Environmental Justice Leader Dr. Robert Bullard Awarded Museum’s Bradford Washburn Award and Hosts Environmental Justice Convening Onsite

BOSTON – On the 60th anniversary of the Bradford Washburn Award for excellence in advancing public appreciation of science, the Museum of Science, Boston recognizes Dr. Robert Bullard for his foundational contributions to the environmental justice movement and launches a new multiyear series “Champions for Environmental Justice” in his honor. Established in 1964, the Washburn Award is the Museum’s highest tribute, with past recipients including such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Carl Sagan, Sally Ride, and Jean-Michel Cousteau, among others. This year’s award ceremony and convening with Dr. Bullard will be held at the Museum on October 18 and 19, respectively.

“We are honored to present Dr. Robert Bullard with the Bradford Washburn Award for his revolutionary dedication to advancing environmental justice rights,” said Tim Ritchie, president of the Museum of Science. “Dr. Bullard is a pioneering leader of the environmental justice movement who has had an outsized impact on raising our collective awareness of global environmental inequities and the health and environmental impacts of structural racism. The Museum of Science is committed to fostering public science literacy, and we can think of no greater advocate for environmental justice than Dr. Bullard, who has brought this issue to the fore.”

Widely known as the “father of the environmental justice movement,” Dr. Bullard is founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice and distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University. His 1979 study documenting waste disposal facilities in Houston for the Bean v. Southwestern Waste Management Corp. lawsuit was the first comprehensive account of systemic environmental racism in the United States, demonstrating that Black neighborhoods were disproportionately sites for toxic waste relative to the city’s white neighborhoods. Bullard’s book Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality (1990), today a standard text in the environmental justice field, was the first to discuss environmental injustices experienced by African American communities. Dr. Bullard is the author of 18 books on topics ranging from environmental racism, urban land use, housing, and transportation to sustainability, smart growth, climate justice, and community resilience. 

Open to the public and free with pre-registration, the Washburn Award Celebration takes place at the Museum on Friday, October 18, from 6 to 7:30 pm. Following the award presentation, Dr. Bullard will be joined by Maria Belén Power, undersecretary of environmental justice and equity for the state of Massachusetts, and Cate Mingoya-Lafortune, chief officer of climate resilience and land use at Groundwork, USA, for a discussion moderated by author, journalist, and activist Kevin Powell. The Bradford Washburn Award, recognizing excellence in promoting public understanding and appreciation of science, was established in 1964 through a trustee’s anonymous gift, and is the Museum’s highest honor. 

On the following day, Saturday, October 19, from 9am-4pm, the Museum of Science hosts the first in a new multiyear series of Environmental Justice convenings, “Champions for Environmental Justice.” Local and national climate partners will come together with Dr. Bullard to build a coalition, co-develop goals, and share strategies for advocating together for healthier, safer, and more just communities. Participating organizations include Groundwork USA; Greenroots, Inc.; the Center for Sustainable Communities; Environmental Protection Agency, Boston; Mystic River Watershed Association; The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; BU School of Public Health; the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University; and the newly created NIHHIS Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring, among others. In the afternoon, Dr. Bullard and participants will meet and connect on climate action with Massachusetts high school students at an Environmental Justice Resource Fair as part of the Museum’s Boston Youth Climate Summit 2024, co-organized with the New England Aquarium. Both the convening and the summit are part of the Museum’s Year of the Earthshot, a yearlong exploration of climate action and sustainable solutions.

“Dr. Bullard is an inspiration to generations of climate advocates, including all of us at the Museum’s Center for the Environment, and a true champion of the environmental justice rights of people all around the world,” said David Sittenfeld, Director of the Center for the Environment at the Museum of Science. “There is no one more fitting than Dr. Bullard to kick off our new environmental justice series. We are immensely grateful to him for his trailblazing work and could not be more thrilled to present him with the Museum’s highest honor, the Bradford Washburn Award.”

The Museum of Science’s Series “Champions for Environmental Justice,” committed to convening local and national climate partners with environmental justice leaders, is made possible by the generous support of Bancel Philanthropies. 

About the Bradford Washburn Award

The Bradford Washburn Award is named for president and visionary director of the Museum of Science for 40 years, Brad Washburn, who was an explorer, cartographer, photographer, and passionate defender of the environment. The award recipient is an individual who embodies Washburn's spirit of adventure and ability to translate and interpret science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for the public. More information on the Washburn Award is available at mos.org.

About the Museum of Science, Boston

As science and technology increasingly shape our lives, the Museum of Science strives to equip and inspire everyone to use science for the global good. Among the world’s largest science centers and New England’s most attended cultural institution, we engage nearly five million people a year—at Science Park and in museums around the world, in classrooms, and online. Established in 1830, the Museum is home to such iconic attractions as the Theater of Electricity, the Charles Hayden Planetarium, and the Mugar Omni Theater. The Museum influences formal and informal STEM education through research and national advocacy, as a strong community partner and loyal educator resource, and as a leader in universal design, developing exhibits and programming accessible to all. Learn more at mos.org.