This Earth Day, We Focus on Organizing for Black Rural Communities

By Jacqueline Patterson, Executive Director

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.

On recent visits to frontline communities from Illinois to Louisiana, we saw firsthand how entire communities continue to be deprived of the basic means that comprise civilized life in a country as wealthy as the United States. Louisiana continues to be battered over and over by increasingly severe storms driven by climate change, further depleting available housing units. For residents of Black rural towns, this means even greater housing insecurity — or almost impossible odds for stable housing. While permits continue to be granted for the buildout of fossil fuel infrastructure and now the boom of AI data centers, Black communities from Ohio to Kentucky to Arkansas to Texas are disproportionately burdened with ever more pollution.

Black rural residents cope with food scarcity and energy insecurity along with increased surveillance, the loss of hard-won social protections, and continued erosion of basic infrastructure. Adding insult to injury, they are not considered at all when it comes to voter mobilization drives during election cycles. Two years ago, as we were embarking on this work, we were asked over and over — how did you find us?

This Earth Day, The Chisholm Legacy Project (TCLP) continues to deepen our capacity to support Black rural communities in moving from visioning → strategy development → action planning → implementation, ensuring their priorities translate into tangible outcomes that advance climate justice and just transition. TCLP’s organizing work is grounded in strengthening frontline community power through deep, trust-based engagement, leadership development, and hands-on technical assistance.

To do more, we have launched a Black Rural Organizing Institute for the dedicated purpose of training and coaching organizers to work in Black rural communities. This approach recognizes the power of frontline communities to transform society from extractivism to a living economy that cares for sacred relationships between people and Mother Earth.

We invite you to learn more about Black Rural Organizing Institute (one-year, full-time, paid position).