13 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Opening celebrations for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center at Wichita State University were disrupted Wednesday morning by a community advocate who questioned whether the center would help Wichitans harmed by poor water quality.
The Environmental Justice Center, part of WSU’s Environmental Finance Center, is one of 17 centers funded by the federal government to help communities impacted by toxins and pollutants access funding to make improvements.
The center will serve Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and nine adjoining tribes. It’s funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energies.
“There is an unprecedented amount of funding coming down from the federal government to environmental justice work, to take communities who have been unduly burdened with environmental justice issues and move the needle and really make positive impacts,” said Tonya Bronleewe, director of the WSU Environmental Finance Center.
However, during opening presentations, a member of the audience stood up to protest the center’s approach to environmental equity. She said the water contamination at 29th and Grove had yet to be fully addressed.
“So for you to sit here and tell us what you’re gonna do to help marginalized communities? Well, marginalized communities are Black people in the state of Kansas, in Wichita, who have been affected by this contamination and environmental injustice,” said Mary Dean, president of Kansas Justice Advocate.
Dean expressed concern that Black communities disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice were being overlooked by the Environmental Justice Center.
The center has plans to reach out to communities it covers and familiarize itself with their issues, according to Bronleewe.
“We don’t go in knowing how a community feels, what issues they’re seeing,” Bronleewe said. “So we’re just going in to listen. This first year or more we’re gonna go find communities, hopefully they come to us as well, and then we’re just gonna go and listen.”
From there, the center plans to connect people with resources and funding to make improvements in their communities.
“We’re gonna serve rural areas, we’re gonna serve urban areas, we’re gonna serve tribal communities, we’re gonna serve black communities, brown communities, communities that have different languages than we do, and find the resources to connect them to opportunities that will move their communities in the way they want to go,” Bronleewe said.