Reflections & Highlights from the Centering Justice Symposium-- January 2024

In January 2024, the Tishman Environment and Design Center convened a group of 120 participants-from peer university centers, environmental and climate justice organizations, philanthropy, and federal agencies-to explore the role of university centers in supporting climate and environmental justice communities. Diverse panels and interactive workshops delved deeply into the ways in which academic centers and researchers, philanthropy, and government can ensure that initiatives, projects, and financing are designed to support those most impacted, protect them from ongoing harm, and are implemented in ways that prioritize community perspectives.
These candid and generative conversations seeded urgent and critical work, which the Tishman Center is committed to growing over the next year and beyond.
To learn more about the Center Justice Symposium and related resources, www.tishmancenter.org/climate-ej-symposium
The following leaders interviewed include:
Rajasvini Bhansali - Executive Director, Solidaire Network
Mary Beth Jäger - Research Coordinator, Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment, University of Michigan
Dr. Sacoby Wilson - Professor, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland-College Park
Denae W. King, PhD - Associate Director, The Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice ‪@bullardcenter‬
Maria Lopez- Nuñez - Deputy Director, Organizing and Advocacy, Ironbound Community Corporation ‪@IronboundCommunityCorp‬
Lisa F. Garcia - Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2
Joel Towers - Co-Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center, The New School
Alexandria McBride - Strategy Director, Waverley Street Foundation ‪@waverleystreetfoundation‬
Rami Dinnawi - Environmental Justice Campaign & Policy Manager, El Puente
Thank you to our cultural workers, including, Dr. Drum from Bomba Yo (www.bombayo.org/) Batalá New York, New York City's premier all-women, Black-led percussion ensemble (‪@batalanyc‬ www.batalanewy...)