


Join us on April 22nd
Recap of 2022 Environmental Justice Summit
The South Ward Environmental Alliance hosted its 1st Environmental Summit at Weequahic Park, Feldman Middleton, Jr. Community Center, 92 Thomas Carmichael Dr., Newark, NJ.
The conference theme “One Ward, Fighting for Environmental Justice” is a critical topic for the South Ward community due to the proliferation of warehouses, increased truck traffic, flooding & unsafe drinking water in our homes and schools.
The conference featured breakfast, local, state, national environmental speakers, a networking lunch & the launch of the Sonny Gaddy, Jr. Scholarship fund.



Event Agenda
"One Ward, United for Environmental Justice"
Saturday, April 22nd 9:30am to 2:00pm
9:30am-9:55am
Breakfast
10:00am-10:10am
Welcome, Opening Remarks
10:10am-11:10am
Opening Plenary
-
Panelists
-
Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey's Commissioner of Environmental Protection
-
Lisa Garcia, Regional Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 2 Office
-
Councilman Patrick Council, South Ward Councilman of Newark, New Jersey
-
-
Q & A Session
11:10am-12:25pm
Community Monitoring Panel
Moderator
-
-
Asada Rashidi, South Ward Environmental Alliance
-
-
Panelists
-
Vivek Ravichandran, Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health
-
Luis Lim, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
-
Azania Heyward-James, The Cornerstone Collective 2020 Global and Damê Consultants
-
-
Q & A Session
12:25pm-1:10pm
-
Moderator
-
Kim Gaddy, Executive Director, SWEA
-
-
Panelists
-
Dr. Amandla Shabaka-Haynes, Florida Behavioral Health Impact Project, Florida State College of Medicine’s Center for Behavioral Health Integration
-
Michelle Dawkins, The Safety MD LLC and Safety, and Emergency Preparedness
-
-
Q & A Session
Reflections from United Nations Conference of Parties 27; Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Path to COP 28
1:10Pm-1:50pm
Voices from the Next Generation of EJ Leaders
-
Moderator
-
Tiarra Lee, South Ward Environmental Alliance
-
-
Panelists
-
Chris Tandazo, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance (invited)
-
Tolani Taylor, Clean Water Action
-
Asada Rashidi, South Ward Environmental Alliance
-
Christopher Westbrook Jr., South Ward Environmental Alliance
-
-
Q & A Session
1:50Pm-1:55pm
Sonny William Gaddy Jr. Scholarship Fund
-
Gift Basket Giveaways
1:55pm-2:00pm
Closing Remarks
2:00pm
Lunch

Meet Our Panelists

Plenary Session
Shawn LaTourette
New Jersey's Commissioner of Environmental Protection

Community Monitoring Panel
Vivek Ravichandran
Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health

Climate Change
Kim Gaddy
Executive Director
SWEA

Voices from the Next Generation of EJ Leaders
Asada Rashidi
South Ward Environmental Alliance