WASHINGTON, D.C. — It is with heavy hearts and profound gratitude for a life of transformative service that Young, Gifted & Green joins the nation and the global community in mourning the transition of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. While the world remembers him as a titan of the Civil Rights Movement and a drum major for justice, we honor him today as a foundational pillar of the Environmental Justice movement.

Reverend Jackson understood, long before it was a mainstream talking point, that the fight for civil rights was inseparable from the fight for the right to breathe clean air, drink pure water, and live on land free from toxic contamination. He recognized that “environmental racism” was not a peripheral issue, but a central frontier in the struggle for Black liberation and human dignity.

We specifically reflect on his indispensable role during the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in October 1991. Sponsored by the United Church of Christ’s Commission for Racial Justice, this four-day summit in Washington, D.C., remains the most significant event in the history of the movement. Reverend Jackson was not merely a spectator; he was a vital presence and an active participant as the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice were forged.

His leadership during that summit helped bridge the gap between the traditional civil rights establishment and the emerging grassroots environmental movement. By standing with the delegates in 1991, he helped codify a framework that shifted the environmental narrative from “conservation and wildlife” to “where we live, work, play, learn, and pray.” The 17 Principles serve as our organization’s North Star today because leaders like Rev. Jackson had the vision to demand a seat at the table for communities of color.

“Reverend Jackson taught us that the environment is a civil rights issue. He was there in 1991 when my now ancestors and elders declared that our lives and our health were not negotiable. As a youth-centered organization, we stand on his shoulders. We carry forward his ‘Rainbow’ vision recognizing that the liberation of the land and the liberation of the people are one and the same.”

LaTricea D. Adams, Founder CEO & President of Young, Gifted & Green

As we celebrate the legacy of Rev. Jackson, Young, Gifted & Green recommits itself to the 17 Principles he helped champion. We will continue to organize, advocate, and lead with the same “Keep Hope Alive” spirit that Rev. Jackson embodied for over six decades. Our prayers are with the Jackson family and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. We have lost a giant, but we have gained an eternal blueprint for justice.

Rest in Power, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

About Young, Gifted & Green

Young, Gifted & Green (YGG) is a national environmental justice and civil rights organization with the purpose of bringing like-minded organizations together to collectively take action and advocate against the crisis of lead exposure and environmental injustices in disadvantaged communities.

Learn more about Young, Gifted & Green at www.younggiftedgreen.org.