BALTIMORE (September 29, 2017) – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the country’s foremost civil rights organization, and the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program launched an online campaign Monday to highlight the leadership of the NAACP units, branches, and state conferences across the country who are creating energy democracy in their communities.

The campaign, Power to the People: Fueling the Revolution for Energy Justice, connects the public with NAACP energy justice work happening on the ground.

“Why is energy justice important to our branch? We know that low-income and communities of color pay a larger percentage of their resources for their energy dollars. Energy justice is about ensuring our communities benefit fully from green jobs, clean air and an energy-independent future,“ explains Jo Ann Hardesty, President of the NAACP Portland Branch.

The campaign uplifts the work of the state and local brances of the NAACP who are fighting for black, brown and other frontline communities who are hit first and worst with energy injustice. Jeremy Orr, Michigan State Conference NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Chairperson, is working in Michigan to create a Master Plan on Environmental Justice.

“Michiganders have long lived in the shadows of poor industry standards and practices. Our auto industry keeps the world on wheels, but at home our communities suffer with respiratory health issues from ground-level ozone caused by vehicle emissions,“ said Orr, “ Our state’s leaders claim to take pride in our Great Lakes, yet allow fracking to deplete our fresh water resources. Our legislature passed ground-breaking renewable energy legislation, meanwhile utility shutoffs are still occurring at astronomical rates due to the unreasonably high costs of energy. And of course those most impacted by these injustices are our black and brown communities and our low-to-moderate income communities. Because of this, the Michigan State Conference NAACP knows that we must be a fighter at the forefront of the revolution for energy justice in order to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities for years to come.“

The latest hurricanes that have impacted the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Carribean Islands are, in part, due to the production of toxic energy and climate change. “In Missouri flood disasters are occurring more frequently, and the impacts from these flood disasters are becoming more severe, both as a result of burning fossil fuels for energy. Missouri low income and minority communities are less likely to recover from the financial devastation caused by these floods,” says Bruce Morrison, Missouri State Conference NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Chairperson.

Our NAACP units and branches across the country are working with their communities to end the health and environmental impacts of dirty energy sources by bringing renewable energy and good, green jobs to their areas.

To learn more about their work, visit our campaign: naacp.org/power-to-the-people