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Benwood Lecture Series presents Majora Carter: Fearless Environmental Activist Friday, August 21, 2009
The Benwood Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies and CreateHere, is pleased to host national environmental justice leader Majora Carter as the next speaker in the 2009 George T. Hunter Lecture Series. Carter will speak at UTC’s Roland Hayes Concert Hall at 7 pm on September 15.
Born, raised, and continuing to live in the South Bronx, Carter’s work takes her around the world in pursuit of resources and ideas to improve the quality of life in environmentally challenged communities. She founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 and since then, she has been instrumental in creating riverfront parks, building green roofs, working to remove poorly planned highways in favor of positive economic development, and successfully implementing the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program—a pioneering green-collar job training and placement system—seeding a community with a skilled workforce that has both a personal & economic stake in their urban environment.
Carter also worked with Van Jones to co-found Green For All, a national initiative dedicated to creating quality jobs in green industries by collaborating with government, business, labor, and grassroots communities.
Carter’s visit to Chattanooga couldn’t come at a better time. As a community, we stand at a crossroads, and how we move forward with community-based environmental initiatives could change the way our city works. Still not convinced? Check out Carter’s TED talk on Urban Renewal, and come ready to start some community conversations.
For more information on the George T. Hunter Lecture Series, visit the Benwood Foundation online.
By Elana Gulas, Culture Senior Fellow
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