Dr. Beverly Wright, United States
Dr. Beverly Wright. Photo credit: Youtube
Dr. Beverly Wright has done excellent work in the field of environmental justice. She is the founder of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), which has partnered with Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, to address serious issues of health and environmental restoration in the region.
DSCEJ focuses mainly on research, policy development, community outreach, assistance, and the education of African-American families in New Orleans who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Wright, a professor of Sociology, has been advocating for a safe return of residents, while insisting on fairness with regard to standards of clean up.
She is well-known for her innovative and critical research on environmental justice, which informed the development of a curriculum that is currently being used by elementary schools in New Orleans.
Her valuable input in to President Bill Clinton’s Environmental Justice Transition Paper earned her a job at the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council in 1994.
Dr. Wright has received numerous awards, including the Environmental Justice Achievement Award 2008, Freedom Sisters Award 2009, SAGE Activist Scholar Award 2011, and many others.
