Media Alert
TORNADO, CLIMATE CHANGE TO BE FOCUS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EARTH DAY SUMMIT
ATLANTA (March 27, 2008) A “wake up call” in the form of a violent tornado descended upon Atlanta in March, an “equal opportunity” destroyer that trashed prominent tourist features – CNN headquarters, Centennial Park, the World Congress Center and Oakland Cemetery – and destroyed Vine City and other areas predominantly occupied by people of color and the less privileged. Approaching Earth Day 2008, continuing violent and extreme weather events across the country increasingly dominate the news.
A dynamic panel of activists from the spiritual, civil rights, and academic communities will address pressing environmental and social justice issues associated with climate change at the second annual African American Earth Day Summit April 17, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. The summit, “Our Environment: The Place is Here. The Time is Now,” will be held at Sisters Chapel on the campus of Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane SW, Atlanta, GA, 30314.
Speakers include:
- The Rev. Gerald Durley, pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, who “became a missionary for the environment” after watching “The Great Warming” and learning how global warming and climate change are transforming life on earth.
- Dr. Jacqueline Echols, assistant vice president of community development, Benedict College, was galvanized by the dramatic decline she saw in Atlanta’s tree canopy during a 30-year period, and, as a citizen activist, became director of Atlanta’s Clean Streams Task Force and chair of the Atlanta Tree Commission.
- Tony C. Anderson, Morehouse student, received an energy efficient bulb as a gift from last year’s Earth Day Summit, which inspired him to launch a campaign to Raise a Million such bulbs to distribute to low-income families across Atlanta. Since then, the founder of Students Endeavoring for Enlightened Environmental Decisions has risen to the leadership of environmental efforts across the country.
More than 1,000 members of the public, including representatives of business, government, conservation, academia and the spiritual community are expected to attend the Summit presented by Keeping It Wild, an award-winning program of the Wilderness Society. KIW’s leadership includes representatives of local and national conservation organizations, academic institutions and recreation-focused groups such as the Georgia Conservancy, Georgia ForestWatch, Trees Atlanta, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Edge of Night Camping Club, National Wildlife Federation, and The Conservation Fund. The program organizes adventures into Georgia’s wild lands and urban green spaces throughout the year, and promotes environmental protection.
The summit, sponsored by the Turner Foundation and the Spelman Environmental Task Force, will provide vital information about impending climate changes and what individuals and groups can do to prepare, as well as to try and stave off some of the worst effects.
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Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in
the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top
75 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges — Undergraduate," 2005. Located in Atlanta,
Ga., this private, historically Black women's college boasts outstanding
alumnae, including Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman;
U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and
Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the
full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees and the
student-faculty ratio is 12:1. Annually, nearly one-third of Spelman
students receive degrees in the sciences. The students number more than
2,186 and represent 43 states and 34 foreign countries. For more
information regarding Spelman College, visit: www.spelman.edu.
