Eight scholars and activists whose pioneering work created the field of environmental justice. Their research, frameworks and organizing laid the foundation for every EJ policy, screening tool and community engagement practice in use today, including the work Massachusetts is doing through OEJE.
Compiled May 2026|JJRconsulting|JEDI-CAB Informed
Founding Scholars
8
Movement builders profiled
Span of Work
1960s-Now
Six decades of scholarship
Live Sources
40+
Links to original work
Frameworks Created
6+
Directly applicable to MA
📚
What this resource is and how to use it
These deep profiles connect contemporary EJ practice back to its intellectual and activist roots. Each profile includes the scholar's core contributions, the frameworks they created, key publications, training-specific insights and direct links to their work. The profiles were built to support OEJE staff training development so that every module is grounded in the movement's history.
✓ Understand where EJ concepts originated
✓ Ground training content in movement history
✓ Identify replicable tools for state-level work
✓ Connect MA EJ work to the national context
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A living resource, not a definitive list. The EJ movement was built by hundreds of community leaders, scholars, organizers and advocates. These eight profiles are a starting point. The collection will evolve based on input from training participants, EJ liaisons and community partners. Every profile includes live source links so you can explore each scholar's work directly.
Bullard's research for the first EJ lawsuit revealed all five Houston garbage dumps, six of eight incinerators and three of four landfills were in Black neighborhoods. The empirical foundation of EJ was born.
1982
Warren County Protests
500 people arrested protesting PCB dumping in a Black community in North Carolina. Chavis coined "environmental racism." This is the moment the modern EJ movement was born.
1987
Toxic Wastes and Race
Lee's landmark study proved race was the strongest predictor of hazardous waste facility siting nationally. All recommendations were implemented within six years.
1990
Michigan Conference
Bryant and Mohai organized the landmark conference on Race and Environmental Hazards, forming the "Michigan Coalition" that pushed the federal government to act.
1991
17 Principles of EJ
The First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit (1,100+ delegates) produced the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, still the movement's guiding document.
1994
Executive Order 12898
President Clinton signed the executive order directing federal agencies to address environmental justice. The Michigan Coalition's advocacy directly contributed to this outcome.
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🌟 Cross-cutting themes for OEJE training modules
📊 Empirical foundation
Bullard, Lee, Mohai and Chavis established that EJ claims are grounded in data and rigorous methodology, not anecdote. Essential context for government staff who need evidence to drive action.
✊ Community power
Cole, Shepard and Wright center community agency and self-determination. Their models demonstrate what meaningful participation looks like in practice, not in theory.
⚖️ Structural analysis
All eight scholars frame EJ as structural and systemic, not individual. A key message for government staff learning to see patterns rather than isolated incidents.
🔧 Replicable tools for government
EJSCREEN (Mohai), Three-Category Equity (Bullard), Five Categories of Environmental Racism (Chavis), CBPR (Shepard) and the Communiversity Model (Wright) are directly applicable to state-level work.
🔗 Civil rights lineage
The EJ movement explicitly grows from the civil rights movement. Chavis, Bryant and Cole all frame it this way. Understanding this lineage is essential for meaningful EJ practice.
🌏 The Michigan-Warren County axis
Warren County (1982), the Michigan Conference (1990) and the First National Summit (1991) are three catalytic events that created the institutional EJ framework we work within today.
Help this resource grow
This collection is stronger with your input. If you know of founding-generation scholars who should be included, have additional context on those profiled here or see something that needs correcting, we welcome your contributions.
Send your input directly. No forms, no gatekeeping.
✉ ej-train-input@jjrconsulting.com click to copy
Looking ahead to FY27: Our goal is to bring this resource to the monthly EJ Liaison meetings for collaborative input, evolving it from a reference tool into a community-owned knowledge base. By June 30, 2027, we envision this living resource being maintained and updated by the people closest to the work.