8th Annual HBCU Climate Education Conference

The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice will partner with the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, in collaboration with thirty-two (32) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and fifteen (15) community-based organizations, to host the 8th Annual HBCU Climate Education Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 6 – 10, 2021. The Conference addresses the significant need for climate education for HBCU students who are largely under-represented in scholarship on climate science, but over-represented as members of communities most vulnerable to climate impacts.

Conference sessions will explore the dynamics of racial, social, public health and economic disparities in the wake of climate-related disasters, serving as a call to action for students at HBCUs to become engaged in the conversation around climate impacts and equity.

The aim of the Conference is to bridge the gap between theory and the experiential realities of climate impacts by bringing together HBCU faculty and students, researchers, climate scientists, and environmental justice and coastal community residents impacted by toxic facilities and severe weather events. The major purpose of the Conference is four-fold: (1) introduce HBCU students to climate science; (2) engage students with Gulf Coast communities experiencing climate impacts; (3) engage students in the practice of the profession through the presentation of research findings; and (4) interact with and learn from professional experts in the field.

The Conference is a one-of-a-kind national meeting that strives to create synergy between academia and vulnerable communities; contribute to addressing chronic or emerging challenges related to climate impacts in coastal regions and port cities that can be exacerbated by offshore oil and gas operations and natural disasters; and foster the development of leadership and communication skills, competencies in science literacy, and capabilities of participating HBCU students.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.