Water Justice Summit

June 1-2, 2018 Blacksburg, Virginia at Virginia Tech

The Water Justice Summit is a leadership development, networking, and skills-building gathering for folks in Appalachia and the Southeast whose water is threatened by fossil fuel industries, faulty public infrastructure and other concerns.

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June 1

Mothers for Water Justice:
Keynote panel, FREE and open to the public.
7-9:30 p.m., Multi-purpose Room at Graduate Life Center at Virginia Tech.

Keynote speakers

Elise Keaton is a West Virginia lawyer and activist involved in fighting mountaintop removal coal mining and educating communities about the impacts of fracking and natural gas infrastructure.

Kwavol Hi’osik is an Akimel O’Odham mother residing in her ancestral homelands in so-called Arizona. She is involved in community organizing around food sovereignty and land and water defense in and near the Gila River Indian Community, and has had experiences with several indigenous resistance campaigns including the Dakota Access Pipeline battle.

Mary Cromer is an environmental justice attorney working for the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, Inc. in Whitesburg, Ky., where she represents individuals in a variety of cases related to the destruction of land and water from surface coal mining and land owners’ rights issues. Mary also represents groups facing environmental crises.

Tracey Edwards is a community leader in Belews Creek, N.C. who has worked with her neighbors in the Residents for Coal Ash Cleanup group, Appalachian Voices, and the NAACP to hold the state of North Carolina and Duke Energy accountable for coal-related water pollution and coal ash cleanup in her area.

June 2

Workshop Trainings
Trainings in water monitoring, grassroots regulatory enforcement and community organizing. There will be two separate tracks of three classes led by summit organizers and partners followed by a popular education workshop where attendees will share their knowledge in a collaborative session.
Space in the trainings is limited, so make sure you register!
Childcare will be provided for training participants. Sliding scale fee with scholarships available.

Reception for “What Color is Water,” FREE and open to the public
7:30 p.m., Perspective Gallery in the Squires Student Center at Virginia Tech.

If you have any questions, please contact Willie Dodson at willie [at] appvoices.org or Lara Mack at lara [at] appvoices.org.

Protecting the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountain Region