top of page
Summit Recap! (1).jpg
Summit Recap!4.png
SWEA LOGO-12_edited_edited.png

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.

Scholarship Opportunity

Sonny William Gaddy, Jr. was a highly motivated and determined young man.

 

He was laser-focused on empowering our youth with the understanding that their success in life will be determined by their calculated and strategic movements. 

9EA9C680-0D0B-419B-B960-A4D8A74ADD95 _2_

Welcome To Our Workshops

Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds pic.png

Water Justice Session

Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds

Executive Director

Stepping Stones Resources

Asada headshot.jpg

Air Quality Session

Asada Rashidi

Environmental Justice Organizer

 SWEA

GADDY 2021 PROFILE PIC.jpg

Plenary Session

Kim Gaddy

Executive Director

SWEA

Yambeli photo.jpeg

Clean Air, Good Jobs

Yambeli Gomez

Lead Workplace Justice Organizer

Make The Road New Jersey

SWEA Updated Logo -27.png

Event Agenda

"One Ward, United for Environmental Justice"

Saturday, February 19th 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

9:30am-10:00am

  • Breakfast

​

10:00am-10:15am

  • Sonny Gaddy, Jr. Scholarship Launch

    • Book Scholarships for Science High Students

    • Entrepreneurial Scholarship for Newark Residents 

​

10:15am-11:00am

  • Opening Plenary

    • Moderator 

      • Kim Gaddy, Executive Director, SWEA

  • Panelist

    • Olivia Glenn, Deputy Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) - (Invited)

    • Nathaly Agosto-Filion, Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of Sustainability, Department of Administration, City of Newark

    • Protection Agency (EPA) Region

​

11:00am-11:45am

  • Water Justice Panel

    • Moderator 

      • Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds, Executive Director Pro Tempore of Stepping Stones Resource, Co-Chair of the Newark Environmental Commission, Executive Director of the Weequahic Park Association, and a Board Member of Clean Water Action

SWEA LOGO-12_edited.png

  • Panelist

    • Yvette Jordan, Chairperson of Newark Education Workers, Co-Chair of the Lead-Free NJ Advocacy Committee, History teacher at Central HS in Newark Public Schools, Newark Education Workers, Lead-Free NJ Advocacy Committee

    • Nicole Miller, Co-chair NewarkDIG (Doing Infrastructure Green)

​

11:50am-12:40pm

  • Air Quality Panel

    • Moderator 

      • Asada Rashidi, Environmental Justice Organizer, SWEA

  • Panelist

    • Luis Lim, Chief, Bureau of Air Monitoring New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)

    • Rachel Casteel, Namati/CEEJH Environmental Justice and Health Fellow Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health

    • Fatima Haynes, Rutgers University, EOSHI  

 

12:40pm-12:55pm

  • Clean Air, Good Jobs (update)

  • Panelist

    • Yambeli Gomez, Make The Road New Jersey

    • Amy Goldsmith, Clean Water Action

    • Representation from Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) 

 

12:55pm-1:00pm

  • Closing Remarks

 

1:00pm-1:30pm

  • Lunch

bottom of page