The People’s Justice Council

Birmingham, AL

In 2021, Climate Nexus launched an Energy Equity Regranting Project to help resource organizations, tribes, and community leaders on the frontlines of climate change and the impactful work they are doing to fight the gas industry. The energy equity transition grants prioritize grassroots groups with an annual budget of $1 million or less to boost their efforts in racially, ethnically, gender, and culturally diverse communities across the United States and at the intersections of public health and energy justice.

In our second year running the program, 11 organizations received grants ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, including The People’s Justice Council, whose work is detailed below. 

Overview

The People’s Justice Council (The PJC) is a faith-based organization based in Birmingham, Alabama, led by pastors, community organizers, and working professionals to create a world that is equitable, sustainable, and just.

Activities

The People’s Justice Council works with many interfaith organizations across the Gulf South states. Their campaigns focus on biomass, weatherization, environmental justice mapping, connecting which companies fund exploitative processes of Black, brown, and low-income communities, and educating the communities they work with through outreach.

Biomass

The PJC has strengthened partnerships with the Dogwood Alliance, and Education, Economics, Environmental, Climate And Health Organization (EEECHO), and has started working on community health surveys with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

From Resilience to Restoration (FRtR)

With the support of its first federal grant, The PJC launched a national resource hub in each Gulf South state. The PJC developed more than two dozen local, frontline community restoration plans. They seek grant funding to take FRtR “from the Gulf South to the Whole South!”

Rural Electric Co-ops (RECs)

The PJC has hired an outreach specialist to organize a letter-writing campaign targeting every rural electric co-op in Alabama to educate communities about IRA funding opportunities on the table.

Weatherizing Every Residence in the South East (WERiSE) 

WERiSE is part of the South for Energy Justice campaign, a joint program of The PJC and Alabama Interfaith Power & Light. A new technical director is working with communities from North Carolina to Texas to reduce the energy burden of high utility bills by assisting residents to invest in energy-efficient technology and weatherizing their homes.

Lessons Learned

Reverend Michael Malcom, Executive Director of Alabama Interfaith Power and Light, noted, “My next hire is going to be a development director. Not only do you need someone who can help you get the grants, but you need someone to help you manage them as well.”

Future and Sustainability

The PJC is building a coalition that will carry out direct actions as part of an ongoing campaign against companies such as Nationwide, which are financially supporting the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, known as Cop City. Rev. Malcom said, “If we can get them to pull out through shaming them and boycotting, then perhaps we can send a loud enough message that none of the other insurers will want to test this. I aim to make it as costly and inconvenient [for Nationwide] as possible.”

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  Rio Grande International Study Center

  RGISC conducts independent research and community education to steward the environmental preservation and restoration of the Rio Grande Basin.

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  Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity

  MCUP is examining the feasibility of Duck Hill developing a solar and wind park to convert the town to 100% electric and renewable energy.

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  Miami Climate Alliance

  The Miami Climate Alliance works across three areas: climate and health, energy justice, and advancing The Gulf South for a Green New Deal.

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  South Carolina Interfaith Power and Light

  SCIPL develops programming and resources around food insecurity, high energy bills, electric vehicle infrastructure, and resilience hubs.

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  Beyond Toxics

  Beyond Toxics is fighting the fracking industry, educating Lane County residents on climate and fossil fuels, and advocating for renewable energy projects.

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  Youth vs The Apocalypse (YVA)

  YVA uses Zoom to both build community and practice key leadership skills from strategic planning to giving interviews to social media strategies.

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  Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas

  The Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe travels throughout Texas, monitoring pipelines, disposal wells, ongoing border wall construction, and fracking/flaring violations.