When the very first chapter of BIG was formed, by a small group of workers at the Public Health Services out in Rockville, it must have been nearly impossible to imagine that the numbers of blacks in government would today include the President of the United States. Or when we think about environmental protection – there was a time when my family would have been forced to drink unsafe water from an inferior water fountain – because of my race. Now, I have the responsibility of ensuring that everyone drinks clean water – regardless of their race.

That progress took a lot of time and a lot of struggle. It’s going to take the same thing today to keep us marching forward.

We need people to see that their stake in a clean environment. We need to also make clear that environmentalism goes hand-in-hand with traditional civil rights and social justice issues in our community.