Overview
The Mandel Humanities Center and Stand for Racial Justice at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) host an online panel discussion on "The Color of Environmental Health: The Effects of Environmental Justice on Human Well-Being."
Dr. Derrick Williams, a Professor of Communication Studies at Tri-C, will lead a panel discussion with community leaders to address how issues related to environmental health and justice disproportionately impact communities of color, as well as ways that individuals can get involved to improve physical, mental, and community environmental health outcomes. Topics will include lead poisoning, air and water quality, tree canopy, and access to nature, among others.
This event is a continuation of a collaboration between CEHV and Tri-C on a series of events related to racial justice. Previous events in the series included The Color of Law, The Color of Health, and The Color of Technology.
All events are free and open to the public.
Panelists
Faruq Abdul-Khaliq, Recreation Specialist, Cleveland Metroparks
Abdul-Khaliq began working for Cleveland Metroparks in 2012 and has a long history of serving the needs of culturally, racially and socioeconomic diverse populations within the U.S. and internationally. As an educator, facilitator and outdoor enthusiast, Abdul-Khaliq enjoys showcasing his ability to provide positive experiences for those he serves by appealing to their imagination. He especially enjoys fishing with family and friends in his spare time.
Kim Foreman, Executive Director, Environmental Health Watch
As executive director for Environmental Health Watch (EHW), Foreman focuses on environmental justice issues and the adverse outcomes of environmental exposures that disproportionately impact poor and minority communities in Cleveland and the nation. During her 20+ years with EHW, Foreman has developed, implemented and managed various local grassroots projects, worked on national projects, spoken at local and national conventions and appeared on radio and television. She has been interviewed by The Plain Dealer and The New York Times and was featured in the Aljazeera English documentary Poison in Our Walls. Foreman holds a degree in sociology with a minor in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University.
Aneisha Young, Student and Mandel Scholar, Cuyahoga Community College – Metropolitan Campus
Young is currently pursuing an Associate of Arts degree at Tri-C’s Metro Campus. A member of the College’s Black American Council, she was recently selected as a Mandel Scholar. She plans to transfer to a four-year school to obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology, in addition to a master’s in marriage and family therapy. She believes counseling can be a major vehicle to impact individuals, couples, families and communities. Young’s environmental justice work was featured as part of 2021 Earth Week celebrations at Tri-C and at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington. As a proud member of United Faith Church in Newburgh Heights, she spends much of her time working to address food and housing insecurity in local communities.
Moderator: Derrick L. Williams, Ph.D., Professor, Communication Studies,Cuyahoga Community College – Metropolitan Campus
Williams, affectionately known as “Prof. D” and "the Blue-Collar Scholar," has 20 years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at various U.S. colleges and universities. As a 2019-2020 recipient of Tri-C’s inaugural Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities faculty fellowship, Williams designed a curriculum for K-12 students that teaches public speaking skills by examining the rhetoric of Carl B. Stokes and environmental justice. His work in environmental justice on campus and in surrounding communities — recognized with a 2021 Faculty Leadership in Sustainability Award from Tri-C — is inspired by fellow Alabama natives Robert D. Bullard, Catherine Coleman Flowers and Williams’ own grandfather, Nathan Williams Jr.