Meet the Candidates Running for Assembly District 71 & Assembly District 72

We will be hosting a virtual Candidate’s Forum for New York State Assembly District 71 and Assembly District 72. We’ve invited all the candidates for these primary races to attend, introduce themselves, and answer questions from our community members about key environmental justice and other issues impacting our community ahead of the 2024 New York State Primary Election on June 25. The meeting will be held via Zoom on Thursday, May 16 from 6:30 - 8 pm.

Meet the Candidates Running for Assembly District 70

WE ACT for Environmental Justice and Marcus Meets Malcom are hosting a Candidates Forum for New York State Assembly District 70, along with Indivisible Harlem, Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association, and NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch. We’ve invited all the candidates for this primary race to attend, introduce themselves, and answer questions from our community members about key environmental justice and other issues impacting our community ahead of the 2024 New York State Primary Election on June 25. The meeting will be held on Friday, May 17 from 6 - 7:30 pm outdoors (so please dress appropriately) on West 120th Street between Malcolm X Boulevard (a.k.a. Lenox Avenue) & Fifth Avenue.

May Membership Meeting: Meet the Candidates Running for Assembly District 69

At our May Membership Meeting on Saturday, May 18, we will host a Candidate’s Forum to introduce you to all the candidates running for New York State Assembly District 69. We’ve invited all the candidates for this primary race to attend, introduce themselves, and answer questions from our community members about key environmental justice and other issues impacting our community ahead of the 2024 New York State Primary Election on June 25. The in-person meeting will begin at 10 am at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, located at 163 West 125th Street (at the corner of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard). Be sure to arrive early – and with a photo ID – as you will need to go through security to enter the building.

Federal Policy Team Sharing Insight at Documentary Film Screening

Tali Natter, Jama Joseph, AJ Yuan, and Rachael Baker will be guest speakers at a screening of the documentary There’s Something in the Water on Monday, May 6 as part of Cinema Classroom at the Avalon Theatre in Washington, DC. The event is part of the theater’s Cinema in a Classroom program, which connects students with experts to enhance their understanding of the social justice/human rights issue discussed in the film. There’s Something in the Water is a 2019 documentary that explores the disproportionate impacts of environmental damage on Black Canadian and First Nations communities in Nova Scotia. 

Annie Carforo Talking About the Benefits of Transitioning to Electric Stoves

Annie Carforo will be a guest speaker at the Multifamily Weatherization Conference on Thursday, May 9 in Saratoga Springs, NY. She will be discussing the benefits of transitioning from gas to electric stoves in affordable housing, leveraging what we learned from our Out of Gas, In with Justice pilot program. 

TAKE ACTION: Protect Children from Lead Paint

Did you know that New York State leads the nation in cases of children with elevated blood levels? Twelve percent of the children born in New York in 2019 – 28,820 children – have been diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels!

We have until June 6 to convince Albany to pass the New York State Lead Paint Right to Know Act, which will require disclosure of lead-paint test reports in all real estate transactions: buying, selling, or renting. You can help make this happen by letting Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl Heastie and Senate President Pro Tempore Andrea Stewart-Cousins know how important it is that the Lead Paint Right to Know Act is brought to the floor for a vote in 2024.

Not sure what to say? We’ve got you covered! Use this form to automatically send a pre-drafted letter (or customize it, if you prefer) urging them to bring the Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Act to a vote! 

TAKE ACTION: Clean Up Our Cosmetics & Join Our Beauty Justice Webinar

Personal care products – everything from cosmetics to soaps and shampoos to hair straighteners – are largely unregulated, with far too many containing toxic ingredients that have been linked to cancer, infertility, miscarriage, poor infant and maternal health outcomes, obesity, asthma, and many other serious health concerns. And a combination of racist beauty standards and aggressive target marketing have led young women and femme-identifying people of color to higher rates of use for these harmful products – on top of already being exposed to disproportionate amounts of toxic chemicals.

Join our Beauty Justice Webinar on Thursday, May 8 from 6 - 7:15 pm to learn more about this issue and help us advocate for Beauty Justice Bill. We have until June 6 to convince Albany to pass this bill, which will ban the most dangerous toxic chemicals from the majority of personal care products in New York State. You can use this form to automatically send a pre-drafted letter (or customize it, if you prefer) asking for the Beauty Justice Bill to be brought to a vote! 

TAKE ACTION: Demand the City Fund Environmental Justice in the 2025 Budget

The climate crisis and other environmental hazards have proven tremendously costly for New York City, in terms of lives and livelihoods as well as damage to infrastructure and the communities where we live. There is an urgent need to make substantial, strategic investments in climate and environmental issues across New York City agencies to mitigate future impacts of the climate crisis and prevent environmental racism.

APPLY TODAY: Cooling Assistance Helps Eligible Households Buy and Install an Air Conditioner or Fan

Click here to see if you are eligible for financial support to cover the cost and installation of an air conditioner or fan in your home. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so act today because funding for this program has run out in July the last two years!

• Extreme Heat Assistance: Annika Larson was quoted in a National Journal story about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides assistance with energy bills for both heating and cooling, and how its budget was slashed by a third from last year, the hottest on record. Annika noted that, in New York State, this federally-funded but state-implemented program ran out of money three weeks into the summer last year – as it had in the previous two years – forcing people to live in unsafe conditions. We have been advocating for increased federal funding, and for New York State to allocate more for summer cooling needs.

New Probe Shows Carbon Capture is Part of Big Oil's Playbook

A years-long Congressional probe into the fossil fuel industry has revealed among other things that carbon capture was part of Big Oil’s playbook for slowing climate action with false solutions. Big surprise. This is why we have been front and center in opposing carbon capture and other dangerous and ineffective climate change "solutions." The only way to address climate change and protect environmental justice communities is to cut emissions and phase out fossil fuels.

VIDEO REPLAY: Understanding Cumulative Impacts

On April 10, Peggy Shepard and Tishman Environment and Design Center Director Ana Baptista participated in Resources for the Future’s Interconnected Injustices: Understanding Cumulative Impacts, a virtual panel discussing how interconnected injustices can impact communities and the importance of incorporating cumulative impacts into environmental policymaking. Watch the video here.

Peggy Shepard Honored by Her High School

Peggy Shepard is heading back to school this weekend as one of the inaugural recipients of the Solebury School’s Alumni Achievement Award, having distinguished herself “through character, service, and achievement and inspiring current and future generations of Solebury students.”

Uptown Chats: Celebrate Earth Day and Parks

In celebration of Earth Day, Lonnie and Jaron are joined by Stephanie Caban from Riverside Park Conservancy for a special Earth Day episode of Uptown Chats exploring why parks are so important for environmental justice.

Roddenberry Fellowships Available for Social Justice Advocates

The Roddenberry Fellowship is for activists and leaders working to advance social justice in the United States. The 12-month program includes a $50,000 grant and access to an exceptional community of peers. Applications are open through May 17. Learn more about the fellowship and apply here.