Patterson receives Union of Concerned Scientists Defender award for Black in Environment
Each year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) “honors several individuals and groups who use science to improve the world and help people, including those who have taken a stand to protect science and scientists from political or other interference.”
Dr. Regan Patterson and her colleague Dr. Dominic Bednar were named 2024 Science Defender for their work highlighting scholarship, activism and engagement of global Black environmentalists through their Black in Environment initiative. After three years of virtual #BlackInEnvironWeek events, the group held their first in-person conference in 2024.
“There was lot of magic at that conference. It was really beautiful to see the impact we had, which was beyond what we’d imagined. It reaffirms the need for this space and reinvigorates us to create it,” says Dr. Patterson of the April conference. As reported by UCS, “they convened nearly 300 participants, panelists, and speakers from the environmental space across many disciplines—including EPA Administrator Michael Regan.”
As UCS writes, “Bookmarked between the first and second Trump administrations—with a history and promise of censoring and sidelining the expertise of those in the environmental movement—Dr. Patterson says, “We are going to continue seeing the critical importance of this organization where people feel seen, heard, feel joy, and loved upon.””
