Black History Month Feature: Regina Strong

Tell us about your journey into environmental justice advocacy. What inspired you to start working in this field?

Advocacy and the fight for equity and justice are core elements of who I am. Throughout my career, I have been motivated by the pursuit of justice. Many years ago, when I worked as an affordable housing advocate, I was exposed to the realities of place and equity. It became evident to me that where you live and who you are can play a critical role in the injustices you experience. My focus on working toward addressing environmental injustices was elevated during the years I spent leading the Michigan Beyond Coal Campaign for the Sierra Club. I had the opportunity to work alongside the phenomenal environmental justice advocate Rhonda Anderson, who taught me so much more about the fight to achieve environmental justice. She connected me to long time activists Theresa Landrum, Vicki Dobbins and Dr. Delores Leonard who taught me about the sharing of lived experiences that are at the core of addressing what communities face. These veterans of the movement helped elevate my interest in learning more, advocating stronger and understanding the Jemez Principles of Democratic Organizing which are at the heart of the fight to address environmental injustices. I have been honored to serve as the state's inaugural Environmental Justice Public Advocate since 2019 when Governor Whitmer created the role and the office I lead.

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What’s a success story you're proud of regarding environmental justice and its impact on Black communities?

I am very proud to have an opportunity to integrate the pursuit of environmental justice into state government. In my current role, I lead the state's Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team. The Response Team includes representation from departments across state government that meet monthly to work toward achieving environmental justice. We also launched the state's first environmental justice advisory council, the Michigan Advisory Council for Environmental Justice. The MACEJ, as we call it, is made up of representatives from communities with environmental concerns, Tribes, environmental organizations, community organizations, local governments, public health, academia, unions and business and industry. The MACEJ began meeting in February of 2020 and in March of 2020 the Covid pandemic began taking hold. As hand washing was recognized early on as one of the major ways to protect from contracting covid, our MACEJ members began advocating against water shut offs and for people without water during such a critical time. The advocacy ultimately led to the issuing of a moratorium on water shutoffs during the pandemic. I am proud to have worked with MACEJ and water advocates to help make this important step a reality. This is just one of many parts of my work that has had a positive impact on communities across the state. I am very proud to advocate internally and externally for achieving environmental justice.

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What does Black History Month mean to you, particularly regarding the ongoing efforts towards environmental equity? 

Black History Month represents a recognition of the important contributions of Black people and Black culture to this nation. It is a time to focus on the historical context for the ways we have played a critical role in the American story. However, every day presents an opportunity to recognize the patchwork quilt that represents recognition of the ongoing contributions of Black people. The fight to address environmental inequities and injustices has at its core the Black experience. By recognizing the role historical actions have played in putting some communities at the frontline and the fence line of environmental justice we can create a path toward addressing and eradicating these inequities in the future.

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Learn more about Regina Strong’s work here.