Here is the Zoom link to this call: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89579525351?pwd=1ll7FSt6vgzwlWqQCkYN7PG4WaHFs4.1

Join Us for an Empowering Training Call on Organizing Strategies

We're excited to invite you to an upcoming training call where we’ll be sharing effective organizing strategies to help empower communities in their fight for environmental and public health justice. On the call, Jackie Medcalf from Texas Health and Environment Alliance (THEA) as well as Dawn Chapman and Karen Nickel from Just Moms STL will share personal stories, successful actions, and practical strategies that have moved their grassroots work forward. This training aims to inspire and equip local communities with the tools they need to take action and make lasting change.

Whether you're dealing with contamination, health issues, or other environmental challenges, this call will provide valuable insights and strategies to support your work. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from experienced grassroots leaders and connect with others in the field!

The Training Call will occur on TUESDAY, March 18th, 2025 at 12:00 PM EDT.

Jackie Medcalf is the Founder and Executive Director of Texas Health and Environment Alliance (THEA), a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting public health from harmful exposures to toxic waste. After discovering that dioxin and heavy metals in her environment were the root cause of her family’s illnesses and her own health struggles, Jackie dedicated herself to uncovering and addressing the environmental threats in her community. With a B.S. in Environmental Science and Geology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and additional training in nonprofit leadership from Rice University, she has led THEA in using environmental health literacy to empower local residents to tackle environmental challenges head-on. Her work has galvanized over 55,000 voices, driving collaborative clean-up efforts at critical sites like the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site, Jones Road Ground Water Plume Superfund Site, and the Greater Fifth Ward Cancer Cluster.

Just Moms STL was formed by a group of moms including Dawn and Karen who were impacted by Manhattan Project radioactive waste sitting on the surface of their community in a landfill known as the West Lake Landfill as well as along Cold Water Creek. Both of these locations were contaminated by illegal dumping of radioactive Manhattan Project wastes that have since spread to backyards and parks due to flooding. We have been working on these issues for 10 years. Just Moms STL is committed to helping communities find justice for the radioactive waste contamination that has poisoned us, our loved ones, and entire communities throughout the region. We call ourselves “Just Moms” because our concerns about the health impacts of radioactive contamination and its community prevalence were dismissed because we are “just moms.” We have adopted the phrase with pride! Just Moms was formed so the whole community always has seats at the tables where community futures are decided. Our work recognizes not every person in the St. Louis region has equal access to speak out against contamination or participate in limited opportunities for informational outreach offered by agencies/public officials regarding community-wide, radioactive contamination. Our most pressing work includes expanding representation and empowering historically marginalized people throughout the St. Louis Region