East Michigan Environmental Action Council - EMEAC
Share
EMEAC works to empower the Detroit community to protect, preserve and value the land, air and water. Suite 904,Washington, DC 20006 Toll free (800)736-0986
PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
We, the people of color, gathered together at this multinational People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, to begin to build a national and international movement of all peoples of color to fight the destruction and taking of our lands and communities, do hereby reestablish our spiritual interdependence to the sacredness of our Mother Earth; to respect a
nd celebrate each of our cultures, languages and beliefs about the natural world and our roles in healing ourselves; to insure environmental justice; to promote economic alternatives which would contribute to the development of environmentally safe livelihoods; and, to secure our political, economic and cultural liberation that has been denied for over 500 years of colonization and oppression, resulting in the poisoning of our communities and land and the genocide of our peoples, do affirm and adopt these Principles of Environmental Justice:
Environmental justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction. Environmental justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias. Environmental justice mandates the right to ethical, balanced and responsible uses of land and renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other living things. Environmental justice calls for universal protection from nuclear testing and the extraction, production and disposal of toxic hazardous wastes and poisons that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water, and food. Environmental justice affirms the fundamental right to political, economic, cultural, and environmental self-determination of all peoples. Environmental justice demands the cessation of the production of all toxins, hazardous wastes, and radioactive materials and that all past and current producers be held strictly accountable to the people for detoxification and the containment at the point of production. Environmental justice demands the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision making including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and evaluation. Environmental justice affirms the right of all workers to a safe and health work environment, without being forced to choose between and unsafe livelihood and unemployment. It also affirms the right of those who work at home to be free from environmental hazards. Environmental justice protects the right of victims of environmental injustice to receive full compensation and reparations for damages as well as quality health care. Environmental justice considers governmental acts of environmental injustice a violation of international law, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the United Nations Convention on Genocide. Environmental justice must recognize a special legal and natural relationship of Native Peoples to the U.S. government through treaties, agreements, contracts, and covenants affirming sovereignty and self-determination. Environmental justice affirms the need for urban and rural ecological policies to clean up and rebuild our cities and rural areas in balance with nature, honoring the cultural integrity of all of our communities, and providing fair access for all to the full range of resources. Environmental justice calls for the strict enforcement of principles of informed consent, and a halt to the testing of experimental reproductive and medical procedures and vaccinations on people of color. Environmental justice opposes the destructive operation of multi-national corporations. Environmental justice opposes military occupation, repression and exploitation of lands, peoples and cultures, and other life forms. Environmental justice calls for the education of present and future generations which emphasizes social and environmental issues, based on our experience and appreciation of our diverse cultural perspectives. Environmental justice requires that we, as individuals, make personal and consumer choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and to produce as little waste as possible, and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to insure the health of the natural world for present and future generations. Adopted, October 27, 1991
The First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit
Washington, D.C. In October, 1991, the first national summit on environmental justice adopted the following statement. In October 2002, 11 years later, a second summit reaffirmed these principles. www.ejrc.cau.edu/EJSUMMITwlecome.html
Summit II, Second National People of Color , Environmental Leadership Summit, 1612 K Street, N.W.
01/01/2026
As the year turns, we move forward grounded in what sustains us…
We’re looking forward to the
Environmental Justice work ahead building healthy communities and protecting healthy ecologies in 2026!
12/26/2025
You don’t need a debate to shift a conversation.
Sometimes one well-placed fact is enough.
This series offers facts and conversation starters around environmental justice, that encourage conversations help grow leaders and advocates of climate and environmental justice . Use what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and move with care.
Calm delivery. Real data.
That’s regenerative conversation .
👁️❤️🌍
12/23/2025
East Michigan Environmental Action Council exists to build environmental justice through informed, regenerative, and creative action. Our logo this season, EYE LOVE EARTH, reflects our grounding belief that care for the earth connects us all.
This year, our work across youth leadership, healthy communities, movement building, global solidarity, and just relationships has continued to take shape at Cass Commons and beyond.
We are deeply grateful for everyone who has supported this work, and we warmly welcome those just joining us.
Stand with us as we continue to tend what connects us.
Click the link in our bio to join our mailing list.
12/09/2025
BAKE SALE
All week to raise funds we are operating CAFE M267
HOT DRINKS BAKES CAKES $3
Jamaican Patties $3
Pocket Pizza $5
Merch/Hoodies/Art by donation.
Co-Working for suggested donation in a super chill, cozy spaces. Text staff for more info. All donations appreciated. Follow the link in the bio.
12/01/2025
🌺★INTERNATIONALISM & SOLIDARITY★🌺
This holiday season, we are headed off to a solidarity effort in the Caribbean and need your help fundraising.
You are cordially invited to ENERGY RETURN, an immersive winter restoration session and sound bath fundraiser. Rest. Restore. Recharge.
REST: We’ll have a crystal sound bowl meditation by me, accompanied by the talented on keys, on vocals and light percussion, and on bass. Lay yourself and your burdens down in the beautiful parlor while the Earth holds you and the bowls soothe you.
RESTORE: Seal the practice with some ass shakin! Sounds provided by highly rated . TOP RANK.
RECHARGE: Refill yourself with some delicious Jamaican patties (carnivore and veg friendly), homemade doughnuts, and warm drinks.
We wan fi see yuh dere!!
If you can’t make it and you still want to support our work please do so visiting the link in our bio.
11/28/2025
Today, we ground ourselves in the spirit of Anyi Me Aye A, an Asante symbol meaning, “If you will not praise me, do not spoil my name.”
A reminder to move with gratitude, integrity, and care.
Today, we give our deepest thanks.
Because of our community’s generosity, we have already raised 15% of our $15,000 goal toward restoring sustainable heat at the Commons. Your support means more than you know, and we are so grateful for everyone who has poured into this work.
We hope your holiday was filled with warmth, love, support, family, and friends.
Even though our boiler isn’t working properly, our hearts are full with the warmth of our supporters’ love.
Thank you for helping us
Click the link in our bio donate and read more about this initiative
11/26/2025
Our legacy is full of visionaries, rebels, organizers, storytellers, and cultural architects! Ancestors who shaped the way we gather, resist, and build community.
This holiday season, we imagined what they might bring to the table.
Warm dishes from across the diaspora.
Wisdom that feeds us year after year.
Swipe to see what the ancestors are cooking.
And drop a comment and tell us:
Which of these ancestors would YOU invite to dinner and their dish would be appreciated at your family’s table? 🍽️✨
11/25/2025
The Commons has always been a home for Detroit’s community; a place to gather, heal, organize, and build.
We are undertaking major heating upgrades in our building, creating newly efficient systems, while also repairing an old boiler system, giving our shared space a new energy and heating resilience in cold months.
You can make a difference in environmental justice, community movement, and energy democracy by donating today to East Michigan Environmental Action Council.
Click the Give Butter Link in our bio to learn more about this initiative and our journey to modeling sustainability.
11/24/2025
Imam Jamil Al-Amin is returned to his Creator.
A revolutionary. A guide. A magnificent teacher. His speech, “Collectivism and Individualism” which lays out in stark clarity the role of young leaders in our movement as servants to the community as a whole stands as a timeless testament to the need for humble and accountable, skilled and service-driven leadership in our movements and organizations.
Known then as H Rap Brown he was so smooth and stylish in his delivery, relevant in his rap, wise in the word(s). We stand on mighty shoulders of his. We are moved beyond words as the strength and endurance he embodies. May Allah receive him with open arms and forgive all of his shortcomings and reward his greatness which so richly blessed us all these years and continues to guide us into the future.
11/12/2025
You can make a difference in environmental justice, community movement, and energy democracy by donating today to East Michigan Environmental Action Council. We are undertaking major heating upgrades in our building, creating newly efficient systems, while also repairing an old boiler system, giving our shared space a new energy and heating resilience in cold months.
Having dealt with companies working in bad faith, we now are working with a new company, a Black woman owned heating and cooling company with a history and legacy of supporting movement organizations. This company and the owner have encouraged us to seek to build more modern systems with back ups. We are simply coming to community to ask for help and collective buy in as we try to advance this important communal, movement-building space. EMEAC + Cass Commons is a sanctuary and community base for freedom movement work in the heart of Detroit.
Any funds unused towards upgrades will directly go toward our 2026 Energy Resilience Empowerment Collaborative.
The Energy Resilience Empowerment Collaborative serves to promote: advocacy for policy, a renewable energy solidarity economy in the form of an energy resilience tool library, and model energy resilience at EMEAC’s Commons site. We seek to empower ourselves and each other by providing solidarity and mutual aid support in times of crisis. Michiganders find it difficult to imagine energy futures that protect our natural resources and remain affordable and accessible to everyday people. By providing creative and sustainable solutions in times of crisis we are meeting people where they are at, in times of need, and demonstrating the effectiveness of renewable energy solutions in heating Michiganders in their homes in the coldest months of the year.
11/10/2025
Tomorrow November 11, 6PM at Wayne State Law, don’t miss it. 471 W Palmer.
Dr. Gloria House and Akinyele Umoja discuss their edition of the memoirs of Robert and Mable Williams.
Robert and Mable’s Williams were an American revolutionaries and civil rights leaders. Robert was also an author best known for serving as the first president of the Republic of New Afrika (RNA) from 1968 to 1971 and president of the Monroe, North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the 1950s and into 1961.
12/26/2025
12/09/2025
12/01/2025
11/26/2025
11/25/2025
11/24/2025
11/12/2025
11/10/2025