Apr
29

Historic Preservation and Environmental Justice Webinar

Apr 29, 2021

12:00 pm — 1:15 pm

Because of where they live, income discrepancies, and limited access to resources, economically disadvantaged communities repeatedly face the greatest health risks from environmental disasters. Environmental justice― the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to environmental laws, and policies―strives to change unfair practices in the wake of environmental disasters, by advocating for fair treatment of all communities.
Notwithstanding the impacts to physical health, environmental disasters can also damage and destroy important historic places that support a community’s mental and emotional health. When a community loses its historic homes, schools, churches, landscapes, traditions, and culture, much of their sense of continuity, memory, and identity is lost.
Join us as we welcome Kendyl Crawford, Director, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light and member of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice; Lakshmi Fjord, (Pine Grove School Community in Cumberland County and the Union Hill Community in Buckingham County); Karen Speights, Resident of the historic Chesterfield Heights Neighborhood in Norfolk; Kyle Spencer, Deputy Resilience Officer at City of Norfolk; Julie Langan, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; Elizabeth Lipford, Preservation Specialist of the Eastern Region Office of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; and moderator Niya Bates, Graduate Student in the History Department at Princeton; as we discuss environmental injustice in Virginia, its impacts on historic resources in traditionally disadvantages communities, and ways these injustices can be addressed.
Register here