Environmental Justice on the Frontlines
With Environmental Justice under attack, the Liberty Hill community is stepping up to the moment and doubling down on its support of frontline organizers and community partners fighting for a healthier L.A.
Through our Environmental Leadership Initiative (ELI) and EJ Ready program, we are dedicated to the ongoing work to leverage community power to protect our progress and defend frontline communities impacted by environmental injustices.
Recently, our Environmental & Climate Justice team hosted two important events that fostered dialogue and created space for connection and meaningful community engagement.
In May, Liberty Hill joined forces with community partners to host the 2025 ELI Convening in San Pedro. This powerful gathering brought together two cohorts of ELI fellows—emerging and seasoned Environmental Justice leaders—traveling from across California, from Plumas Lake and Yuba to La quinta in Riverside County.
Over three dynamic days, fellows learned to cultivate resiliency in their work, engaged in intergenerational dialogue, learned from our ELI Advisory Board and elders in the EJ movement, and dove into collective narrative building that centers lived experience, leadership journeys, and bold visions for EJ transformation.
Earlier this month, Liberty Hill and Resources Legacy Fund partnered up to launch the EJ Ready Bus Tour and Funders Forum, with a farm-to-table lunch hosted by the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College. This gathering was an opportunity to connect EJ Ready cohort members, funders, and community allies to spotlight the importance of investing in grassroots climate leadership.
The first stop of the tour was at the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy in Altadena—which focuses on land stewardship, cultural preservation, and ecosystem restoration of ancestral Tongva lands—where guests learned about the Conservancy’s plans for rematriation of the land after suffering substantial damage during the Eaton fire.
The tour then stopped at Casa Esperanza, a youth and family services center and future resiliency center created by our grantee partners at Pacoima Beautiful. The center has become a central community hub where families and neighbors come together to be stewards of their environment, health, and communities.
At Occidental College, the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute hosted a farm-to-table lunch sourced from the on-campus student-run community garden. EJ Ready cohort members—Active SGV, LA Neighborhood Land Trust, TRUST South LA, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, and APIFM—shared information on recent work and stressed the urgency of the moment for philanthropic partners to step up to help amidst federal cutbacks.