Participating in our democracy, particularly locally, and organizing for systems and policy change to promote the collective good is critical to building a clean energy future that is just and works for all. This was the overall sentiment of a panel that brought together three community activists and organizers who have emerged as powerful leaders that work on pushing forward solutions that consider the rights of all people.

Earth Day 2023: Justice in Focus, hosted by the Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, was held on April 13, 2023. The panel, moderated by Nayyirah Shariff, Director of Flint Rising, included Maria Lopez-Nunez, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Organizing, Ironbound Community Corporation; Anthony Rogers-Wright, Director of Environmental Justice, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; and isaac sevier, Founder and Co-director, People’s Utility Commons.

The beginning of the conversation centered around the lessons learned since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the outcry over the murder of George Floyd that resulted in the largest civil rights uprising in recent memory. When asked to reflect on these events and what they revealed about collective power and action, Lopez-Nunez highlighted her work on the cumulative impacts law in New Jersey, which is a landmark law that addresses the disproportionate burden of environmental pollution by communities of color and low-income communities. Explaining that the law, which was in the works for 12 years, would not have come to fruition without the uprising, she said that it was the people on the ground that forced change and emphasized the importance of being ready to seize the moment. “We have to be prepared to move the agenda that protects Black and Brown and Indigenous people in this country, and we have to move it forward,” said Lopez-Nunez. Rogers-Wright added that, for him, what has crystallized since these events, is the importance of trans-local organizing, pointing to the example of how New York responded to New Jersey’s bill by passing their own environmental justice law just two years later. 

Shariff honed in on the notion of “seizing the moment” while reflecting on the water crisis in Flint as well as water shutoffs during the pandemic, asking the panelists how they know when the moment is here. Lopez-Nunez said that, beyond voting, it’s important to participate intensely in our democracy and make sure that government officials are doing the work they promised to do. Rogers-Wright agreed and emphasized the importance of local and state elections. “I totally agree that the moment is here and especially when you’re doing that local-level organizing, you absolutely know that the moment is there every day because those are the lawmakers you really have to watch the most because those are the ones that are really pulling things,” said Rogers-Wright. 

sevier added that understanding culture and society as a mindset that can be changed is key to meeting the moment and advancing clean energy goals, saying that, “...it is very easy right now to look at the policies and investments that we have and see that it’s just for some people and that it was designed just for some people and that when we make choices about who those people are, we’re naturally taking some people out and that is not new.” 

Using the example of cities in Michigan, such as Flint and Benton Harbor, which are dealing with water crises without the local autonomy to solve the issues due to Michigan’s Emergency Manager law, Shariff asked how the panelists’ efforts are interwoven with the strengths of communities and their ability to govern the future. Lopez-Nunez explained how engaging in democracy and collective governing means doing intense work to achieve goals, and sometimes that causes conflict. “In my previous life, I taught mediation,” said Lopez-Nunez. “One of the things I really learned from that is conflict shows you where you need to grow…conflict is the birth of new things, and so if we’re going to have an interdependent, interwoven future that we’re co-governing, it’s going to take a lot more work and hopefully that work will feel lighter and you’ll feel regenerative because you’ll be engaging in these relationships with others.”

Shariff asked about next steps and actions that can be taken to help achieve racial, social and climate justice. sevier recommended focusing on family and the local community to make progress. Rogers-Wright agreed and added that activists should be aware of thresholds and recognize when it’s time to make a change in strategy. Lopez-Nunez emphasized the importance of paying attention and being aware of social justice issues so that participation in democracy can be effective. Reflecting on the conversation and summing up the sentiments of the responses for the audience, Shariff concluded, “I heard, live like your ancestors, be creative, be bold, experiment, don’t be afraid to fail. That sounds like some lessons to me, that sounds like it can be incorporated as part of your practice.”