony on exploitation, environmental racism & systemic neglect of latino communities in Eastern North Carolina. Amy Elkins represented

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A Reflection On NCEJN’s Second Quarterly Meeting

Bea Baxley, 2025 NCEJN Intern Bingham park, through the chain-link fence, is beautiful. Today is a perfect day to spend in a park, one of the last sub-75° Saturday mornings

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On Documenting Injustice and Possibility

Dani Lin Hunter, NCEJN Research and Education Manager I promised Luma and Rania I would write a reflection, and truthfully, I’m not sure what I have to say right now

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On NCEJN’s 2025 Graduating Research & Education Interns

Today we proudly congratulate our 2025 graduating interns!Colleen Dongarra and Rhiannon Williams, our Research and Education interns, and Emma Jo Donnelly, our Archival intern, have each made invaluable contributions to

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On The Work of Cypress Fund

Kayla Bacote, Program Officer at Cypress Fund – “a social justice intermediary focused on strategically investing funding and people power to strengthen and fortify the movement ecosystem in North and South Carolina

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On The Struggle Carried Forward

Today is May 1st- International Workers’ Day. NCEJN will be in Raleigh at the May Day event – to demand justice and dignity for workers and to protest against the

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On True Community-Led Research

Vidal Lormendez, a Community Health Worker and the Migrant Services Specialist at NC FIELD. Vidal regularly helps design, test, and implement projects alongside our agricultural workforce across 41 eastern North

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On A Student’s Experience At The NCEJN Summit

Carson Mease, Sustainable Development undergraduate student at Appalachian State University On the 18th of October, 2024, students of Appalachian State University’s Applications in Environmental Justice class traveled to Whitakers, North

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On Waging Love: Reflections on Justice, Memory, and Commitment to Collective Struggle

Reverend Wesley Morris, Senior Pastor at Faith Community Church These words were transcribed from a recording made at the Black Workers for Justice Banquet, of Reverend Wesley Morris, Senior Pastor

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On What Makes An Organizer

Anthony Diaz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Newark Water Coalition My name is Anthony Diaz and I am the co-founder and executive director of the Newark Water Coalition. Newark

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On The Working Conditions of Airport Workers in NC

Nicholas Johnson, Former Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Prospect Airport Services Employee. Nick was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. In the summer of 2024, I worked at Charlotte Douglas International

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On Standing Up For Science

This speech was given by Dr. Dani Lin Hunter, NCEJN Research and Education Manager at Halifax Mall in Raleigh, NC on March 8, 2025 as part of the Stand Up

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Reflection On The History of EJ In Northampton County

Ms. Belinda Joyner, Concerned Citizens of Northampton County Right after Hurricane Katrina, there were two men that moved to Durham from New Orleans. One of the men had nowhere to

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On Returning to Service on The NCEJN Board

Caption: Peter Gillbert, Naeema Muhammad, Elizabeth Haddix, & Don Cavellini at NCEJN’s Annual Summit Peter Gilbert, Supervising Attorney at Legal Aid of North Carolina, and NCEJN Board Co-Chair. I am

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On An Evolving Role & Love

M. Zulayka Santiago, MPA. ​Founder & Creative Director Libelula Consulting, and departing NCEJN Board Co-Chair. Read her book! Although I have admired the work of NCEJN for many years, my

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On the State Supreme Court

Photo credit to John McCann at North Carolina Black Alliance Gino Nuzzolillo, Campaigns Manager, Common Cause North Carolina The North Carolina Supreme Court is among the most important institutions we

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On Radical Imagination for the PFAS Resolution We Deserve

Dominique Beaudry, Graduate Student at Duke University “If you’re from Concord, go get your thyroid checked!” a friend posted on her instagram. After noticing a lump in my neck, I

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On Engaging Youth in the EJ Movement

Doris T. Davis, Assistant Director. Concerned Citizens of Tillery The Concerned Citizens of Tillery (CCT), a non-profit social change organization celebrating 45 years of positive social change is one of

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On Countering Violence

Araceli Argueta, Organizing and Advocacy Director for AFSC’s New Jersey Immigrant Rights Program. It has been less than two weeks, and Trump’s Executive Orders have had rippling effects across North

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On The Fight for Indigenous Cultural Preservation + Protecting The Great Trading Path

Beverly Payne, Tribal Council Member of the Occaneechi community, walks along the historic Trading Path in Hawfields Cemetery in Mebane, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Roderico Y. Díaz, Iximché Media.
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On the Merchants of Death Tribunal

Rania Masri, NCEJN Director of Policy and Organizing, gave these concluding remarks given at the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal press conference on January 15, 2025. (Watch) The Final Report of this Tribunal begins by

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On Finding Hope In 2025

Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson, NCEJN Director of Infrastructure and Development A new year can start at any time.  Across our planet, worldwide celebrations ushered in 2025 on January 1st.  

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On Bridging Environmental Justice and Farmworker Realities

Yesenia Cuello, Executive Director, NC FIELD, Inc For thousands of people employed in the multi-billion dollar industry of agribusiness across North Carolina, the phrase “environmental justice” often feels like a

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On Health Research as a Tool for Environmental Justice

Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) McClure, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology at UNC Last week I talked with someone working in one of the many care hubs that community organizations and mutual

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Species Extinction & The Environmental Justice Movement

Luma Kennedy, NCEJN Communications Manager Species extinction is a serious issue that is already impacting every aspect of our lives. The data is staggering. Industry, industrial agriculture, unchecked development, mining,

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In Remembrance of The People’s Professor

First we hear from Mama Naeema Muhammad: “First and foremost, we always called him the “People’s Professor”—a term of endearment from the community. We loved Steve for his humility; when he

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On A Day in West Badin with the Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Aleena Oakley, NCEJN Hi! My name is Aleena Oakley; I’m a lifelong NC resident with roots in the Charlotte area, and I have been working with NCEJN and the Concerned

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Data Centers

Biogas

Landfills

Pipelines

Fracking

Coal Ash

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