Despite Pushback, the Work Continues: Dr. Denae King Elevates Community Voices in APHA Feature

Dr. Denae King, Associate Director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, was recently featured by the American Public Health Association (APHA). In the article titled “Environmental justice work continues, despite pushback”, Dr. King underscores the resilience required when funding and institutional support face pressures. She says, “Our community partners really developed their capacity… Now everyone’s asking, ‘what do we do next?’” Dr. King’s voice in that article reflects the Bullard Center’s unwavering commitment to community-driven environmental justice, even in the face of systemic hurdles.

Her remarks were given during one of APHA’s 2025 sessions, “Meeting the Moment in Environmental Health”. Speakers discussed challenges to public health and environmental justice as funding and projects across the country face challenges with shifts in priorities under the Trump Administration. She says that it is crucial to continue to not only organize, but to build up the next generation of climate leaders across the country, adding, “Showing up now is so important because we need people who understand why we did all of that work”.

At the Bullard Center, Dr. King has played a pivotal role in facilitating collaborations with community-based organizations (CBOs) that amplify the lived experience of communities facing environmental and climate burdens. Her focus on organizational and community capacity building, especially in people-of-color neighborhoods historically marginalized in environmental decision-making, is central to the Bullard Center’s transformative vision.  By centering the concerns of the communities, she helps ensure that the Center's strategy isn’t researcher-led but community-rooted.

Dr. King’s research includes projects such as the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium and the Environmental Justice Data to Action Project.  These efforts have engaged underserved communities in Houston and across the Gulf Coast region in identifying environmental health risks, building capacity, and leading locally meaningful solutions. ‍

Here, you can find the full American Public Health Association article.

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