Dr. Robert Bullard, Distinguished Professor at Texas Southern University and a transformational figure in the environmental justice movement, says the environment is not just out in the woods and wilderness; it’s everywhere. “It’s where we live, work, play, worship, learn, as well as the physical and natural world,” he says.

Robert’s devoted much of his life to documenting how environmental racism puts Black people and other people of color at higher risk from polluted air and water, natural disasters, and other natural threats. In this episode of Threshold Conversations, Amy and Robert talk about the origins of his pioneering research, the battle to get environmental justice on the agendas of large, white-dominated environmental groups, and what gives him hope.

Threshold is a public radio show and podcast that tackles one pressing environmental issue each season. Launched in 2016, Threshold has received a Peabody Award nomination, a national Edward R. Murrow Award, and a citation from the Overseas Press Club among other honors.

Threshold Conversations features interviews with environmental thought leaders on important issues impacting cultures, communities, and ecosystems in the United States and beyond. These conversations aim to create space for thoughtful, civil conversations about the urgent environmental issues we’re living with today.

Threshold Conversations is supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, Montana Public Radio, Park Foundation, High Stakes Foundation, and Threshold’s listeners.