Environment, Politics and Social Justice, with Ben Jealous, the Sierra Club

• Wednesday 9 April
• 15.00
• Lecture theatre Q043, UCD Quinn School of Business

A talk and discussion with Ben Jealous, CEO of the Sierra Club, on his cross-cutting experience in environment, politics and social justice, as part of the Trust in Science lecture series

Ben Jealous is Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania and an esteemed American civil rights leader, social entrepreneur and influential voice in the promotion of environmental activism and sustainability in the United States. In November 2022, Ben was appointed as Executive Director of the Sierra Club - a movement that was founded by John Muir in 1892 to protect the wilderness areas of the United States, making it one of the first large-scale environmental conservation organisations in the world. In this role, Ben is working to strengthen the organization’s commitment to environmental justice and broaden its focus on the intersection of climate change and racial equity, including advocating for policies that address both environmental protection, restoration and the needs of marginalized communities. 

Prior to this role, from 2008 to 2013, Ben served as the youngest-ever president and CEO of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (The NAACP), which is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the US. During his leadership, Ben advanced initiatives on voting rights, criminal justice reform, and economic equality, modernizing the civil rights movement for the 21st century.  Ben has written extensively on the political challenges to achieving these visions and, in 2018, ran for governor of Maryland, focusing on progressive policies including universal healthcare and free education.