RACIAL JUSTICE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

On December 10, 2021, Columbia University’s Global Health Justice and Governance Program (GHJG) in partnership with SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and Women with a Vision hosted an interdisciplinary convening on reproductive and environmental justice in the U.S. The meeting, held in New Orleans months after Hurricane Ida and the day Mississippi versus Jackson was argued at the Supreme Court, was historic. More than 40 researchers, community-based activists, and donors convened to discuss the connections between environmental justice and reproductive justice and how advocates and scientists can be better aligned to improve health outcomes. The discussion focused on maternal mortality and preterm birth in Louisiana and Mississippi among Black and Brown women—states with the worst records of maternal and infant outcomes in the nation—to ask why environmental drivers of these glaringly bad trends are understudied and discounted.

This document provides highlights from that discussion including preliminary suggestions for future areas of focus. Details of the individual panels are provided in Appendix I; suggestions from breakout groups are provided in Appendix II; and a full list of participants is provided in Appendix III. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.