Mildred McClain is among the mothers of the environmental justice movement. She joined the civil rights movement as a young girl growing up in South Georgia and has since dedicated more than 50 years to building the “beloved community” as a teacher and activist in the People’s Movement for Justice and Self-Determination worldwide.
Dr. McClain has served as founder and executive director of The Harambee House / Citizens for Environmental Justice, leader of the Black Youth Leadership Development Institute, member to the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, and as delegate to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Lovingly known to many as their “Mama Bahati,” her teaching has grounded thousands of young leaders into the environmental justice movement and sustains many seasoned leaders in the work.