Robert D. Bullard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Bullard
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Robert Doyle Bullard
December 21, 1946 Elba, Alabama, U.S.
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| Education | Alabama A&M University (BA) Clark Atlanta University (MA) Iowa State University (PhD) |
| Spouse(s) | Linda McKeever |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Sociology |
| Institutions | Texas Southern University Clark Atlanta University University of California, Riverside |
| Thesis | Voluntary Participation: Implications for Social Change and Conflict in a Community Decision Organization (1976) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Richards |
Robert Doyle Bullard (born December 21, 1946) is an American professor. He is known as the "father of environmental justice". This means he has been a very important leader in the fight against environmental racism. Environmental racism is when pollution and harmful waste sites are placed more often in neighborhoods where people of color live.
Professor Bullard has also been a top expert on this problem. He has studied the Environmental Justice Movement, which started in the United States in the 1980s. This movement works to make sure everyone, no matter their race or income, has a healthy environment.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Robert Bullard was born in Elba, Alabama. He was the fourth of five children. He finished high school in 1964 as one of the top students.
He then went to Alabama A&M University in Huntsville. He earned a bachelor's degree in government in 1968. After college, he served two years in the United States Marine Corps.
Later, he earned a master's degree in sociology from Clark Atlanta University in 1972. He then got his PhD in sociology from Iowa State University in 1976.
Fighting for Environmental Justice
The First Lawsuit: Bean v. Southwestern Waste Management
In 1979, Professor Bullard's wife, Linda McKeever Bullard, was a lawyer. She helped people in Houston fight against a plan to put a garbage dump near their homes. This lawsuit was called Bean v. Southwestern Waste Management, Inc.
It was the first case in the U.S. to say that placing waste sites was unfair based on race. The neighborhood, Northwood Manor, was mostly Black. It was a middle-class area, not a typical place for a dump.
Professor Bullard became an expert witness for the case. He studied where waste sites were located in Houston. His study, "Solid Waste Sites and the Black Houston Community," showed a clear pattern. All five city-owned garbage dumps and most incinerators and private landfills were in Black neighborhoods. This was true even though Black people were only 25 percent of the city's population.
This discovery made Professor Bullard realize the big problem of environmental racism. He said it was like a form of "apartheid." This meant white people were making decisions that harmed Black and brown communities.
Spreading the Word About Environmental Racism
Throughout the 1980s, Professor Bullard expanded his studies. He looked at environmental racism across the American South. He found that Black areas consistently had more environmental dangers. These dangers led to higher health risks for Black citizens.
In 1990, he published his first book, Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality. In this book, he explained that the Environmental Justice Movement was growing. It was a movement by people of color to protest environmental racism. He saw it as a new connection between the civil rights movement and the environmental movement.
Making Changes in Government
In 1990, Professor Bullard became a leader of a group of important academics. They wrote to government officials, including the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They asked to discuss how the government handled environmental discrimination.
Their efforts led to the creation of the EPA's Work Group on Environmental Equity. This group later became the Office of Environmental Justice in 1993. This was a big step towards addressing environmental unfairness at a national level.
Professor Bullard also helped organize the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991. He found over 300 groups working on environmental issues. These groups met and created a list of seventeen "Principles of Environmental Justice." These principles guide the movement's goals.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed an important order called Executive Order 12898. This order aimed to make sure all federal agencies worked to achieve environmental justice. Professor Bullard was part of the group that advised the President on this order.
He continued to help African American groups across the U.S. For example, his expert help won a case for a group called Citizens Against Nuclear Trash (CANT). This stopped a company from building a uranium plant in Louisiana. Professor Bullard says he keeps fighting because of the people who stand up and don't let pollution take over their communities.
Academic Career Highlights
Professor Bullard has taught at several universities:
- Texas Southern University, 1976-88 and 2011-present
- University of Tennessee, 1987–88
- University of California at Berkeley, 1988–89
- University of California-Riverside, 1989–94
- Clark-Atlanta University, 1994–2011
He was also the Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University from 2011 to 2016.
Awards and Special Recognition
Professor Bullard has received many awards for his important work:
- Conservation Achievement Award, National Wildlife Federation, 1990
- Named one of thirteen "Environmental Leaders of the Century" by Newsweek, 2008
- John Muir Award, Sierra Club, 2013
- Award for Excellence in Environmental, Energy, and Resources Stewardship, American Bar Association, 2015
- Alumni Merit Award, Iowa State University Alumni Association, 2015
- Stephen Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication, 2019
- Lifetime Achievement Award (Champions of the Earth), 2020
- Member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, 2021
- Environmental Leadership Award, University of California Berkeley Ecology Law Quarterly, 2022
- Lifetime Achievement Award, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2022
- Honorary Doctorates from University of Johannesburg and Georgetown University, 2022
- Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 2022
- Elected Member of the National Academy of Medicine, 2024
Images for kids
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Professor Robert Bullard, a leader in environmental justice.
