Blog
The Architecture of Liberation — The Role of the Just Transition Mechanism
At the June Intersessionals (SB64) of the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany, Jacqueline Patterson, Executive Director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, spoke at a panel on June 8, 2026: “How can the Just Transition Mechanism support holistic transition across sectors?” With co-panelists: Eloise Guillon of World Animal Protection, Catalina Caro of Friends of the Earth –…
Global Afro-Descendants Refuse to be Sidelined at the 2026 UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference
Bonn, Germany – The June Intersessionals (SB64) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) lay the groundwork for COP31, but Afro-Descendant participants continue to face exclusion. To achieve more durable, legitimate climate governance, the Global Afro-Descendant Climate Justice Collaborative is hosting the Afro-Descendant Trans-Atlantic Strategy Convening (AD-TASC) concurrent to official climate negotiations….
At the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, we – Global Afro-Descendants (GAD) – are confronting interconnected systems of oppression and fighting for REAL solutions to the climate and ecological crises
For the first time in history, Afro-Descendant peoples have been formally recognized and included as an official delegation within a global climate process.
This Earth Day, We Focus on Organizing for Black Rural Communities
We confront an appalling reality: Conditions have only deteriorated for Black rural communities since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. In some places, conditions have worsened thanks to climate change.
Fossil Fuel Foolishness Persists but the Resistance is Rising
The global economy operates on a foundational injustice: treating Black communities, and other frontline communities and Global South nations, as sacrifice zones. Our communities have disproportionately dealt with decades of disenfranchisement, disinvestment, and displacement. We continue to feel the worst effects of climate change and increased toxins in the environment.
Leadership Already Exists in Black Frontline Communities
Tanya Lord PhD, MPH Across the country, Black frontline communities are already leading the work of climate justice. Organizers, advocates, practitioners, and community members are working every day to protect their neighborhoods, strengthen local economies, and respond to the growing impacts of climate change. For many leaders in Black frontline communities, this work is not…
TCLP Announces 2025 Shirley Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership Awardees
To celebrate the 101st birthday of Shirley Chisholm on Nov. 30, The Chisholm Legacy Project (TCLP) is thrilled to announce the awardees of the 2025 Shirley Chisholm Black Femme Leader Wellness Sistership, a personal and professional development award program to support Black femme frontline leaders in climate and environmental justice. Recognizing the entirety of Black…
Ethical Stocktake Reveals the Empty Shelves of the UNFCCC: A Call to Transformation
Context: The Global Ethical Stocktake (GES): An Ethical Mutirão for Climate Action, was launched as part of the lead-up to COP30 (the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference), which took place in Belem, Brazil from November 10th through the 22nd. By the start of COP30, GES regional meetings and dialogues across six continents had taken…
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.
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.