Big Bethel AME Church Hosts Environmental Justice Sunday to Address Health Gaps in Black Communities

Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta hosted an Environmental Justice Sunday on April 26, 2026, bringing together faith leaders, public health advocates, and community members to address environmental inequalities that disproportionately affect Black neighborhoods.

The event, timed with Earth Day weekend, featured Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who coined the term "environmental racism" in the early 1990s. Chavis told the congregation that environmental justice means every community has the right to live free from environmental hazards, regardless of race or income.

Speakers pointed to specific problems in metro Atlanta. Majority-Black neighborhoods face higher rates of flooding from aging infrastructure, greater exposure to air pollution, higher rates of childhood asthma, and rising risks from extreme heat. These conditions, advocates said, are not accidents but the result of decades of disinvestment and discriminatory planning decisions.

"This is a moral issue," said Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, who also addressed the gathering. "The church cannot be silent when our communities are being poisoned."

The event drew several hundred attendees. Organizers said they wanted to connect environmental concerns to the church's long tradition of social justice advocacy.

Participants were encouraged to contact elected officials, support local environmental organizations, and push for stronger regulations on industrial facilities near residential areas.

The gathering also addressed climate change as a long-term threat to Black communities, which research shows are often more vulnerable to extreme weather events due to lower incomes, older housing stock, and less access to cooling centers.

Big Bethel AME Church, founded in 1847, is one of Atlanta's oldest and most historically significant Black churches. It has a long history of community activism dating back to the civil rights movement.