Blog

A group of people pose and smile together in a brightly lit room, many raising fists in solidarity. They wear diverse, colorful outfits and conference badges. A Building Resilien[ce] sign is visible in the background.

From COP30 to COP31: What We As Afro-Descendants Accomplished – and the Work Ahead

We were honored to anchor the Global Afro-Descendant Climate Justice Collaborative (GADCJC) at the 30th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP30). Together, in joint purpose and action with scores of Afro-Descendant organizations and leaders, we fought on behalf of communities across Africa and the Diaspora at COP30—advocating for climate justice, Black Liberation, and our collective right to thrive.

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Black Women Are Leading the Way to Energy Justice

Amy Mays endured repeated electricity shutoffs in her Arizona home, endangering her family with life-threatening temperatures and putting her business at risk. But Amy didn’t just survive, she innovated. Amy turned to solar power, going off-grid to power her home and business. In this way, Amy transformed crisis into opportunity — and she’s not the only one.

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A silhouette of a head is surrounded by the words Who gets to be an expert? and Knowledge Economy. Inside the head are the words: Truth, Unheard, Lived Experience, Wisdom, Community, Liberation.

Breaking the Silence: Redefining Expertise for Black Liberation and Just Transition

In 1999, my son Noah died from medical errors following a routine tonsillectomy. As my grief shifted, sometimes softening and sometimes intensifying, I found myself consumed not just by how he died, but by how I was treated as his mother. I was young, he was our first child, and I knew something was wrong. Yet despite being the one constant presence at his side, the person who spent every moment with him after surgery, I was the one least heard. My voice was silenced, and it caused Noah’s death. 

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Smiling woman with glasses and long braids stands by a purple box reading Roishetta Sibley Ozane, 2024 Shirley Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership Recipient. Chisholm Legacy Project logo appears below text.

She took on the oil and gas industry and won: Roishetta Sibley Ozane

Roishetta Sibley Ozane is an environmental justice leader and Founder & CEO of The Vessel Project. She was born in Ruleville, Mississippi, a small town in the heart of the Delta. A mother of six, she was raised in a family that always helped others. Her grandmother fed the hungry for decades and helped register people to…

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A woman in a green headwrap and blue scarf smiles. Text reads, Judy Adjua Williams, 2024 Shirley Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership Recipient, with The Chisholm Legacy Project logo.

The healing role of nature: Judy “Adjua” Williams

Judy Williams, who goes by the name of Nana Adjua Serwaa, is a spiritual healer who teaches others how to heal from generational burdens and trauma using nature. “Adjoa” means “girl born on a Monday,” with her own unique spelling. She’s all about “sustainability of the world and our people.” An Okomfo, or traditional priest,…

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A flooded neighborhood with submerged houses. Text overlay: Displaced on Repeat: Black Americans and Climate Forced Migration. Logo at the bottom for The Chisholm Legacy Project.

Defining the Climate Continuum in the Context of Cyclical Black Displacement

Building from Jacqui Patterson’s article, Displaced on Repeat: Black Americans and Climate Forced Migration, published in the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Journal, this webinar delved into the myriad issues surrounding and exacerbating Black displacement. From the Trans-Atlantic human trafficking massacre to the impacts of the current climate crisis, a consistent thread in the story of…

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Four hands of varying skin tones grasp each others wrists, forming a connected square over a grassy background, symbolizing unity, teamwork, and diversity.

Honing Our Resources to Meet this Unprecedented Moment

As TCLP approaches our anniversary on July 1st, we recognize and give thanks for the meaningful contributions so many people (communities, staff, board, allies, partners, volunteers, donors, etc.) have made to the foundation we have built. TCLP now offers databases, toolkits, multiple research publications, the Black Liberation and Just Transition Institute (BLJTI), the Just Transition Lawyering Institute, the Just Transition Municipalities Institute, and more!

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A woman shouts through a megaphone during a protest march, surrounded by other demonstrators. In the foreground is The Chisholm Legacy Project logo featuring a tree with a raised fist.

TCLP is Meeting the Moment with a Concentrated Strategy

Building Local Sustainable Economies–Catalyzing a New Democracy TCLP stands for bold Black leadership in advancing just transition, where frontline communities take the lead on shaping the solutions that center a solidarity economy, regenerative systems, and an inclusive democracy. Today TCLP, alongside peer organizations in the movement, is operating in the most overtly systemically hostile circumstances…

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A field of wildflowers and tall grass is lit by the golden light of sunset, with a white house and trees in the background.

Preserving American History: Supporting Freedmen’s Settlements and Historic Black Towns

The recent decision by the National Park Service to withdraw Louisiana’s Great River Road region — home to numerous historic African American communities — from consideration for National Historic Landmark designation underscores an urgent reality: historic Black communities established by formerly enslaved people, known as Freedmen’s Settlements or historic Black towns, face mounting threats not just from environmental challenges, but also from policy decisions that prioritize industrial development over cultural preservation.

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Introducing the Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership

TCLP launches the Shirley Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership

To commemorate the 100th birthday of Shirley Chisholm, The Chisholm Legacy Project (TCLP) is excited to announce the launch of the Shirley Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership, a personal and professional development award program to assist Black femme frontline leaders in climate and environmental justice.

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