By Mihir Vohra. The communities along the San Jacinto River in Harris County, Texas face many environmental health threats from industrial activity in the area. These threats expose residents to toxic chemicals in the air, water, and soil that are known to cause significant health problems. The San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site has been contaminated since the 1960s with dioxin waste from the Champion Paper Mill. Dioxins are some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet, and exposure can cause liver damage, diabetes, immune system dysfunction, cancer,

Social media offers a direct line to share stories from frontline communities whose concerns too often go unheard in traditional media. A single post or video can be shared, re-shared, and reach far beyond what a printed flyer or local meeting might achieve. Unlike one-way communication channels, social platforms allow for dialogue—through comments, shares, and live interactions—which can strengthen connection and trust. They also provide a stage for visual and emotional storytelling that makes environmental justice issues more relatable and urgent. Finally, social platforms allow real-time mobilization—alerting communities to public

By Sharon Franklin. David Leffler, Public Health Watch recently reported on a Superfund site, where the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) scientists conducted a study in East Harris County which is home to several environmental hazards, including toxic Superfund sites. These hazards are largely concentrated in certain communities, which is worrying its residents about concealed cancer clusters.   The DSHS investigation was requested by the Texas Health and Environment Alliance, (THEA), a nonprofit advocacy group led, Jackie Medcalf, who has suffered a litany of health problems during the

Community organizing is the process of building power through involving a constituency in identifying problems they share and the solutions to these problems that they desire; identifying the people and structures that can make those solutions possible; enlisting these targets in the effort through negotiation and using confrontation and pressure when needed; and building an institution that is democratically controlled by that constituency that can develop the capacity to take on further problems that embodies the will and power of that constituency. Heath Booth, founder of the Midwest Academy and

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

By Sharon Franklin. In 1980 national press coverage made Lois Gibbs a household name, but her work did not end with Love Canal.  After receiving thousands of letters from people experiencing similar problems, she created what is today known as the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ).  As many know, she was among the community leaders instrumental in the creation of two bills relating to Superfund. Lois is often referred to as “The Mother of the Superfund”. Today, as reported recently by Stephen Lee, Bloomberg reporter, a history of