Air and Water Justice For Black Children

We envision a world where every Black child breathes clean air and drinks clean water.

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Vision Statement

We are building the systems our children deserve.

The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) envisions a world where Black children thrive in environments designed for their brilliance and wellbeing. Clean air and safe water are not luxuries — they are the foundation of thriving futures.

As a justice engine, NBCDI is advancing transformational change. We are connecting visionary leadership with frontline experience, using data, organizing power, and an Afrofuturist ethic to reimagine environmental justice for Black children.

“Environmental justice is a
birthright. And the future is
ours to design.”

Two young Black children smiling and hugging, overlayed on a teal circle
Family walking on a rocky beach near the water

The CURRENT CRISIS

Let’s be clear: the crisis is real. It is racialized. And it is by design.

Black children face some of the highest environmental burdens in the U.S. because of policy choices that treat Black communities as expendable. NBCDI names this clearly — and we act.

Industrial smokestacks emitting smoke
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Air Injustice

Black children are more likely to:
  • Live near factories, highways, and refineries
  • Learn in under-resourced schools with mold and poor ventilation
  • Play in neighborhoods with low tree cover and high pollution
Impacts:
  • Asthma, respiratory illness, developmental delays

“We don’t all breathe the same air.”

Child drinking from water fountain close up

WATER INJUSTICE

Black children are more likely to face:
  • Failing infrastructure
  • Contaminated water sources
  • Inadequate regulation and oversight
Impacts:
  • Lead poisoning, waterborne illness, lifelong health effects

“We don’t all drink the same water.”

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NBCDIIN ACTION

NBCDI is a think tank and do tank — mobilizing people, policy, and practice to deliver bold, systemic interventions that protect Black children and repair generations of harm.

We don’t wait for permission.
We design solutions.

Child washing hands carefully over a sink

Water Justice Roundtable

NBCDI convenes leaders in health, infrastructure, and civil rights to declare clean water a human right. We identify barriers, align on solutions, and advance policy that ensures safe, equitable water access for Black families.

Coalition for Air
and Water Justice

We are building a national platform that connects advocates, researchers, and movement leaders. Together, we translate lived experience into collective strategy — and push for policy that centers Black children.

Air Justice Roundtable

This space centers Black voices in environmental health. We spotlight data, uplift community-led air quality solutions, and organize for green infrastructure that protects our children’s lungs and lives.

Diverse group discussing around a table

“This is not charity. It’s design, repair, and collective power.”

AIR+WATER