February 28, 2025

For nearly a decade, Young, Gifted & Green has been committed to our mission to empower communities to take action and advocate against the crisis of lead exposure and environmental injustice in disadvantaged communities.  Our work pushes for transparency and the right to  democracy that protects communities from environmental harm across the nation. At the same time, we focus on ongoing programs that support communities in Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. Through a fair, transparent, and rigorous application process, EPA awarded the Community Change Grant to Young, Gifted & Green to establish the historical Midsouth Environmental Justice Center (MSEJC) in Memphis, TN.  Embodying the Jemez Principles, this project was built 100% from community and seeks to improve air, soil and water quality, create safer, healthier and more energy efficient homes and small businesses, and produce good paying jobs.

The Midsouth Environmental Justice Center will:

• Expand Workforce Development: Create lasting job opportunities in fields like HVAC, plumbing, lead inspection, and indoor air quality. The program will cover training and certification costs and provide career entry support.
• Improve Housing and Energy Efficiency: Through the Whole Home Model Initiative, provide low-income households with lead hazard reduction and energy efficiency upgrades for healthier living and lower energy costs. Additionally, support small, local businesses with energy efficiency retrofits to reduce overhead costs and benefit the local economy.
• Develop Water Quality Experts: Build the next generation of water quality experts, connecting post-secondary education with frontline communities to establish a citizen science program focused on educating community members on water quality and ways to have safer and cleaner drinking water.
• Revitalize Communities: Address urban blight and industrial pollution by restoring soil health and transforming communities into green spaces.

While the grant award was announced in December 2024, Young, Gifted & Green has not yet received funding from EPA as of today. Regardless of the fate of this funding, we will persist to best serve our communities. We understand that there may be fellow Americans who may not be happy about this new opportunity in Memphis, but we will remain steadfast. We are optimistic about the future of the MidSouth Environmental Justice Center in Memphis and under the leadership of our Founder, CEO, and President, LaTricea Adams—who grew up in a frontline community in Memphis and brings three degrees (including two terminal), a decade of experience in environmental justice, and nearly 20 years in community and organizational leadership—we will not stop until there is environmental justice for all.