Bunyan Bryant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bunyan Bryant
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Bryant in 2007
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| Born | March 6, 1935 Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
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| Died | March 28, 2024 (aged 89) Ann Arbor, Michigan, US
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| Education | BS., 1958, Eastern Michigan University MSW., 1965, PhD, 1970, University of Michigan |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Rae Carlberg |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Michigan |
| Thesis | Intergroup conflict and the instructional process in seven secondary schools (1970) |
Bunyan I. Bryant Jr. (born March 6, 1935 – died March 28, 2024) was a retired professor at the University of Michigan. He made history in 1972 as the first African American professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability there. He is known as a leader in environmental justice, which means making sure everyone, no matter their background, has a healthy environment.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bunyan Bryant was born on March 6, 1935, in Little Rock, Arkansas. His parents were Christolee and Bunyan Bryant Sr. Later, his family moved to Flint, Michigan.
He went to Flint Northern High School and then worked at General Motors. With encouragement from his family, he decided to go to college. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science, from Eastern Michigan University.
After that, he continued his studies at the University of Michigan. There, he earned both his Master's degree and his PhD. While he was finishing his PhD, he was offered a job at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability.
Even though he wanted to focus on civil rights, he took the job for one year. He also kept working for civil rights. For example, he helped fight against unfair housing rules that treated people differently because of their race.
A Career in Environmental Justice
In 1972, Professor Bryant became the first African American faculty member at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability. It was called the School of Natural Resources back then. That same year, he helped create a new course called Environmental Advocacy.
During the 1990s, Professor Bryant became a national leader in environmental justice. He helped organize the first conference in Michigan about how race affects environmental dangers. He also joined a group of important thinkers called the Michigan Group.
This group wrote letters to government leaders. They asked to discuss how government policies affected environmental fairness. One leader, William Reilly from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), met with them. These meetings led to the creation of the EPA's Work Group on Environmental Equity.
Later, Professor Bryant and Paul Mohai wrote an important book. It was called Race and the Incidence of Environmental Hazards. This book was one of the first to explore how race, social class, and environmental dangers are connected.
Around this time, Professor Bryant also started an Environmental Justice program at the University of Michigan. It was the first program in the country to offer college degrees in this field.
Important Work and Recognition
In 1994, a special order was signed by the President to help environmental justice. After this, Professor Bryant, Paul Mohai, and Jerry Poje helped organize a big meeting. It was called the Symposium on Health Research and Needs to Ensure Environmental Justice. Over 1,100 people attended, including community leaders and scientists.
After this event, Professor Bryant received an award for his research. In 1998, he and Paul Mohai published another article. It looked at how Black people and white people had different concerns about the environment. For example, Black individuals often worried more about pollution.
In 2000, Professor Bryant received an award for his excellent teaching. He was also given a special professorship for three years. In 2004, he won another award for his service to the community.
His hometown of Flint, Michigan, also honored him in 2008. They gave him the Lifetime Leadership Award. Professor Bryant retired from teaching in 2012. A conference was held in his honor to celebrate his work. After he retired, a group in Detroit created the Bunyan Bryant Award for Academic Excellence.
In 2017, he received the environmental justice champion award. This was at the Flint Environmental Justice Summit.
Personal Life
Professor Bryant was married to Jean Rae Carlberg. They chose not to have children. In 2006, he gave $100,000 to the Environmental Justice Fund at his university.
Selected Publications
Here are some of the books and articles Professor Bryant wrote:
- Environmental Crisis or Crisis of Epistemology?: Working for Sustainable Knowledge and Environmental Justice. (2011)
- Is there a "race" effect on concern for environmental quality? (1998)
- Environmental justice: Issues, policies, and solutions (1995)
- Race and the incidence of environmental hazards: A time for discourse (1992)
- Environmental injustice: weighing race and class as factors in the distribution of environmental hazards (1992)
Images for kids
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Bryant and his wife Jean Rae Carlberg
