Benjamin F. Wilson

"I'm also extremely proud of my colleagues' commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, not only at the firm, but throughout the profession."

"Now you don't need me to tell you that climate change is the defining issue of our time."

"But you must also be equally aware that the problem within the problem of climate change is the issue of climate justice. There can be little doubt that the impact of climate change falls disproportionately on the poor and on people of color. Far too seldom to those communities experience the benefits of adaptation, mitigation, and climate investments."

"Let us resolve tonight, here and now, to ensure that by… 2040, the companies we represent and on whose boards we sit, as well as the government agencies we lead and serve as council, have kept their promises on climate change. Let us resolve that by 2050 we, in fact, have achieved a promised net positive impact on the environment… And let us commit to getting this work done with equity and justice in mind, so that the benefits of our work are equally shared and the burdens are not disproportionately placed on the most vulnerable."

"But I think we are all aware now of the impact that we have on climate change and that is going to be the major issue of this century. But right along with climate change is what I would call environmental justice. Climate justice. Who gets the clean water, who gets the clean air, who gets access to the resources?"

"And so I think these are the great challenges of our day. Climate change, environmental justice, what people are now calling climate justice. So I've taught at Howard University for 17 years now. And when we started, along with my colleagues, I recall we met with Dean Kurt Schmoke, who had been my law school classmate, and we argued that environmental justice would be the major civil rights issue of the 21st century. At that point, we didn't know Joseph Biden would be president. And we had no idea that Senator Kamala Harris or Senator Corey Booker would seek to have legislation passed that addressed environmental justice. We had no idea that all these agencies, federal agencies, would take this issue seriously."

"The fact of the matter is that we are at an inflection point when it comes to environmental justice. I know that you, as students are very much aware not only of EJ issues, but climate issues. The intersection of environmental justice and climate, and something now described as climate justice. And to be sure, the change in administration to the Biden administration, and an all out commitment to environmental justice on so many different levels, not just at EPA, not just at the Department of justice, but throughout the agencies of government and even international focus."

"And you can see there's a merger of civil rights and environmental issues to form environmental justice."

"I don't think it's enough to be neutral, non racial. I think you have to be anti racist, if you will."