Symposium

University of Maryland Symposium on Environmental Justice and Health Disparities: The first UMD EJ Symposium (as it is informally known) took place on Saturday, December 1, 2012 and was organized by Dr. Sacoby Wilson with support from Mustafa Santiago Ali (then Associate Director of the US EPA Office of Environmental Justice) and Leslie Fields (National Environmental Justice Director for the Sierra Club). This intersection of academic, government, and non-profit sectors for the purpose of providing environmental justice community stakeholders with a space to convene and network was the first of its kind in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region. The CEEJH Lab has hosted six symposia with the seventh to take place in August of 2021. Over the years, the overarching theme of the event has varied, ranging from the inclusion of environmental justice and health disparities in conversations about sustainability in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to grassroots activism to health, law, and policy tools for environmental justice communities to STEM innovations that can empower community stakeholders. However, there have been several key constant focuses across all symposia including: food justice, energy equity, children’s environmental health, community capacity-building, built environment and social determinants of health, air pollution, and equitable development and community revitalization, among others. With feedback over time, the symposium has moved towards providing more workshops and hands-on training sessions to further empower community members and allies. Each symposium draws hundreds of attendees and speakers from diverse backgrounds.