Black Climate Week Celebrated Locally-Led Solutions

The Solutions Project, NAACP, community groups, creators and universities across the country celebrated the 6th annual Black Climate Week, a powerful storytelling campaign celebrating Black leadership in the climate movement. This year’s campaign specifically highlighted Black communities that are not only acting as climate innovation hubs, but also leading the fight against power- and water-greedy data centers, one of the most consequential climate issues of our time. This year over 180 organizations participated – sharing online content, holding events, organizing advocacy moments and more.

“As Black Climate Week demonstrates, no matter the political landscape, Black communities remain undeterred from leading on intersectional solutions on climate, race, and gender,” said Gloria Walton, president and CEO of The Solutions Project. “While the federal government has chosen to ignore the urgency of the climate crisis, frontline communities don’t have the luxury to do the same. They are living the worst impacts of climate change, from historic and present day underinvestment to food inequality and unpredictable flooding.”

Some select highlights:

• The American Natural History Museum kicked off Black Climate Week by hosting a Carnival night, connecting climate issues with the Caribbean and New York City. Nyiesha Mallet from UPROSE, a TSP grantee, spoke at the event. 
• Climate Justice Alliance released the film Grasping at the Roots which tells the stories of Black frontline communities across the US fighting back against big polluters, cultivating food sovereignty, and leading on Just Recovery efforts.
• Dogwood Alliance organized community members to go to the Mississippi State Capitol to speak out about the injustices facing their communities and demand clean air. 
• Sol Nation hosted a community clean up in Charlotte, NC
• The Center for Cultural Power worked with artists to release powerful pieces
• A Black Climate Wellness Gathering happened at the Compton Community Garden in CA. 
• Columbia University’s Environmental Law Society and Black Law Students Association hosted a screening of Black Soil Rising. This short film celebrates our voices and calls for change in our communities against the petrochemical plant industry

Across the country, Black communities—which are disproportionately impacted by climate change—are developing climate solutions and securing climate policy and legal victories, such as: 

• In Britton’s Neck, SC, New Alpha Community Development Corporation partnered with the Dogwood Alliance to buy 305 acres of land that will serve as a community hub for forest conservation, outdoor recreation, and eco-lodging. They’ve named the property Freedom Land, in honor of the Britton’s Neck residents who are descendants of people who were once enslaved on the property.
• In Louisiana, RISE St. James has won legal approval to proceed with their landmark case seeking a pause on toxic industrial plants in two majority Black-districts in St. James Parish. The parish is part of Cancer Alley, an 85-mile stretch from New Orleans to Baton Rouge where residents experience disproportionately high levels of cancer and other health problems. 
• Founded in Flint, Michigan in response to the water crisis and now working nationwide, Young, Gifted & Green translates grassroots expertise into federal climate impact. From Congress to the Executive Branch, Young, Gifted & Green is shaping climate policy at the highest levels.
• Since 2018, the Newark Water Coalition (NWC) has delivered critical resources to the Newark community through a multi-ethnic, multigenerational grassroots model. In the past year alone, the organization distributed more than 150,000 pounds of food and 100,000 gallons of water, serving over 20,000 residents annually. NWC pairs direct relief with sustained advocacy for water justice and community health.
• In Birmingham, Alabama, Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (G.A.S.P.) is trying to secure a moratorium on a large data center that is projected to require vast amounts of water and dirty energy to operate. GASP is the focus of an upcoming video about Black Climate Week. During Black Climate Week, we released a short video spotlighting the work of GASP in their efforts.

In recognition of the political vacuum on climate change at the federal level, The Solutions Project and NAACP asked local elected officials and cities to pledge to support Black-led climate solutions as part of Black Climate Week and beyond. 6 cities signed on to support Black Climate Week, in addition to 7 elected/appointed officials. The City of Newark’s Office of Sustainability, Resilience, and Community Transformation has been particularly enthusiastic. It joined Black Climate Week for a 2nd year by hosting three community-centered events across the city.

In Louisiana, Congressman Troy A, Carter Sr, the U.S. representative for Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district made a proclamation celebrating Black Climate Week, alongside local organization Rise St. James

We also saw the world of philanthropy step up. Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium (Southern Black Girls) launched its Environment and Climate Justice Fund, a new grant initiative dedicated to supporting organizations that advocate for and build solutions around environmental and climate justice impacting Black girls, women, and femme-identifying youth in the South.

he fund opens during Black Climate Week 2026 (February 21–28), a national campaign led by The Solutions Project and the NAACP now in its sixth year that centers Black communities as hubs of climate innovation and justice. By launching alongside this national moment of recognition, Southern Black Girls is amplifying a clear message: investing in organizations that center Black women and girls is one of the most powerful strategies for building climate resilience in the communities that need it most.

“By centering joy as both resilience and resistance, Southern Black Girls is building a future in which our communities have the infrastructure, resources, and power to survive and thrive amid environmental pollution and climate change,” Lundy added. “Black Climate Week reminds us that our communities aren’t just surviving climate change—they’re solving it. This fund is our investment in those solutions.”