“Communities speak for themselves. Communities will let you know what they need,” said Ali, who was recently on the ground in East Palestine, Ohio, after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed there on Feb. 3.
Ali — the CEO of Revitalization Strategies, a consultancy that works with communities impacted by climate change and public health disasters — also encouraged media to invest more in local news sources, and to spend more time on the ground listening to community members affected by environmental disasters. To this end, he spoke of the importance of media training for local community change agents so they can be their own advocates.
This rousing conversation ended with Ali leading the crowd — which included EMA board members Frances Fisher and Wendie Malick — in a chant of “Power to the People,” while everyone in the room held hands.Jesse Grant/Getty Images for the Environmental Media Association