The University’s Coalition Against Environmental Racism will hold its 11th annual Environmental Justice Conference this weekend, bringing speakers, panelists and workshop presenters from across the country to campus from tonight through Saturday evening.
“Environmental racism addresses the fact that poor communities, but specifically communities of color, are disproportionately impacted by pollution, waste disposal, hazardous sites, resource depletion and natural disasters,” according to a CAER press release.
The opening keynote address takes place at 6 p.m. today in Gerlinger Lounge, and the closing address is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday in the Willamette Atrium. Workshop and panels will take place all day Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.
“The program this year is going to create controversy,” CAER Co-Director Nate Gulley stated in a press release. “The traditional boundaries of the Environmental Justice Movement will be crossed. Having forums that discuss the Prison Industrial Complex and the Military Industrial Complex as environmental justice issues is unprecedented.”