Beverly Wright told attendees at an environmental justice conference in New Orleans Tuesday that Justin40 is a novel idea, but more must be done to give it real life.
The federal environmental justice board’s three members, Beverly Wright, Peggy Shepard and Robert Bullard, who oversaw the $14 million effort, have collaborated closely with the government on Justice40.
Bullard cited discrimination in the distribution of flood assistance in Texas, where the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice is headquartered.
In recommendations to the Biden administration, many high-profile advocates of environmental justice pushed for a methodological, deliberate process using targeted methods to identify disadvantaged communities and get resources paid out.
At a local level, little has changed versus Justice20’s commitment because the federal government is still endeavoring to determine which municipalities need the investment the most.
“There’s been a lot of really novel approaches at changing the lives of Americans in general that have worked out” and that only worked for white Americans, Wright said.
The $14-million effort was aimed “ensure equitable implementation of the Justice40 initiative at the state and local level and empower local communities to participate in the policy-making” according to a news release.
