At the Annual Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival, the Live Well Springfield Climate Change, Health & Equity Resident Advocate spoke about the importance of climate crisis and race and health equity injustices. The coalition strongly believes that change cannot happen without the most important people impacted by the issues at the table. ​

Emma Woods is a retired school teacher who joined the LWS Climate Justice Initiative wanted to understand why her granddaughter had asthma in her late thirties and why her husband had COPD and passed away but was not a chronic smoker. She shared, "I want to understand why this was happening, and I wanted to stay involved for the long haul." When residents can lead with their "WHY" of getting involved in climate issues, they invest more in the process and the outcome of making change. 

LWS Resident Advocate Amari Dewberry shared her urgency for communities of color to get involved with climate action work by saying. "I need you, my people of color; to understand that this concerns you first… when your living environment becomes unlivable, what do you think will happen to you first?" 

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In addition, the residents and community partners had a round table discussion with Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, community activist and Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the City of Boston. During this dinner and discussion Rev. Mariama learned about the coalition's climate justice efforts in Springfield and provide insights on how we can accomplish our policy goals. We appreciate the Jazz and Roots Festival to bring attention to this issues in our community and connect us to statewide advocates. 

Learn more about the two policies actions; Race and Health Equity Impact Assessment Requirement( RHEIA) and Community Choice Energy (CCE). 

The coalition works in partnership with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Public Health Institute of Western MA, Neighbor To Neighbor, Arise for Social Justice, Live Well Springfield.