Faith Force is a faith-based program dedicated to advocacy in African American communities, rooted in a shared love of the earth.
Black and brown communities have carried the burden of climate impacts for our country for far too long. While America’s reliance on natural gas and limited energy sources have soared, our nation’s low income neighborhoods sit on the fence line of air and climate pollution. Communities of color also pay more of their income to energy cost than their white counterparts, making it a financial burden to simply breathe clean air.
From playgrounds to pulpits, communities of color continue to suffer from environmental injustices and action is required now.
That’s why Moms Clean Air Force is a signer to the Equitable and Just Climate Platform and focused on ensuring that a JUST transition to zero climate pollution means a fair and equitable distribution of resources, technology and attention to the places and people that need it most.
A JUST Transition
For Moms Clean Air Force a JUST transition to zero climate pollution is:
J – Job creation for workers in communities hardest hit by climate injustice and most underrepresented in the clean energy economy. Experts say that the green energy job sector is among the fastest growing in the United States. We support a JUST transition to zero climate pollution that will be inclusive of all communities and pay particular attention to rectifying the availability of jobs in low income communities.
U – Utilizing the best energy sources to lower the cost of electricity to low income communities. The science is clear: Renewable energy options lower climate pollution, improve public health, and create stable energy sources which lower the cost from our pocketbooks. We stand with science and support a JUST transition to zero climate pollution and a 100% clean economy that helps level the playing field for families to pay a fair bill.
S – Stopping the expansion of dirty facilities. Using dirty fossil fuels is not only unnecessary, it’s dangerous to our environment and our heath. Many facilities that produce natural gas sit right on the edge of low income communities, making them ground zero for health disparities and illness. Over 1 million African Americans live within a half mile of an oil and gas operation. This is not to mention the many Indigenous and Latino families that have been historically subjected to living near these facilities. It’s not fair and it’s not right. We support a JUST transition to clean energy that stops the expansion of fossil fuels and refocuses our efforts to investments in renewable and existing energy sources.
T – Transforming our infrastructure for climate adaption in vulnerable communities. It’s no secret that America’s roads, bridges, and sewers are in desperate need of repair. But for cities on the front lines of climate change AND that protect underserved populations, strengthening their foundations could mean the difference between life and death. We support a JUST transition to a 100% clean energy economy that invests in sustainable, reliable, and resilient infrastructure, but prioritizes vulnerable populations that need it most.
2019 Launch Week Events
Monday, February 18, 2019, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM:
The Community Rx Program will be kicking off our launch week with a Facebook LIVE featuring our very own Regional Field Manager, Shakeila James. Join us as Shakeila provides an in-depth introduction of Moms Clean Air Force, the Community Rx Program, and the format for this amazing launch week!
Missed the live event? No worries! Watch the livestream video here
Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 6:30 – 7:30 PM:
Join Moms Clean Air Force as simultaneous Community Rx Table Talk events are held in the tri-state area of SC, NC, and GA. Three Table Talks in South Carolina (Greenville, Columbia, Florence) and three Table Talks in North Carolina (Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh) will help to introduce Community Rx to small groups of 10-20 people.
Missed the live event? No worries! Watch the livestream video here.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM:
Join Moms Clean Air Force for a LIVE Bible Study event featuring an interactive discussion on the connectedness between God’s commandments and the earth, us and the earth, the call on the community and why churches and communities of faith are important to the environmental justice movement.
Missed the live event? No worries! Watch the livestream video here.
Thursday, February 21, 2019, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM:
Join Moms Clean Air Force for a Facebook LIVE with Shakeila James and Chancee Lundy Russell, as we discuss the importance of living clean and building clean.
Missed the live event? No worries! Watch the livestream video here.
Saturday, February 23, 2019, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM:
Join Moms Clean Air Force to plant a healthy tomorrow through a Community Rx Tree Planting. The tree planting will take place in the Kirkwood & Ormewood Forest area of Atlanta, alongside our partners Trees Atlanta and NeighborWoods, with a goal of planting 100 trees in one morning.
View photos and highlights here.
Saturday, February 23, 2019, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM:
Join Moms Clean Air Force as we host one big Community Table Talk event acknowledging and informing the week’s participants and local community members who have served in and around African-American communities. We will have the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation surrounding the topic(s): “What is the right Rx for the Black community? What does it mean to have a “seat at the table”, and what does it mean to “build a table”?
Speakers included:
- Dr. Mildred McClain, Co-founder and Executive Director, Harambee House/Citizens For Environmental Justice
- Shakeila James (Moderator), Regional Field Manager, Moms Clean Air Force
- Dr. Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, Assistant Professor, Spelman College Environmental & Health Sciences Program and Co-Founder, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
- Rev. Leo Woodberry, Executive Director, New Alpha Community Development Corporation and Environmental Justice Chair, Sierra Club’s Ready For 100 campaign
- Rev. Michael Malcom, Executive Director of The People’s Justice Council and Alabama Interfaith Power & Light
- LaTricea Adams, Founder and President, Black Millenials 4 Flint
- Whitney Brown, Staff Associate for Communications & Administration, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light
Missed the live event? No worries! Watch the livestream video here.
Sunday, February 24, 2019, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM:
Join Moms Clean Air Force as we wrap up our Community Rx launch week in worship. Worship day will be a time to reflect on the launch week’s activities and fellowship in Christ. We will fellowship at Impact Worship Center with leaders: Dr. Arthur T. Jones, Jr. and First Lady Tonya Jones. If you are unable to physically attend the service, please feel free to watch via live stream here.
View Photos and Highlights from Launch Week
For More Information
Please contact us for more information about Faith Force:
General questions and information: Almeta Cooper, acooper@momscleanairforce.org
Media Contact: Sasha Tenenbaum, stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org