Symposium: Environmental Justice: What’s Race Got to Do With It?

The Columbia Journal of Race and Law (“CJRL”) and the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law (“CJEL”) are proud to present: “ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: WHAT’S RACE GOT TO DO WITH IT?” 

This symposium will be held on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 6:30pm at 435 West 116th Street, New York, New York 10027 (Columbia Law School) in room 103. To RSVP, please visit http://goo.gl/l1CPa2. Dinner will be served.

Kendall Thomas, Nash Professor of Law, Columbia Law School and Director, Center for the Study of Law and Culture, will provide opening remarks.

“Planting the Roots of (In)Justice: Past Practices and Laws,” the symposium’s first panel, will focus on an array of past policies including the use of lead paint in public housing buildings, placement of landfills and certain industries near communities of color, and lack of access to recycling in certain neighborhoods. This panel will be moderated by Michael Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia Law School; Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

• The panelists are:

  • Christine Appah-Gyamfi, Senior Staff Attorney, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest;

  • Susan Kraham, Senior Staff Attorney and Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School;

  • Dr. Nicky Sheats, Director, Center for the Urban Environment, John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy of Thomas Edison State College; Member, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance;

  • Peggy Shepard, Executive Director and Co-Founder, WE ACT for Environmental Justice; and

  • Kellie Terry, Program Officer for Sustainable Environments, Surdna Foundation.

“Wade in the Water: From Flint to NYCHA,” the symposium’s second panel, will focus on the current water crisis occurring in communities of color across the United States, including a discussion around the lead-filled water in the City of Flint and how the Dakota Pipeline may affect clean water access for American Indians. This panel will be moderated by Olatunde Johnson, Jerome B. Sherman Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Intellectual Life, Columbia Law School.

• The panelists are:

  • Christine Ernst, Associate Attorney, Earthjustice;

  • Edward Lloyd, Evan M. Frankel Clinical Professor in Environmental Law, Columbia Law School;

  • Al Huang, Director of Environmental Justice, Natural Resources Defense Council; and

  • Steven McSloy, Partner, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP; Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School

CJRL and CJEL hopes that this year’s symposium will spark discourse on a range of issues related to water accessibility and the disproportionate siting of environmental hazards in communities of color across the nation.

To RSVP, please visit http://goo.gl/l1CPa2. Dinner will be served.