Blog
What the Water Already Knew
By Jacqui Patterson and Delicia Reynolds Hand I didn’t grow up knowing the word “environmental justice.” I grew up knowing that half the kids in my school on the south…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreGlobal 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…
Read MoreAt 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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreFossil 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.
Read MoreLeadership 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…
Read MoreTCLP 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…
Read MoreEthical 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…
Read MoreFrom COP30 to COP31: What We As Afro-Descendants Accomplished – and the Work Ahead
![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.](https://thechisholmlegacyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Untitled-design-1024x576.webp)
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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