Benjamin Chavis Celebrated as ‘Father of the Environmental Justice Movement’

November 10, 2025

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, was honored as the founder of the environmental justice movement at a Mississippi summit held at Tougaloo College in late October 2025. Environmental leaders credited Chavis with establishing the movement through his 1982 nonviolent protest against toxic waste dumping in Warren County, North Carolina, where he coined the term "environmental racism" while jailed, and through his groundbreaking 1987 research study linking toxic waste locations to race. Despite being arrested over 30 times throughout his activism career, including wrongful imprisonment as part of the Wilmington Ten civil rights case, Chavis has continued advocating for environmental justice for decades.

Who is affected

Dr. Benjamin Chavis (honored as environmental justice movement founder)
Black and poor communities experiencing environmental poisoning and toxic waste exposure
Warren County, North Carolina residents (site of 1982 toxic waste dumping)
The Wilmington Ten (Chavis and nine others wrongfully convicted in 1972)
Columbia, Mississippi residents (cancer cluster from chemical plant explosion)
Dr. Charlotte Keys and Jesus People Against Pollution organization
Younger generations concerned about climate change impacts
Aaron Mair, Ben Jealous, and Karenna Gore (environmental and civil rights leaders at the summit)

What action is being taken

Jesus People Against Pollution is organizing the Mississippi Statewide Environmental Climate Justice Summit
Dr. Charlotte Keys is fighting for change in Columbia, Mississippi, and throughout the state
Chavis is participating in panel discussions generating recommendations for COP30
Chavis continues his environmental justice advocacy work

Why it matters

This matters because it documents the historical foundation of the environmental justice movement, which revealed through evidence-based research that toxic waste facilities and pollution disproportionately harm Black and poor communities. By framing environmental poisoning as a civil rights issue in the 1980s, Chavis created a framework that enabled frontline communities to prove discrimination statistically and demand accountability from corporate and government polluters. The recognition of this work at the summit underscores the ongoing urgency of addressing climate injustice globally and engaging new generations in the fight, as young people face the most severe long-term consequences of environmental degradation.

What's next

The 30th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP30) will take place in Brazil, where recommendations from the Mississippi summit panel will be considered
Chavis emphasized that COP30 offers an opportunity for younger generations to get involved and continue fighting for environmental justice

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer