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Performing Green: The Intersection Between Racial and Environmental Justice

Apr 22, 2021

07:00 PM - 08:00 PM

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Performing Green: The Intersection Between Racial and Environmental Justice Poster

University of Iowa Environmental Coalitions is hosting its Earth Month Lecture "Performing Green: The Intersection Between Racial and Environmental Justice" on Earth Day, April 22nd at 7 pm via zoom. Lecturers include John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas and Brian Campbell. 

Dr Brian Campbell serves as the executive director for the Iowa Environmental Council. He formerly served as Director of Sustainability - Education and Partnerships at Central College in Pella, Brian worked for more than six years to integrate sustainability throughout the institution, including courses across all departments; student research and internships; the college’s energy and waste management; local food partnerships with area farmers; community environmental education programs; and public advocacy for environmental and climate justice. His academic training, teaching, and research have focused on the history and culture of American environmentalism, especially the values and stories that motivate grassroots engagement. Brian is co-producer of Mid-Americana: Stories from a Changing Midwest, a podcast highlighting the region’s diverse people and places. Brian has served on a number of local, regional, and national boards, including the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability, and the RE-AMP Network. He has been an active member of the City of Des Moines Sustainability Task Force and is the outgoing Board President of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light.

John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas is currently a PhD Candidate in the Educational Policy and Leadership Program completing his dissertation in structural racism and oppression. Earlier this year he was awarded a National Executive Civil Rights Fellowship. John-Paul has over 20 years of experience developing, supporting, and evaluating programs all over the United States and Latin America. He has been recognized at the national level for his work transforming large multimillion-dollar systems towards equity. John-Paul has held several public offices including State Director of Equity and Civil Rights at the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, four terms as Iowa Latino Affairs Commissioner before being appointed by then Governor to lead the Human Rights/Division of Latino Affairs. In previous roles he has served as the State 4-H Youth Development Director, Executive Director at the Latino Community Fund, and was the Public Policy Lead and Product Development Manager at the Northwest Area Foundation in St. Paul, MN, where he oversaw an eight-state multimillion-dollar portfolio designed to promote equity, build assets, reduce poverty, and improve the lives of rural youth, families, and communities.  Previous academic appointments include National Training and Technical Assistance Director at the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice, the Executive Director of the Institute for the Support of Latino/a Families and Communities, and a co-founder of the Disproportionate Minority Confinement/contact Research Center, at the University of Iowa.  John-Paul has thought graduate courses in areas such as Discrimination, Diversity and Oppression, Latinx Immigration to the United States, multicultural education and family/community development at the University of Iowa, the Iowa Highway Patrol Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, etc.  John-Paul has a B.A. in Sociology/International Relations/Multiculturalism from Saint Mary University, a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa.  As young adult, he worked in meatpacking in Kansas to put himself through school, and it was there he began his work in the United States as a bilingual facilitator, advocate, community organizer and educator.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact in advance at