Shining Bright: EJ Leaders for Today and Tomorrow | October 6, 2023

The faces highlighted by the environmental movement have not always represented the wide diversity of leaders within the field. This dearth in representation must be reckoned with if we are to address the crises of a changing climate. Environmental justice offers a path to change in how we shape the future and who is represented and working in environmental spaces.

Our team at the Feminist Research Institute (FRI), the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) and the Energy Efficiency Institute (EEI) are working to change the face of the environmental movement by supporting and uplifting the voices within environmental justice communities across the country. From Georgia, to Nebraska, to right here in California, the Environmental Justice (EJ) Leaders program has supported the expansion of networks, knowledge, and the research capacities of eight EJ leaders and their organizations. 

Sarah Rebollos McCullough, Juan Carlos Garcia Sanchez, and Selika Josiah Tablott, photo by Michael Fortunato

On October 6, the 2023 EJ Leaders cohort met for their last official event in Sacramento. Within view of the nation’s capital, the program directors and coordinator, Sarah Rebolloso McCullough, Selika Josiah Talbott, and Juan Carlos Garcia Sanchez, introduced the EJ leaders who are changing the face of the environmental movement and inspiring the next generation of environmental justice leaders.

Agustín Angel Bernabe, photo by Michael Fortunato

Agustin Angel Bernabe spoke of the path that led him to his work in youth leadership development with his organization, Leaders for Environmental Activism Reclaiming Their Health also known as Leaders 4 EARTH. Agustín’s work uplifts the voices of future environmental justice leaders in Salinas Valley in Monterey County and Bayview-Hunter’s Point in San Francisco.

Katia Pilar Carranza, photo by Michael Fortunato

Katia Pilar Carranza recounted her journey to environmental justice advocacy and education in Lake County, Illinois, and with her organization, Together for Nature. Her focus throughout this program has been centering Indigenous and community voices for change. She emphasized that leaders in power can’t be making decisions for environmental justice communities without having them at the table.

Iesha Baldwin, photo by Michael Fortunato

Iesha Baldwin grew up in Dublin, Georgia where, as a child, she would hold her breath whenever she passed nearby manufacturing facilities. As a consultant for clean technology education programs, she is working to address air quality issues in communities like hers through the sharing of information and technology. She believes technical education is a powerful tool that can enable communities to enact their own solutions and represent themselves in the movement for environmental justice.

 

Zoë Temple, photo by Michael Fortunato

Our final environmental justice leader is Zoë Temple, an environmental educator who has worked in Los Angeles for the past five years. In response to her students' needs, Zoë developed environmental justice curricula and now works with TreePeople in leading environmental educational programming for nontraditional students. Her work as an environmental justice leader led her to begin creating an environmental justice curriculum database that educators around the world can contribute to and access for their own instructional purposes. 

The Citizen Hotel, photo by Michael Fortunato

In 2024, the EJ Leaders program looks to expand partnership with policymakers, legislators, and government agencies. Our growing network of partners includes the Strategic Growth Council, the California and federal EPA, and the California and regional air quality board, as well as regional planning districts. 

Environmental Justice Leaders Cohort 2023, photo by Michael Fortunato

Each of the EJ leaders will continue their work well beyond the end of this program. Their successes are realized in the expanded lifespans of children and families. The results and continuation of our leaders’ revolutionary work is only possible through the support of our programmatic, community, and philanthropic partners. We can’t do this without you! We invite you to support our program and the next generation of EJ leaders or contact Co-Director Sarah McCullough at smcc@ucdavis.edu to become a partner.