Mobile NAACP Welcomes “Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard
Regional advocates welcome attention brought to revitalizing communities like Africatown

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015 MOBILE, AL – The Mobile Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) welcomes the esteemed “Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard to a panel discussion about how environmental justice fits into local revitalization projects. Dr. Robert Bullard brings three decades of scientific research and experience to the intersections of racial equity and environmental protection. This year, he is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of his seminal book Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality.

FREE Dr. Bullard panel discussion with Dr. M.A. Baheth and Dr. Raoul Richardson at the Vigor High School Auditorium

Dr. Robert Bullard will speak at the Vigor High School auditorium on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 4:00PM. Admittance for this event is free of charge. He will also be speaking in multiple venues around the Mobile region including at the Alabama NAACP’s State Conference at the Holiday Inn Downtown Historic District at 301 Government St. early that day on Saturday, October 24 at 10:00AM.

Dr. Bullard has authored eighteen books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, emergency response, smart growth, and regional equity. He has testified as an expert witness and served as a technical advisor on hundreds of civil rights lawsuits and public hearings over the past three decades. His list of awards, accolades, and recognition afford him one of the most unique environmental profiles in US history.

Dr. Bullard’s NAACP 63rd Annual Alabama State Conference panel with Dr. M.A. Baheth and Dr. Raoul Richardson

In 1990, he was the first environmental justice scholar to receive the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award in Science for Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality. Professor Bullard was featured in the July 2007 CNN People You Should Know, Bullard: Green Issue is Black and White. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of 13 “Environmental Leaders of the Century”. That same year, Co-op America honored him with its Building Economic Alternatives Award. In 2010, The Grio named him one of the “100 Black History Makers in the Making” and Planet Harmony named him one of “Ten African American Green Heroes”. In 2012, he was featured in Welcomebooks Everyday Heroes: 50 Americans Changing the World One Nonprofit at a Time by Katrina Fried. In 2013, he was honored with the Sierra Club John Muir Award, the first African American to win the award. In 2014, the Sierra Club named its new Environmental Justice Award after Dr. Bullard. And in 2015, the Iowa State University Alumni Association named him its Alumni Merit Award recipient—an award also given to George Washington Carver (1894 ISU alum) in 1937.

“Dr. Bullard’s being here is a huge privilege. When it comes to community revitalization, we all need to be talking about environmental justice – especially after decades of toxic industrial encroachment in places like Africatown,” asserts Maj. Joe Womack, Vice-President of the Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition who was born and raised in Africatown. “Mobile has a clear and present opportunity to do this right. We hope that city and regional leadership is present and taking notes!”

Since its inception, the NAACP was poised for a long, tumultuous and rewarding history. The true civil rights movement lies in the faces—black, white, yellow, red, and brown—united to awaken the consciousness of a people and a nation. More information about the Mobile County NAACP can be found here: www.MobileCountyNAACP.org

In addition to these important panel discussions, the NAACP’s “No More Tanks On Our Banks” Week of Action will be happening in location around downtown Mobile, too. More information here.