OVERVIEW
WE ACT for Environmental Justice is inviting applicants for the Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellowship for Environmental Justice Leadership. One applicant will be selected to work on environmental justice policy issues, and gain experience in community-based policy advocacy, legislative and regulatory drafting, policy research, and community engagement.
WE ACT is a non-profit environmental justice organization based in New York City that fights environmental racism and works to improve environmental health through community organizing, education, community-based research, and advocacy. Beginning as a volunteer organization in 1988 to fight local environmental health threats, WE ACT has become a recognized leader in the environmental justice movement in New York and nationally, with offices in Northern Manhattan and Washington, DC.
Cecil Corbin-Mark, WE ACT’s Deputy Director and a well-known and highly respected leader in the environmental justice movement, passed away on October 15, 2020 at the age of 51. He was a life-long resident of Hamilton Heights in Harlem, NY, where his family has lived for six decades. Cecil began his environmental justice career at WE ACT for Environmental Justice at the age of 25. He was the first paid staff person hired by the Harlem-based volunteer group when it became a formal non-profit organization. Over the next 26 years, Cecil grew to be one of the leading figures in the movement both in New York State and across the nation. At the time of his untimely passing, Cecil was WE ACT’s Deputy Director and Director of Policy Initiatives. In this capacity, Cecil helped develop and pass numerous environmental health related bills in New York City and New York State, provided overall policy guidance to WE ACT’s New York program staff, managed WE ACT’s Washington, DC federal policy office and served as an informal mentor to aspiring environmental justice advocates across the country.
THE FELLOWSHIP
Through the Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellowship for Environmental Justice Leadership, WE ACT is establishing a unique opportunity for young people to continue to follow in Cecil’s footsteps, and to launch them on a career path to become the next generation of environmental justice leaders. The WE ACT team believes that it is appropriate to honor Cecil in a way that: 1) increases the capacity of our organization to win climate justice victories; and 2) creates an ongoing opportunity for talented young people to contribute to WE ACT’s campaigns for environmental justice. During this year-long fellowship, participants can expect to work on WE ACT campaigns alongside seasoned environmental justice leaders. Fellows will gain experience in environmental justice areas including environmental health, environmental justice policy, and community organizing. Fellows can also expect leadership development and learning opportunities throughout the program that will strengthen their professional skills, and deepen their understanding of the operations of a community-based advocacy organization. Fellows will also have access to networking opportunities with WE ACT stakeholders and allies.
Click here to get to know our current and previous Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellows.