N.J. Reparations Council to tackle environmental justice

New Jersey’s Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ) will continue to examine the state’s history of slavery and its impact on Black New Jerseyans.

The two-year-long probe by the Institute’s Reparations Council will study New Jersey’s history and connection to its current racial landscape, making strategic recommendations for reparative justice policies in New Jersey.

On Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m., the Reparations Council’s Environmental Justice Committee will present its findings on the effects of environmentally racist policies during the Institute’s seventh public session.

Strategic communications and branding consultant Nicole Miller is a member of the Environmental Justice Committee. She says her interest in the environment comes from bringing sustainable solutions to small local businesses, religious organizations, elected officials and community groups at her firm, MnM Consulting.

“New Jersey has long profited from both the exploitation and neglect of Black communities, dating back to its active and horrific involvement in the slave trade,” Miller said. “Our committee has been focused on identifying the specific policies and practices that have harmed Black residents, particularly through environmental factors like poor air and water quality, as well as exposure to toxins like lead and dioxin.”

She added, “These [poisons] have led to higher rates of serious health issues, including cancer and asthma, along with socio-economic challenges stemming from neurological and behavioral disorders. Ideally, reparations in New Jersey will directly address these harms by fixing the economic and political structures relying on urban communities to be environmental sacrifice zones for the wealth of the region.”

Institute officials say they want to learn how environmental policies and actions have affected the economic, social, educational and health aspects of the lives of Black people in New Jersey. They are asking community members to submit testimony in any form — written, video or audio — on the Reparations Council’s website.

Members of the Environmental Justice Committee include educators, activists and public policymakers, including:

• Sharif Braxton, community officer New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Melissa Miles, executive director, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
• Nicole Miller, strategic communications and branding consultant, MnM Consulting
• Nicky Sheats, director, Center for the Uran Environment, John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research, Kean University
• Mia White, assistant professor, Urban and Environmental Studies, The New School

Monday’s meeting will stream live from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Zoom and on the NJISJ’s YouTube channel. Attendees must register to obtain a link to join the Zoom meeting.

To join the session via Zoom and share comments, register here. The committee will hear as many registrants as time allows. Comments will be limited to three minutes.

The Reparations Council will consider input from the public when creating policy recommendations, which will be presented in a final report on Juneteenth 2025.

Read more like this on Mosaic:

NJ reparations council shares key insights after year of in-depth research

‘Investing’ in social justice means different things. N.J.’s civil rights warrior Ryan Haygood explains

Juneteenth rally unites community in fight for reparations

Ande Richards may be reached at arichards@njadvancemedia.com.

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