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April 21, 2026
Speaker: Meishka Mitchell, AICP, PP, is a Lecturer at Rutgers University, Department of Human Ecology
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Time: 10:20am-11:40am
Location: Rutgers University, Alampi Room; Marine and Coastal Sciences Building, 71 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Abstract: Environmental justice is under attack. The rollback of regulations, reductions in agency capacity, and attacks on science, leave vulnerable communities even more at risk. Unfortunately, data alone is insufficient to drive transformative change. Storytelling rooted in lived experience is essential to illuminate the human consequences of environmental harm and to shift power, priorities, and policy. Meishka L. Mitchell draws on her personal journey growing up in Camden, New Jersey and her leadership at the intersection of environmental policy, community advocacy, and systems change to illustrate how environmental injustice is lived, felt, and too often overlooked in policy discourse. By centering people—their histories, voices, and resilience—this approach reframes environmental justice from an abstract concept into an urgent, moral, and actionable imperative. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how narrative can be a tool for advancing equity, influencing decision-making, and building more just and inclusive environmental solutions.