When the world went into lockdown in 2020, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) launched an innovative new series called Living Room Leadership. This weekly webinar-and-podcast series was created to keep the Environmental Justice (EJ) community connected and inspired during a time of physical isolation. With in-person gatherings impossible, CHEJ brought the movement into people’s homes – or rather, their living rooms – through candid conversations with grassroots leaders. The goal was simple yet profound: to share meaningful stories and lessons from community activists, sustaining hope and momentum for environmental justice even while everyone was stuck apart.
Born in a Pandemic: A Virtual Gathering for EJ Communities
CHEJ kicked off Living Room Leadership in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic as a free weekly webinar series. Every Wednesday at noon, community leaders from across the country would join a live Zoom call to discuss their work – their strategies, challenges, and hard-won victories as environmental justice activists. Each session ran about 45 minutes and was moderated by a CHEJ team member. Audience members could listen in and ask questions after the interview, creating an interactive forum despite the physical distance. This format provided a much-needed space for learning and camaraderie at a moment when traditional organizing was disrupted. CHEJ was essentially bringing the frontlines to the living room, ensuring that important community stories continued to be heard during quarantine. As CHEJ later noted, these conversations turned out to be “rich and inspiring,” leading the team to share them more broadly as a podcast.
Notable Guests and Memorable Episodes
Over its run, Living Room Leadership produced 29 episodes featuring an array of inspiring grassroots heroes from different regions and struggleschej.org. The series ran from summer 2020 through 2021, spotlighting everyone from local neighborhood organizers to nationally recognized environmental justice champions. Here are just a few of the memorable guests and episodes that left a lasting impact:
- Dawn Chapman & Karen Nickel – Two mothers from St. Louis, Missouri who co-founded “Just Moms STL” and led their community’s fight against radioactive waste. As ordinary residents-turned-activists, Dawn and Karen proved that you don’t need to be a seasoned expert – “yes, you can even be ‘just’ a mom” – to make a difference. Their July 2020 inaugural episode set the tone for the series by showing the power of determined parents protecting their families and neighbors.
- Hilton Kelley – A former Hollywood actor who gave up his entertainment career to become a clean-air crusader in Port Arthur, Texas. Kelley, the founder of Community In-Power & Development Association (CIDA), shared in an August 2020 episode how he returned to his polluted hometown to fight the oil and chemical refineries endangering his community. His story of personal sacrifice and commitment – literally trading the red carpet for refinery fencelines – was a striking example of passion for one’s community.
- Lois Gibbs – CHEJ’s own founder and a living legend in the environmental health movement. In April 2021, on the 40th anniversary of CHEJ, Lois joined the series to reflect on her journey from the Love Canal tragedy to building a national network. She recounted how, since 1981, CHEJ has connected and empowered over 15,000 local groups (some 2.25 million people) to stand up against toxic threats. Hearing from Lois was both inspirational and grounding – a reminder of the movement’s roots and the legacy of community leadership that guides CHEJ’s work.
- Maria Lopez-Nuñez – A rising environmental justice leader from Newark, New Jersey, who helped achieve a landmark policy victory. As Deputy Director of the Ironbound Community Corporation, Maria was instrumental in passing New Jersey’s S232 law, hailed as the strongest environmental justice legislation in the United States. In her November 2020 episode, she discussed how grassroots organizing and advocacy led to this breakthrough law that elevates protections for overburdened communities. Her story offered a hopeful example of turning local activism into systemic change.
- Jerry Ensminger – A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who became an unlikely activist fighting for victims of the Camp Lejeune water contamination. Jerry’s Veteran’s Day 2020 interview recounted his decades-long battle with military bureaucracy to seek justice for Marines and families (including his own) poisoned by toxic chemicals on base. His dogged pursuit – born from tragedy and sustained by love for his daughter Janey – illustrated the role of perseverance and moral leadership in uncovering the truth. Hearing Jerry speak about never giving up, even after 30 years, was incredibly moving for many listeners.
These are just a handful of the extraordinary individuals featured on Living Room Leadership. Other episodes highlighted Indigenous activists fighting for sacred land, community organizers taking on polluters in their backyards, and local officials championing health protections. Each guest brought a unique story, but all shared a common thread: a dedication to protect their community’s health and environment against steep odds. Week after week, the series introduced “regular” people who became environmental justice leaders, showing what courage and organizing can achieve.
Recurring Themes and Lessons Learned
In reflecting on the Living Room Leadership conversations, several powerful themes and lessons emerged repeatedly across different episodes:
- Empowerment of Everyday People: A core message of the series is that anyone can rise to leadership. Many guests were ordinary citizens – parents, neighbors, veterans – who stepped up when their communities were threatened. As one story put it, “you don’t need professional training… Yes, you can even be ‘just’ a mom” to make change. The success of activists like Dawn Chapman and Karen Nickel showed viewers that personal passion and concern for family can ignite effective grassroots action.
- Finding Common Ground: Another lesson was the importance of unity around shared values. Several leaders talked about bridging divides by focusing on what everyone cares about. For example, Ranjana Bhandari described uniting her Texas community against fracking by appealing to concern for their children’s health – “you can love fossil fuels… but you still don’t want to poison your children”. This theme of protecting the next generation helped diverse groups find consensus and strength in numbers.
- Persistence and “Fighting to Win”: A recurring refrain was never give up. Again and again, speakers recounted uphill battles that took years – even decades – of organizing. Activist Pam Kingfisher encapsulated this spirit when she said, “Everyone told us we wouldn’t win. I refuse to have that attitude and will continue to fight”. Whether it was halting a pipeline or forcing government action, these stories taught that tenacity is often rewarded. The series’ very name – and the podcast spinoff title – Fighting to Win – echoed this emphasis on relentless advocacy.
- Solidarity and Connection: Perhaps the most uplifting theme was that nobody is alone in this fight. By hearing one another’s stories, listeners were reminded that their local struggles are part of a larger, nationwide movement. As one participant observed, interviews with community leaders who achieved wins were “empowering and let us know that we are not alone in the fight to make our lives safe and healthy.” Even as everyone was socially distanced, Living Room Leadership created a sense of community. It reinforced that whether you’re in rural North Carolina or urban New Jersey, there’s a whole network of people who understand your fight and are standing with you.
These lessons – empowerment, common ground, persistence, and solidarity – were woven through virtually every episode. Together, they formed a kind of informal toolkit for effective environmental justice activism, distilled from real-world experiences. Listeners could take heart from these insights and apply them to their own community efforts.
From Zoom to Spotify: Wider Access to Inspiration
What began as a Zoom webinar series soon evolved to reach an even broader audience. Recognizing the value of these dialogues, CHEJ decided to share them beyond the live events by launching an audio podcast called “Fighting to Win.” The podcast took the recordings of Living Room Leadership interviews and made them available on major streaming platforms. Listeners can find the series on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and via CHEJ’s website. This move ensured that even those who couldn’t attend the Wednesday webinars could still benefit from the conversations at their own convenience.
CHEJ’s team seamlessly bridged the gap from interactive webinars to on-demand podcasts. Each episode of Fighting to Win corresponds to a Living Room Leadership session, preserving the conversational feel and wisdom of the original interview. By uploading these episodes weekly, CHEJ kept up the momentum and allowed the stories to live on and inspire new people continuously. The series remained free and easily accessible, lowering any barriers for community members to tune in. Whether one preferred to join live on Zoom for the Q&A or catch up later on Spotify, the content was there to engage people wherever they were. This hybrid approach significantly amplified the impact of Living Room Leadership – transforming it from a one-time event into a lasting resource and a library of grassroots leadership stories.
A Lifeline for the Environmental Justice Movement
During the worst of the pandemic, Living Room Leadership served as more than just a media series – it became a lifeline for the Environmental Justice movement. For activists stuck at home, feeling the weight of both a public health crisis and ongoing environmental threats, these weekly conversations offered solace, knowledge, and community. Listeners consistently praised the series for its uplifting impact. Many found the webinars “informative, inspiring, and encouraging”, and eagerly shared the recordings with others in their own networks. Hearing about neighbors in other states winning battles – whether stopping a toxic facility, securing a cleanup, or passing a new law – helped people believe that progress was still possible, even in dark times.
Importantly, Living Room Leadership kept environmental justice issues in focus at a time when global attention was dominated by COVID-19. It reminded policy-makers, organizations, and community members alike that the fight for healthy environments didn’t pause for the pandemic. In fact, the series highlighted how the pandemic and EJ issues intersect – for instance, communities already overburdened with pollution were hit even harder by COVID. By featuring frontline leaders, CHEJ’s podcasts shone a light on these connections and ensured that community voices were heard despite the lockdowns.
The interactive nature of the series also fostered real connections. Activists who might never have met in person found themselves swapping tips in the Zoom chat or following up after an episode. In some cases, new alliances and support networks grew out of these virtual meet-ups. One attendee noted that the weekly support webinars were valuable because they showed activists “we are not alone” and helped build an “army” of grassroots leaders fighting together. In a very tangible way, Living Room Leadership strengthened the bonds of the EJ community when those bonds were most at risk of fraying.
The Power of Storytelling and Community in Crisis
Looking back at the Living Room Leadership series, it’s clear that its true power lay in storytelling and human connection. By simply giving people a platform to share their stories, CHEJ nurtured a sense of hope and solidarity that statistics or reports alone could never achieve. Each episode was, at its heart, a storytelling session – a chance for a community leader to say, “This is what we faced, this is how we fought back, and this is what we learned.” In times of crisis, such stories are like beacons. They not only inform, but also inspire others to act and reassure them that they’re part of something bigger.
The series also underscored the value of leadership in all its forms. We often think of leaders as elected officials or organization heads, but Living Room Leadership celebrated a different kind of leadership: the homeowner-turned-activist, the retired teacher organizing her neighbors, the young person speaking up at a town meeting. These are the quiet heroes of environmental justice, and their leadership often comes simply from caring deeply and persevering. During COVID-19, when formal structures faltered, it was this grassroots leadership that kept many communities going. CHEJ’s podcast provided a megaphone for those leaders when it was most needed.
Finally, Living Room Leadership exemplified how community connection can be sustained even under unprecedented challenges. Physical distancing did not mean social disconnection. Through creative use of technology and a warm, inclusive approach, CHEJ managed to cultivate a virtual living room where people from all over the country could gather, week after week, to lift each other up. The tone was personal and hopeful – we saw children or pets wander on screen, we heard heartfelt laughter and occasional tears, and we felt the genuine camaraderie that formed among participants. In that sense, the series lived up to its name: it felt intimate and familiar, like sitting together in a living room, learning from each other and gaining strength for the road ahead.
As we reflect on this series now, in a hopefully calmer phase after the height of the pandemic, the impact of Living Room Leadership continues to resonate. The recorded episodes remain accessible, serving as an educational archive and a source of motivation for current and future activists. The environmental justice movement is richer for the stories that were shared and the connections that were made. In a time of crisis, CHEJ’s Living Room Leadership showed how leadership can emerge from any living room, how storytelling can heal and empower, and how community can thrive even when we must stay apart. Those are lessons we will carry forward, together, as we continue the fight for a healthier, more just world.
