Dr. Robert Bullard speaks about Environmental Justice - Why Place Matters, and So Does Race

Free Lecture Will Relate Environmental Injustice to Harvey

Dr. Robert D. Bullard reveals the gap in recovery from Hurricane Harvey, as well as related toxic conditions. He will speak on “The Quest for Environmental Justice: Why Place Matters, and So Does Race.”

The talk is part of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church’s Kilgore Lecture series. It will be held at the church, 1900 Bering Drive in Houston, on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

Dr. Bullard, often described as the Father of Environmental Justice, is a sociologist and a former dean of the School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. He has written 18 books, including Invisible Houston and The Wrong Complexion for Protection. He has extended that field of research to include climate change, and he has been named of one of 22 individuals worldwide as a “Climate Pacesetter.”

Much of his life’s work has been devoted to uncovering the underlying assumptions that contribute to and produce unequal protection; he brings to the surface the ethical and political questions of “who gets what, when, where, why, and how much.” Bullard’s research–from toxic waste to climate vulnerability–has documented why many communities of color have the “wrong complexion for protection,” placing their inhabitants at elevated health and environmental risks. His lecture will explore how the environmental justice framework redefined environmentalism and challenged institutional racism and the dominant environmental protection paradigm.

The Kilgore Lecture was established in 1986 through a bequest by Dr. Hartman Kilgore, to raise awareness of topics with public policy implications. Previous Kilgore Lecturers include Dr. David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, and Lisa Falkenberg, Pulitzer Prize winner and vice president for opinion at the Houston Chronicle.

About Emerson Church: Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, was chartered in 1960 to serve the growing westside of Houston. The congregation reflects an energetic diversity of religious belief, race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and sexual orientation. Emerson is a Welcoming Congregation (LGBTQ friendly), and its educational building is the first church facility in the nation to earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) certification. Learn more about Emerson at http://emersonhouston.org/