Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum Presents Special Lecture as Part of Its 23rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Program
Before Al Gore lent his national celebrity to the cause of environmentalism there was a voice coming from the south—the voice and scholarship of Robert D. Bullard. Bullard, the Ware Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, is the featured speaker at the Anacostia Community Museum's 23rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Program being held Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.
Bullard will present his lecture, "Growing Smarter: Achieving Livable Communities and Environmental Justice Twenty-Five Years After Warren County," at the Baird Auditorium of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. The program also will include a performance by saxophonist Merlon Devine. A Q-and-A period follows the lecture; and the book, "Growing Smarter: Achievable Livable Communities, Environmental Justice and Regional Equity" (MIT Press, 2007), is among the three titles by Bullard available for purchase, as well as CDs by Devine. Admission is free but seating is limited. To obtain more information and, or make reservations, e-mail acmrsvp@si.edu or call (202) 633-4875.
Known as the "Father of Environmental Justice," Bullard is the author of 15 books and other publications that address sustainable development, environmental justice, urban land use, industrial facility development, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, emergency response, smart growth and regional equity. (He is currently finishing a new book that further examines the governmental role and response during the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the impact on the black community.) He was the focus of the July 2007 CNN report "People You Should Know—Bullard: Green Issue is Black and White," which examined the placement of toxic waste dumps in minority communities, and his earlier book on this subject is considered a standard text in the environmental justice field. He also testified as an expert witness at the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health Hearing on Oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Justice Programs in July 2007.
Through the Environmental Justice Resource Center, a research, policy and information organization founded in 1994, Bullard seeks to include minority and working-class communities in mainstream decision-making on environmental and health issues.
The Anacostia Community Museum opened in southeast Washington in 1967 as the nation's first federally funded neighborhood museum. Today, it is recognized as a national resource, creating critically acclaimed exhibitions, engaging public programs and innovative community documentation initiatives. Its main focus is the study, collection and exhibition of community and family history in the exploration of contemporary social and cultural issues. For more information about the museum, the public may call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000 or (202) 633-5285 (TTY); for museum tours, call (202) 633-4870. Web site: http://anacostia.si.edu.
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