Midwest Environmental Justice Network

Thank you to Kim Wasserman for her steadfast support of the work of the Midwest EJ Network. As one of our founders, Kim has stewarded the heart of the Network, and has always tended to the core of what we do. At our June Leadership Team meeting we celebrated Kim's immense contributions to our Network. This month, she will be stepping down as our Leadership Team Chair.

"Over the last 17 years, Kim has shepherded MWEJN from being a dream into a reality. She has always been clear that structural change comes from building movement organizing power, and organizers in our region need steadfast support and spaces to build and strategize. Thank you Kim!" -Shalini Gupta, Co-Executive Director of the Midwest EJ Network.

We will be welcoming in Carolina Ortiz, Associate Executive Director of COPAL MN , as our incoming Leadership Team Chair. Please join us in showing our gratitude for Kim Wasserman's incredible contribution to MWEJN!

Congrats We the People of Detroit--absolutely well deserved 💚❤️🖤 🎉🎉🎉

We're grateful to receive the Wake Up Detroit Juneteenth Award this morning — honoring the legacy of our mentor, Queen Mother Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson, and the work we carry forward in her name.

Thank you to Midtown Detroit Juneteenth Parade & Celebration for this recognition and the extra special presentation by Attorney Maya Watson(Daughter of Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson) and her extremely generous remarks.

Happy Freedom Day! ❤️🖤💚

Last week was our first in-person retreat with the Advisory Circle!

Over two days our Advisory Circle convened to give feedback on
🌷funding priorities
🌼 programming needs
🌱 resourcing environmental justice orgs in the region

We are so thankful to all the AC members who traveled to Minnesota to join us for this energizing time together. These relationships are at the heart of our participatory grant making, and at the heart of building a sustainable movement in the Midwest.

📸 Photo Credit: Jaida Grey Eagle

"For much of my life, I felt unrooted. My family immigrated to rural Minnesota to work on a small dairy farm from Russia when I was only five years old. The world that I had known and loved had vanished in what felt like a moment, and left me with a profound sense of loss. Since then, I have struggled with the question: What does it mean to call a place home?

The Midwest Environmental Justice Network and University of Michigan Tishman Midwest Climate Catalyst Fellows program helped me solve a piece of this puzzle."

Sofia Ledeneva reflects on her time as a Tishman Catalyst Fellow with us in her last blogpost with us at the Midwest EJ Network--read below!

The Place We Call Home — Midwest Environmental Justice Network For much of my life, I felt unrooted. My family immigrated to rural Minnesota to work on a small dairy farm from Russia when I was only five years old. Since then, I have struggled with the question: What does it mean to call a place home? When I was placed with the Midwest Environmental Justice

Today is Sofia Ledeneva's last day as our Tishman Fellow here at the Midwest EJ Network! We are so grateful for Sofia's creativity and passion that she has demonstrated throughout her work with us.

Sofia also holds a special place in our hearts as our first Tishman Fellow we hosted from the of Michigan Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment 🫶

"Sustaining environmental justice movement work means ensuring that we have a strong regional leadership pipeline. MWEJN's partnership with the University of Michigan Tishman Center's Catalyst Fellowship program is one way we are supporting emerging researchers and leaders. Sofia has been a testament to the possibility of investing in place-based leaders--we have been so grateful to have her curiosity, care, and brilliance with us at the Midwest EJ Network."" - Eartha Borer-Bell and Shalini Gupta, Co-EDs

After receiving her master's from Tishman, Sofia will be returning to the Twin Cities to work with Our Streets as a Yale Environmental Fellow! Please join us in congratulating her on her successful completion of the program--we can't wait to see this next chapter of her journey.

of our Advisory Circle spotlights featuring

Monica Lewis-Patrick, We the People of Detroit
Alfredo Romo, Neighbors For Environmental Justice
Nick Speed, Ujima
Alicia Smith, The Junction Coalition

Learn more about our at the link in our bio!

of our Advisory Circle spotlights featuring

Tara Houska, Giniw Collective
Cicely Allen, Wisdom Institute Detroit
Dr. Alicia Renee Farris, Tri-City Community Development Corp.
Taryn Randle, Getting Grown Collective

Our Advisory Circle helps to guide selection, eligibility criteria and priorities in our grantmaking and programming, while also serving as ambassadors of the Fund. This is what participatory grantmkaing looks like in action.