Join the New England Aquarium as they present a talk by Dr. Cornell Brooks on ‘Let Justice Roll Down Like Water: Environmental Justice and Unjust Democracy’ on Thursday, March 26 at 7pm in the Simons Theatre of The New England Aquarium (1 Central Wharf, Boston).
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once declared about our American democracy, “Let justice roll down like water.” Those words ring hollow for Flint, Michigan and other communities across our country. Flint citizens paid $100 a month for lead-poisoned water, while one corporation paid $200 a year to pump 400 gallons a minute of pure Michigan groundwater. Flint citizens–and marginalized American communities—seek not only environmental justice but a just democracy. Environmental justice demands not only the just allocation of natural resources, but the just use of our resources. Email aquariumlectures@neaq.org with questions or go to https://www.neaq.org/learn/lectures/upcoming-lectures/ for more information.
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About the speaker:
Cornell Brooks was most recently visiting professor of social ethics, law, and justice movements at Boston University’s School of Law and School of Theology. He was a visiting fellow and director of the Campaign and Advocacy Program at the Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics in 2017. Brooks served as the 18th president of the NAACP from 2014 to 2017. Under his leadership, the NAACP secured 12 significant legal victories, including laying the groundwork for the first statewide legal challenge to prison-based gerrymandering. He also reinvigorated the activist social justice heritage of the NAACP, dramatically increasing membership, particularly online and among millennials. Among the many demonstrations, from Ferguson, Missouri to Flint, Michigan during his tenure, he conceived and led the “America’s Journey for Justice” march from Selma, Alabama, to Washington, D.C. over 40 days and 1,000 miles.
Before leading the NAACP, Brooks was president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, where he led the passage of pioneering criminal justice reform and housing legislation, six bills in less than five years. He also served as senior counsel and acting director of the Office of Communications Business Opportunities at the Federal Communications Commission, executive director of the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, and a trial attorney at both the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the U.S. Department of Justice. Brooks served as judicial clerk for Chief Judge Sam J. Ervin III on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Brooks holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a senior editor of the Yale Law Journal and member of the Yale Law and Policy Review, and a Master of Divinity from Boston University’s School of Theology, where he was a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar. Brooks has a B.A. from Jackson State University. He is the recipient of several honorary doctorates, including from Boston University, Drexel University, Saint Peter’s University, and Payne Theological Seminary as well as the highest alumni awards from Boston University and Boston University School of Theology. Brooks is a fourth-generation ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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Tip of the Week: So What Exactly is Plastic Film and How Do You Recycle It?
Plastic film – also known as plastic film packaging – is soft, flexible polyethylene (PE) packaging such as grocery, bread, zip-top and dry cleaning bags. It’s also the wrap around many products including paper plates, napkins, bathroom tissue, diapers, and more. (See more examples of plastic film.) A good rule of thumb: if you can stretch it, it is recyclable; if it is brittle and rips, it should not be recycled.
To recycle your plastic film, first make sure that it is clean (e.g., no food residue) and dry. Then, take it to your nearest drop-off location to be collected for recycling–Shaw’s, Star Market, Stop and Shop, and Whole Foods all have drop off bins near the entrances. Plastic film should NEVER be placed into the green recycling carts at home. They gum up the processing machinery at the recycling centers.
Recycling your plastic film is as easy as taking it with you on your next trip to the grocery store.
https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/recycling-bags-and-wraps/plastic-film-education-individual
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