Organization will support Southern public and civic sector leaders to locally address the climate and environment and advance racial equity.
NEW ORLEANS (May 9, 2023) — E Pluribus Unum (EPU), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, announced the fourth cohort of the Unum Fellowship program consisting of ten Southern public and civic sector leaders engaged in work on climate and the environment, who want to deepen their focus on racial equity. Unum Fellows in the Climate and Environmental Justice cohort will be equipped with resources, training, and technical expertise in order to develop and execute an environment-focused Fellowship project through an equity-based lens.
“Inequity takes many forms. We know that how communities, especially marginalized communities, across the American South are impacted by the environment and climate is an existential threat that can and must be mitigated by leaders,” said Scott Hutcheson, Executive Director of E Pluribus Unum. “Through the Climate and Environmental Justice Cohort of the Unum Fellowship, EPU is excited to support Southern leaders across the public and civic sector who are willing to break down systemic barriers and work toward a better, more equitable South and nation for us all.”
The Climate and Environmental Cohort of Unum Fellows consists of: Letora Anderson, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington; Garrett Blaize, Cultural and Community Organizer (VA) ; Rob Burton, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director, SWEET Alabama; Jordan Campbell, Executive Director, Gateway Regional Arts Center (KY); Amanda Delperdang, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center; Jesse Herrera, Founder & Executive Director, CoAct (TX); Davante Lewis, Louisiana Public Service Commissioner, District 3; Sen. Natalie Murdock, North Carolina State Senator, District 20; Diamond Spratling, Founder and Chair, Girl Plus Environment (GA); Clinton Woods, Birmingham City Councilor, District 1.
The Climate and Environmental Justice Cohort of Unum Fellows will continue EPU’s mission to increase dialogue and advance racial equity in the South. The selected Fellows were chosen from a large pool of applicants located in the following Southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, and West Virginia.
Visit https://www.unumfund.org/fellows/ for more information.
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About E Pluribus Unum
Founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2018, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to build a more just, equitable, and inclusive South, uprooting the barriers that have long divided the region by race and class. Incubated at Emerson Collective, EPU is focused on changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, and championing transformative policy change. Learn more at www.unumfund.org.