We are MEJA - the Milwaukee Environmental Justice Alliance

We are dedicated to advancing the equitable and sustainable well-being of both Milwaukee and the planet, ensuring that climate change impacts are addressed with justice and inclusivity at the core.

We work collaboratively to mobilize communities, safeguard human rights, and bring awareness to our cultural impact on the earth. We strive to address systemic, intersectional environmental injustices and activate communities to participate in decisions that affect their environment.

Our Approach

We embrace the framework of democratic organizing as laid out by the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Jemez, New Mexico, Dec. 1996 (Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing) and the 17 Principals of Environmental Justice out at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit held on October 24 to 27, 1991 in Washington DC.

Formally known as the Environmental Justice Roundtable est. 2020, the Milwaukee Environmental Justice Alliance re-emerged in 2023 sharing a model of Core Values and Environmental Standards across local, regional and national efforts. Especially to support all of Milwaukee in its mission to address the dual challenges of climate change and environmental justice, ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for both people and the planet.

Vision Statement

Our vision is a Milwaukee where every resident, regardless of their background, enjoys a high quality of life, lives in harmony with the natural world, and is resilient in the face of climate change. We aspire to be a leading force in environmental justice that honors and trusts black and brown leadership. We are creating a future where black and brown people and youth are fully represented and ensuring that the planet is healthy, interconnected and thriving.

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, informed by race, class, or income in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulation, and policies. In that, we seek to address and rectify the disproportionate environmental burdens and risks encountered by marginalized communities.

Milwaukee Environmental Justice

Seeking to dismantle systemic barriers and gain access to power to protect Milwaukee’s most historically marginalized communities through three main justice activities: 1) leadership and representation about topics that affect the environment in which we live, 2) education about environmental threats to our community, and 3) preserving our remaining environmental equity and rectifying environmental injustices already endured.

What we’re working on

  • Strategy & Movement Building

  • Community Convenings

  • Responding to Calls to Action

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