Juneteenth marks the day when the last enslaved Black Americans learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It is a celebration of liberation, resilience, and the ongoing struggle to ensure that the promise of freedom is realized for everyone.
While much progress has been made since June 19, 1865, inequities persist in communities across the country. Too often, Black communities and other communities of color continue to bear a disproportionate burden of environmental harms, from contaminated drinking water and toxic pollution to aging infrastructure and inadequate investment.
At Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund, we believe environmental justice is fundamental to building healthy, thriving communities. The right to clean, safe water and a healthy environment should not be determined by race, income, or where someone lives.
Through organizing, advocacy, and partnership, we work alongside residents to address environmental injustices, hold polluters accountable, and advance policies that protect public health.
This Juneteenth, we honor the generations who fought for freedom and recognize that the pursuit of justice continues. As we celebrate this important day, we are proud to share some of the ways Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund are advancing environmental justice across the country, as well as the challenges we continue to face.
National
On its first day in office in January of last year, the Trump administration launched sweeping rollbacks on environmental justice protections. The administration dismantled key programs such as the Justice40 Initiative, eliminated the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and revoked a decades-old executive order requiring agencies to prevent environmental discrimination.
Over the past nearly 18 months, we have seen the administration abandon not just programs but the entire concept of identifying and addressing the disparate impacts of pollution. These actions reflect an alarming disregard for frontline and fenceline communities and the most vulnerable among us. Combined with continuing to weaken or eliminate programs meant to address clean air, clean water, toxic chemicals, and the threats of climate change, this means polluters’ priorities are being put before the health and safety of communities. Our work is more important than ever.
Clean Water Action continues to prioritize environmental justice. We are committed to supporting all people regardless of their race, wealth, or background. We will amplify and empower the local voices of affected neighborhoods. And we will never back down from pushing for equitable protections and holding polluters accountable to ensure a healthier environment for all.
California
Clean Water Action in California continues to work with the low-income, largely Latino community of Lost Hills, which received funding 2 years ago to create a Local Community Emissions Reduction Plan. This plan identifies local pollution sources and suggests actions to mitigate the impacts on residents. Now we’re implementing the plan – starting with a community health survey to identify the impacts of local air pollution. The community is also tracking the development by the state of a cancer risk assessment for Acrolein, a biocide and building block for other toxic chemicals. Lost Hills air monitoring has detected this chemical, which is ten times as deadly as benzene - at levels nearly double that of neighboring communities. The community is focused on finding the source – or sources – of this chemical and eradicating its use.
This year is the 7th anniversary of the SAFER program, which targets at-risk and failing water systems with a wide range of assistance, including legal advice, planning and engineering, construction dollars, interim safe drinking water and community engagement. The program has been a huge success, reducing the number of people served by failing water systems by 1 million people. We still have 600,000 people left, and money is running short with federal cuts and a state deficit. But we’ve never made this much progress in so short a time – we need to continue!
With this victory under our belt, we’re trying for the big time – adopting water rate assistance for low-income Californians! One in 3 households could qualify for this assistance, so it will be expensive. But the good news is that we have consensus in the water community that this is an important program. We can make this happen!
Our ReThink Disposable program is in its 15th year, reducing harmful plastic single-use foodware from dine-in restaurants and venues in historically marginalized environmental justice communities. Over 85% of the 700+ business owners we have worked with are BIPOC, women, or LGBTQIA+ individuals building and feeding their communities, many times when their own neighborhoods are food deserts. ReThink in California is proud of the work we do, and we are always looking at ways to expand our program to serve even more in our local communities.
Connecticut
Connecticut Clean Water Action just renewed our energy efficiency outreach program in Waterbury. Historically, the state’s program providing low- and no-cost energy efficiency upgrades to homes and businesses has been utilized by wealthier households at a higher rate than lower-income communities. Clean Water Action’s outreach aims to close that gap by organizing with local elected officials, appearing at community events, and canvassing neighborhoods to ensure that Waterbury residents are aware of and can access this program to make their homes more energy efficient and save money on their energy bills!
Maryland
Maryland needs to enshrine cumulative impacts analysis and protections in its permitting system to protect overburdened communities from increasing pollution burdens. This year, Clean Water Action and allies pushed for the CHERISH Our Communities Act, a bill designed by frontline communities in Maryland, tailored to the most problematic pollution sources and the permits that regulate that pollution. While the bill failed this year, the coalition continues to grow, and the fight continues.
Massachusetts
Clean Water Action in Massachusetts continues to proudly work with and stand alongside passionate young leaders working to advance environmental justice in their communities. Over the past year, our Youth Action Collaborative (YAC) program has played a critical role in raising awareness about climate justice, lead in drinking water, and the ongoing threat of PFAS in Malden.
Through community education and empowerment, youth-led research and advocacy, YAC participants have helped to inform local residents about these public health challenges and the disproportionate impact they pose on Environmental Justice communities. Most recently, the YAC members brought their bold voices directly to their local decision-makers by testifying at the Malden City Hall, calling for stronger action to protect public health and ensure equitable access to safe and clean drinking water.
No community, and certainly no young person, should solely bear the greater burden of environmental harm simply because of their race, income status or their zip code!
New Jersey
As one of the oldest industrialized and slave states (last slave to be freed in New Jersey was not until January 23, 1866, when a state constitutional amendment was signed) in the nation, we live on top on the environmental and health harms of many centuries. The cumulative and disproportionate impacts Black and brown communities face is great. Clean Water Action is working every day to tackle environmental, health, and racial injustices, including the proliferation of warehouse and port diesel pollution, unsafe drinking water in New Jersey's state prison system, and a greater number and toxicity of ingredients in personal care and consumer products marketed to women of color. While Clean Water Action has been at the forefront of many landmark achievements, like passage of the Environmental Justice law (2020), there are currently many forces at work to roll back our gains including state legislation that would reactivate dirty fossil fuel plants located in lower income communities of color.
Stand with us in righting the wrongs of the past and setting a just and healthy course for our future, regardless of what zip code you live in or the color of your skin.
Pennsylvania
Clean Water Action’s environmental justice efforts in Pennsylvania continue to center on addressing residents’ priorities in Black and brown communities in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions.
Clean Water Action held an Air Aware Program for residents in Pittsburgh’s Mon Valley suburbs. These residents live in the shadow of the U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Steel Mill and because of its pollution face some of the worst air pollution and highest asthma rates in the country. The program helped distribute 200 indoor air purifiers to 100 area families. It also trained residents on how to read the county health department’s air monitors, understand the data and tools the Commonwealth uses to identify environmental justice areas, and transition this information into building a personal story that can be used as testimony at hearings and to get their neighbors active in efforts to improve air quality.
Clean Water Action is working in partnership with community organizations in West and Southwest Philadelphia neighborhoods to protect and expand urban garden spaces as well as address flooding and stormwater issues by transforming vacant, blighted properties and impervious surfaces into green spaces that’ll benefit the community. This partnership led to the creation of the Kingsessing Working Group. The group, through community workshops, produced the “Kingsessing Green Vision Plan”- a roadmap for increasing community greening by coordinating active community leaders, city agencies and resource providers to improve quality of life, support residents, restore natural systems, and provide access to nature for all Kingsessing residents. Building upon this success, Clean Water Action helped form the West Philly Greening Coalition. The coalition’s community engagement resulted in the drafting of “The West Philadelphia Greening Coalition Action Plan: a collective vision for a greener, healthier neighborhood”. The plan outlines community agreed upon priorities to heal the environment, heal people, grow local food, and strengthen the West Philadelphia community through collaboration, mutual aid, and community advocacy.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Clean Water Action is one of the organizations leading the campaign to pass a RI Voting Rights Act to protect voters against barriers to voting and racial gerrymandering. While the bill failed to pass before the 2026 session ended in June, the coalition remains committed to fighting for passage in the 2027 session and will be amassing support. Federal attacks on the right to vote necessitate state action to protect it.
Washington DC
In Washington DC, Clean Water Action is dedicated to playing a supporting role with our partner, the Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative (APACC). APACC is a community-led effort that brings together organizations and community members to collaboratively drive progress toward eco-resilience, fair access to quality green space and the benefits of such space, and better District policies for disfavored communities in Wards 7 and 8. APACC's work includes education on issues most impacting their communities, bringing experts and DC government officials into the community to share information, and providing space and support for network partner projects and programs for DC residents. Clean Water acts as fiscal sponsor to APACC and engages as an active partner in the network’s efforts.
Thank you for standing with us as we honor this important day in history!
