
Bunyan Bryant

About
Instrumental in establishing the SNRE’s Environmental Justice Program, focusing on the differential impact of environmental contaminants on people of color and low-income communities, Professor Bryant’s research includes both domestic and international foci, particularly on climate justice.
In addition to his 40-year devotion to SNRE, Bryant was a member of the Urban Technological and Environmental Planning Program, and held an adjunct position with the Center of Afro-American and African Studies. Previous to his career at U-M, Bryant served as the program director for the Michigan State Department of Social Welfare, Children’s Division
In 1973, Dr. Bryant did post-doctoral work at the University of Manchester in England in Town and Country Planning. His current research interests include developing case studies on corporate, agency, and community responses to hazardous waste sites. He was co-principal investigator of the University of Michigan 1990 Detroit Area Study on Race and Toxic Waste. A more recent study undertaken with Dr. Elaine Hockman is to determine the proximity of hazardous waste facilities to schools and their impact upon academic achievement.
Publications
- Bryant, B. and Hockman, E. (Eds.). 2011. Michigan: A State of Environmental Injustice? Morgan James Publishing: New York.
- Bryant, B. and Hockman, E. 2005. A Brief Comparison of the Civil Rights Movement and the Environmental Justice Movement. In Pellow, D. and Brulle, R. (Eds.). Power, Justice, and the Environment. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
- Kessler, B., Bryant, B. Fitch, D., Hockman, E., Kohn-Wood, L., Ronquillo, T., Spencer, M., MSW, Urban, J. 2004. Potential effects of environmental injustices on health and academic achievement in head start students in Detroit, Michigan: Strategies to create environmental justice. In the 132nd Annual Meeting. A
- Bryant, B. and Callewaert, J. 2003. Why Is Understanding Urban Ecosystems Important to Environmental Justice? In Berkowitz, A.R., Nilon, C.H., and Hollweg, K.S. (Eds.). Understanding Urban Ecosystems. New York: Springer.
- Bryant, B. (ed.). 1995. Environmental Justice: Issues, Policies, and Solutions. Island Press: Washington, D.C. book
Read more publications here.
PhD, University of Michigan (education)
MSW, University of Michigan (social work)
BS, Eastern Michigan University (social science)
Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Washington, D.C
The President's Council on Sustainable Development Public Linkage Dialogue and Education Task Force (1995-Present).
NAACP/Ecology Center Pollution Prevention Project. Advisory Committee (1995-present).