In 1991, a new breed of environmental activists gathered in Washington, D. C. , to bring n

ational attention to pollution problems threatening low-income and minority communities. Leaders introduced the concept of environmental justice, protesting that Black, poor and working-class communities often received less environmental protection than White or more affluent communities. The first National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit effectively broadened what "the environment" was understood to mean. It expanded the definition to include where we live, work, play, worship and go to school, as well as the physical and natural world. In the process, the environmental justice movement changed the way environmentalism is practiced in the United States and, ultimately, worldwide.

Because many issues identified at the inaugural summit remain unaddressed, the second National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit was convened in Washington, D. C. , this past October. The second summit was planned for 500 delegates; but more than 1,400 people attended the four-day gathering.