On November 18, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health (JHIPH) brought together some of Baltimore’s most dynamic community organizers engaged in addressing the CSX coal terminal, incinerator, and other environmental threats, including Lee Jordan of the Black Yield Institute (BYI) and Shashawnda Campbell and Carlos Sanchez-Gonzalez of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust (SBCLT).  

In a conversation moderated by Nicole Labruto (Krieger School of Arts & Sciences) and Chris Heaney (Bloomberg School of Public Health), panelists shared deeply personal and intergenerational accounts of environmental harm, community organizing, and the visionary work underway to build healthier, more just systems in Baltimore and beyond. 

The Urgency of Environmental Justice in Curtis Bay

For many Baltimore neighborhoods, environmental, economic, and racial injustices shape daily life. Curtis Bay, for example, is among the most industrially burdened communities in the country—adjacent to the CSX coal terminal, WIN WASTE incinerator, and more than 70 other pollution sources. Residents face coal dust entering and covering their homes, heavy diesel truck traffic in their neighborhoods, chronic illness, and decades of reduced life expectancy. As one panelist shared, “The community has been structured to have industry present, with disregard for human life.” 

SBCLT and BYI confront these realities by building community power, advancing land and food sovereignty, promoting development without displacement, and holding industry accountable. 

Youth at the Center: Community Science as Power

Youth leadership emerged as a central theme. In Curtis Bay, students helped design and conduct community-led air monitoring that produced peer-reviewed evidence of coal dust exposure—confirming what residents long reported and pushing agencies to act. Panelists highlighted the importance of placing youth at the center of movements and equipping them with the skills to conduct research, answer critical questions, and take ownership of data. Intergenerational programs can also nurture curiosity, confidence, and a sense of belonging, helping young people understand both the systems around them and the power they hold. 

Building Power and Creating Change Beyond Broken Systems

Panelists reflected on what it means to build power in systems that were never designed to protect the common good. Industrial overburden, food insecurity, displacement, and chronic illness, they noted, are predictable outcomes—not failures—of current systems. For SBCLT and BYI, power-building is both political and relational: residents leading their own research, growing food, organizing against harmful projects, sharing meals, and honoring each other’s lived experiences. They stressed the need to create alternative systems—structures rooted in care, shared values, and community self-determination. Relationships, they emphasized, are the foundation of this work. By stewarding relationships and building coalitions rooted in trust, organizations can challenge the status quo and create new paths for collective liberation. 

Looking Ahead

The speakers closed with hopeful updates: 

  • BYI is celebrating its 10th anniversary and has completed a new three-year strategic plan to guide its next phase of work. 
  • BYI Marketplaces continue to expand, offering Black and locally grown produce, value-added goods, and welcoming spaces for community connection. 
  • SBCLT’s new Environmental Justice Center is moving forward, which will serve as a community hub for housing and environmental justice work in South Baltimore. 
  • Three community-held homes are nearing completion. 
  • Youth leaders are entering college with plans to return and lead. 
How Universities Can Get Involved

Panelists shared that universities can play a meaningful role by creating spaces for connection, offering in-kind support such as trainings or event space, and partnering on concrete projects like food sovereignty research or student-led food mapping. They also encouraged students, faculty, and staff to use and share the zines, films, and other materials produced by BYI and SBCLT, and to show up through “sweat equity”—from volunteering in community gardens to supporting hands-on projects. Even small actions, they noted, help move the work forward.

Visit their webpages to learn more about BYI and SBCLT, share their work, and explore ways to get involved.