Dr. Robert Bullard, a leading expert on environmental justice, will present "Race, Place and Environmental Justice" Thursday, April 2, at 7 p.m. in the Witherspoon Rooms of the McKelvey Campus Center.

The presentation is free and open to the public and is part of Westminster's Distinguished Speaker Series "Perspectives on the Environment," funded by a grant from the Lewis Foundation. Visit www.westminster.edu/acad/drinko for more information about the series.

Bullard is the Ware Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Environmental Justice Center at Clark Atlanta University. He is the author of 14 books that address environmental justice, environmental racism, urban land use, facility permitting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, suburban sprawl, and smart growth.

Named one of CNN's 2007 "People You Should Know," Bullard is also listed as one of Newsweek magazine's "Century's Environmental Leaders."

Copies of Bullard's latest book Race, Place and Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to Reclaim, Rebuild, and Revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast will be available for purchase at the lecture, which will be followed by a book signing.

Bullard will be available for an informal discussion with students and staff from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Watto Commons of the McKelvey Campus Center.

"The disproportionate impact of environmental issues like pollution, toxic waste disposal, and even distribution of cleanup funds on the poor and oppressed is often missing from most conversations on sustainability," said Dr. Shahroukh Mistry, Westminster associate professor of biology and coordinator of the speaker series. "Bullard's work brings to light the importance of addressing such inequalities and forces us to consider a perspective on environmental issues that is often ignored."

"This speaker series is an important step toward developing an interdisciplinary and cooperative approach to engaging students in becoming knowledgeable and responsible stewards of the natural world and their communities," Mistry added.

Contact Mistry at (724) 946-7210 or e-mail mistrys@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr. Robert Bullard