Latest news with #CatherineColemanFlowers
Time Magazine
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Environmental Justice Activist Catherine Coleman Flowers on Witnessing to Make Change
Catherine Coleman Flowers ' hometown of Lowndes County, Alabama, is where she learned about environmental justice—and injustice—firsthand. 'I grew up walking through corn fields, sampling ears of corn, picking melons from vines, and eating plums and green apples off trees,' said the honoree at the 2025 TIME Earth Awards in Manhattan on April 23. But the rural landscape wasn't just idyllic, it was educational: there, she saw how inadequate infrastructure impacted rural development. Many of the homes in the area didn't have access to seemingly basic services like paved roads, drainage ditches, piped water, indoor plumbing, and a sewer system. And, she learned after setting up the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise in 2002, the lack of adequate sanitation meant businesses weren't compelled to invest in the region. Many of the problems stemming from the county's sewage crisis only worsen with heavier rainfall and flooding brought about by climate change. Witnessing these issues motivated Flowers to advocate for change for more than two decades. She's worked with banking executives, public-health researchers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and politicians across the political aisle including Vermont democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alabama Republican former Sen. Jeff Sessions. Flowers 'found that the most effective method for driving change isn't to tell people what these communities are dealing with, but to actually show them—often by literally bringing them to the neighborhoods that are affected most,' said Iraqi-American activist and writer Zainab Salbi, who presented the award. As a result of her advocacy, the Biden Administration announced in 2022 a federal program to provide assistance to more than two million people across the U.S. who lack access to clean running water and indoor plumbing as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. For that, Lowndes would serve as a pilot area. Flowers paid tribute not only to the lessons she learned from her environment but also to the people she grew up with. 'Listening to the conversations of the adults in my life who were deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement, I knew that justice was just around the corner, that we too have fought, died, and suffered to prove that we were part of the America we helped to build,' Flowers said. She pointed to her work building on that of generations before her as evidence of progress and to future generations as beacons of hope. 'I am the answer to my ancestors' dreams, hope personified. Not just my ancestors that are obvious, but the ancestors that entered what later became the United States of America, before it became a nation,' Flowers said. 'Like they fought for the right to live the American dream and the right to vote, I too fight for the future for my children and grandchildren and seven generations to come. My ancestors passed the torch to me, and at some point, I too will be passing that torch to my daughter and my grandchildren. … That is what gives me hope for the future of this planet.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Catherine Coleman Flowers Accepts 2025 TIME Earth Award
Catherine Coleman Flowers speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit on April 23, 2025 in New York City. Credit - Jemal Countess—Getty Images for TIME Catherine Coleman Flowers' hometown of Lowndes County, Alabama, is where she learned about environmental justice—and injustice—firsthand. 'I grew up walking through corn fields, sampling ears of corn, picking melons from vines, and eating plums and green apples off trees,' said the honoree at the 2025 TIME Earth Awards in Manhattan on April 23. But the rural landscape wasn't just idyllic, it was educational: there, she saw how inadequate infrastructure impacted rural development. Many of the homes in the area didn't have access to seemingly basic services like paved roads, drainage ditches, piped water, indoor plumbing, and a sewer system. And, she learned after setting up the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise in 2002, the lack of adequate sanitation meant businesses weren't compelled to invest in the region. Many of the problems stemming from the county's sewage crisis only worsen with heavier rainfall and flooding brought about by climate change. Witnessing these issues motivated Flowers to advocate for change for more than two decades. She's worked with banking executives, public-health researchers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and politicians across the political aisle including Vermont democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alabama Republican former Sen. Jeff Sessions. Flowers 'found that the most effective method for driving change isn't to tell people what these communities are dealing with, but to actually show them—often by literally bringing them to the neighborhoods that are affected most,' said Iraqi-American activist and writer Zainab Salbi, who presented the award. As a result of her advocacy, the Biden Administration announced in 2022 a federal program to provide assistance to more than two million people across the U.S. who lack access to clean running water and indoor plumbing as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. For that, Lowndes would serve as a pilot area. Flowers paid tribute not only to the lessons she learned from her environment but also to the people she grew up with. 'Listening to the conversations of the adults in my life who were deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement, I knew that justice was just around the corner, that we too have fought, died, and suffered to prove that we were part of the America we helped to build,' Flowers said. She pointed to her work building on that of generations before her as evidence of progress and to future generations as beacons of hope. 'I am the answer to my ancestors' dreams, hope personified. Not just my ancestors that are obvious, but the ancestors that entered what later became the United States of America, before it became a nation,' Flowers said. 'Like they fought for the right to live the American dream and the right to vote, I too fight for the future for my children and grandchildren and seven generations to come. My ancestors passed the torch to me, and at some point, I too will be passing that torch to my daughter and my grandchildren. … That is what gives me hope for the future of this planet.' TIME Earth Awards was presented by Official Timepiece Rolex and Galvanize Climate Solutions. Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Activist fighting for wastewater equity set to receive TIME Earth Award
The TIME Earth Awards list recognizes individuals influencing the future of the planet through their work on climate justice, leadership, awareness, and activism. Environmental activist Catherine Coleman Flowers is one of the leaders on the list and she joins Morning Joe to discuss her activism on wastewater and sanitation.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How We Chose the 2025 TIME Earth Awards
Credit - Photograph by Eric Ryan Anderson for TIME Each year TIME honors individuals whose actions have had an indelible impact on global efforts to address one of the most pressing crises facing our planet: climate change. This year marks TIME's third annual Earth Awards, and the stakes couldn't be higher. In 2024, the planet breached 1.5°C of warming above pre-industrial temperatures, an ominous milestone—and a reminder of the urgency with which the world must tackle this challenge. And although climate action faces headwinds from the rising tide of populist politics around the world, this year's group of honorees remain steadfast in championing sustainability and shaping a greener future. There is the Environmental justice leader Catherine Coleman Flowers, who has a legacy of advocating for marginalized communities, particularly Black and rural families affected by untreated sewage. She has gone on to work with Democrats and Republicans alike in an effort to bring about lasting change. Alongside, we honor Jay Inslee, the Governor of Washington from 2013 to 2025, and a leader in local climate action. As co-founder of the U.S. Climate Alliance he has brought together two dozen states to drive progress towards a clean economy. There is former New York Mayor and U.N. Special Envoy Michael Bloomberg, who is steadfastly dedicated to supporting innovative solutions. In January, when President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Bloomberg Philanthropies stepped up to coordinate an effort to continue funding the nation's climate goals. In Ghana, chef Selassie Atadika, the founder of Midunu—an experiential restaurant that highlights the region's culinary heritage—and Midunu Chocolates, uses her food to advocate for sustainable agriculture and showcase the power of the African kitchen. In 2024 she was announced as Yale's inaugural Global Table Fellow in an effort to highlight the connection between sustainability, health, and culture. Back in the U.S., Former Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Frist is calling for climate change to be recognized as a public health crisis. He serves as the global chair of The Nature Conservancy which last year launched the Senator Bill and Tracy Frist Initiative for Planetary Health. And actor Rainn Wilson is on a mission to better communicate the urgency of the climate crisis. With that goal in mind, in 2022 he co-founded Climate Basecamp, an organization that brings scientists and trendsetters together to make talking about the reality of climate change more accessible. Buy a copy of the Earth Awards 2025 issue here Contact us at letters@
