Updates from the Midwest Thriving Communities Regional Convening
Last week Midwest Environmental Justice Network partners Blacks in Green, We the People of Detroit, Great Plains Action Society and Environmental Health Watch gathered with other grassroots organizations and federal agencies at Detroit’s Atheneum Hotel for the Midwest Thriving Communities Regional Convening. Naomi Davis (Blacks in Green) and Kimberly Foreman (Environmental Health Watch) both spoke on a leadership spotlight panel, “Thriving Communities Technical Assistance” alongside Dr. Kyle Powys Whyte (University of Michigan, White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council) and SeMia Bray (Black Environmental Leaders Association).
Hosted by the Communities First Fund, the convening was part of a larger effort in each EPA region of the country to bring together federal agencies, grassroots organizations, and local governments and municipalities to identify where and how to spend federal funds. Right now, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and the Inflation Reduction Act, billions of dollars of federal funding are being provided to state, local, Tribal, territorial and non-governmental partners to invest in clean energy and climate resilience initiatives. Although these bills contain extensive funding for false solutions such as Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Nuclear, Waste Incineration and Hydrogen, there are also significant opportunities for funding to go directly to our communities.
From left to right: Monica Lewis (We the People of Detroit) and Debra Taylor (We the People of Detroit, MWEJN Leadership Team). Photo courtesy of Jumana Vasi.
The closing plenary session, “Mobilizing for Action,” also featured Midwest Environmental Justice Network’s Senior Advisor, Jumana Vasi, who spoke with Dr. Loretta Gary Smith from MWEJN partner organization Tri City CDC, along with Denise Abdul Rahman and Stephanie Jenkins.
“This meeting underscored the importance of having grassroots Environmental Justice groups making decisions about how federal dollars are spent in our own communities,” Vasi noted.
From left to right: Sikowis Nobiss and teammates from the Great Plains Action Society. Photo courtesy of Sikowis Nobiss.
In addition to hosting the recent convening, the Community First Fund has now established a Rapid Response Fund. The Fund is intended to support organizations’ and coalitions’ needs to respond to “infrastructure crises, movement moments, and time sensitive federal funding notices or rulemaking that require rapid mobilization.” Limited to $1,000,00, qualifying organizations and community projects can receive grants between $10,000-$100,000, which will be distributed until the fund runs out. Applications will be reviewed bi-monthly, and eligibility requirements are available on their website.