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Joane Theodule, an IU McKinney student, was invited to present her research on coal power plants in low-income communities during the NAACP’s Statewide Conference in Gary, Indiana, on October 24.

Theodule was asked to speak at the event after taking Professor Carlton Waterhouse’s environmental justice course. Rather than a final exam, students host an event or conduct research on a local environmental justice issue. Professor Waterhouse connected Theodule with Denise Abdul-Rahman, chair of Indiana Environmental Climate Justice for the NAACP. Abdul-Rahman invited Theodule to speak at the event.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the goal of the NAACP’s Environmental Justice initiative by researching environmental justice issues in communities where incomes are low and/or people of color are disproportionately represented and analyzing the role that the law plays in perpetuating these human rights issues,” Theodule said. “Environmental justice is important. It implicates civil rights, public health, and human rights. I was grateful that my research contributed to the NAACP’s Environmental Justice initiative.”