Trauma to Transformation: A Set of Existential Opportunities to Address Environmental Justice and the Climate Crisis
Mustafa Santiago Ali will discuss opportunities to address environmental justice and the climate crisis as part of the Kim and Judy Davis Dean’s Lecture Series and Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s focus area on climate change.
Speaker
A thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator, Mustafa Santiago Ali is the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. Before joining NWF, he was the senior vice president of the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC), a national nonprofit organization, where he led the strategic direction, expansion, and operation of HHC’s portfolio on climate, environmental justice, and community revitalization.
Ali previously worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 24 years, beginning as a student at age 16. He was a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and most recently served as senior advisor for environmental justice and community revitalization and assistant associate administrator. He has lectured at over 100 colleges and universities, including Howard, Harvard, Yale, UC Berkeley, Duke, George Washington, Georgetown, and Spelman. Ali currently serves as a board member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientists, TREE, Roddenberry Foundation, and Climate Hawks Vote. He is a cohost of HHC’s radio show and podcast, The Coolest Show.
Ali uses a holistic approach to revitalizing vulnerable communities, helping them to move from surviving to thriving. Throughout his career, he has worked with more than 500 domestic and international communities to secure environmental, health, and economic justice.
Discussant
Stephanie LeMenager RI ‘17, Barbara and Carlisle Moore Professor of English and Environmental Studies, University of Oregon
The Kim and Judy Davis Dean’s Lecture Series was established through the generosity of Kim G. Davis AB ’76, MBA ’78 and Judith N. Davis, longtime friends and champions of Harvard Radcliffe Institute. This annual lecture series invites leading figures from across the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences to share their expertise, ideas, and diverse perspectives with the Harvard community and the broader public.
Event Video
