Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Michelle Martinez

Statewide Coordinator | Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition

Michelle Martinez is a Latinx-Mestiza environmental justice activist, writer, and mother from SW Detroit. Currently, she is the Statewide Coordinator for the Mi Environmental Justice Coalition, and holds space for Third Horizon Consulting. She has a MS from the University of Michigan School of Nature Resources and Environment [2008], and BA in English Literature, also from UM [2003]. In 2017, completed a fellowship with Detroit Equity Action Lab [DEAL] at Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and her Certificate in Diversity Leadership from Michigan State University Julian Samora Research Institute.


Presentations from Facing Race 2018

The Gentrification of the Environmental Justice Movement in Detroit and Beyond

The gentrification of the Environmental Justice Movement. Take a deep analysis into undeserved populations, racial disparities and the state of air pollution and water. Also explore how the same environmental organizations use the same oppressive methods to gentrify the movement.

Many environmental organizations are being asked to add a diversity and equity portfolio to their programming, and more "big greens" are adopting them. And yet industry wide we see very low numbers of representation of people of color in those organizations, as well as a very small portion of total funding going to small community-based Environmental Justice groups.

How can we truly be standing in the principles of environmental justice, build complicity, and power for grassroots in the current landscape? This will be a dialogue-based workshop to daylight problems and explore solutions for People of Color Caucus on Environmental Justice.
Breakout Sessions-Arts at the Intersection: Artistic Praxis for Racial, Social and Environmental Justice
It Takes Roots To Weather the Storm: Race and Resilience on Forefront of the Climate Justice Movement

Speakers: Marnese Jackson-Michelle Martinez-Maria Thomas, Michelle Martinez