AAEA Assists in Passage of 1st Civil Rights Legislation of the 21st Century-----
----------No Fear Act of 2002
AAEA was recruited by
Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo in 2001 to provide an
environmental justice perspective to the campaign to end racial discrimination in the federal government. Dr. Adebayo sued the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency for racial discrimination and won the biggest verdict ever awarded against the agency--$600,000. She then pursued a legislative solution.
After passing unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives due to the leadership of then House Science Committee Chairman
F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)(now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee), the No Fear Bill stalled in the U.S. Senate due to reticence from Senator Joseph Lieberman as Chairman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee. The Senate bill was sponsored by Senator
John Warner (R-VA). Dr. Adebayo recruited AAEA President
Norris McDonald to
accompany her to New York to meet with
Reverend 
Alfred Charles Sharpton, Jr., President of the National Action Network at the Hall of Justice in Harlem to request his assistance in convincing Senator Lieberman to move the legislation. Rev. Sharpton agreed to participate in a Freedom Rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., a Freedom Ride to the U.S. Senate and a meeting with Senator Lieberman to request action on the legislation. The rally, march and meeting were evidently successful because the legislation was passed out of Senator Lieberman's committee very quickly. It passed in the full Senate soon thereafter.
Supreme Court in the background, Crossing Constitution Avenue in front of the Hart Senate Office Building
AAEA also provided webmaster services in creating and managing the No Fear Coalition website during the campaign to pass the legislation. AAEA continues to maintain the website.
In support of AAEA organization goal #8:. Resolve environmental racism and injustice issues through the application of practical environmental solutions.
President Bush Signs the No Fear Act
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo Recognized
Good Housekeeping Magazine Award for Women in Government
$25,000 Grand Prize and Hollywood Calls
Environmental Protection Agency Senior Policy Analyst Ngozi Marsha Coleman-Adebayo has done it again. In addition to winning a landmark $600,000 discrimination lawsuit and passing the
NO FEAR ACT of 2002, Adebayo has been recognized by
Good Housekeeping magazine. They presented her with the award at a Library of Congress ceremony on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 in the James Madison Memorial Building. Danny Glover sent a video tribute for the ceremony. Congratulations Marsha. You deserve this recognition. Everyone should pick up the current issue of Good Housekeeping and read about it for yourself: Sharon Stone is on the cover.
Hollywood is also calling. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, in addition to founding the
No Fear Institute and
No Fear Coalition, has formed
No Fear Productions and is working with famed actor
Danny Glover to develop a movie based on her experiences. Glover is currently appearing in a broadway play: Master Harold and the Boyz. A script for the movie is currently being prepared and Mr. Glover hopes to attract top Hollywood talent to appear in the movie.
The awards ceremony was sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Wyeth, CAWP, and The Council for Excellence in Government. Ellen Levine, Good HouseKeeping Editor in Chief presented Coleman-Adebayo with the award. Also see
GovExec.Com Article on awards ceremony.
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo (Rosa Parks of EPA) Inspires 1st Civil Rights Legislation of 21st Century
The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination & Retaliation Act of 2001 (NO FEAR) by Congressman James
Sensenbrenner (R-WI).
NO FEAR (
H.R. 169) states: The
Congress finds that--
(1) good science requires a tolerance of opposing viewpoints;
(2) Federal agencies cannot be run effectively if they practice or tolerate discrimination;
(3) the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives has heard testimony from individuals, including representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Whistleblower Center, that point to chronic problems of discrimination and retaliation against Federal employees at the Environmental Protection Agency;
(4) in August 2000, a jury found that the Environmental Protection Agency had discriminated against a senior social scientist, and awarded that scientist $600,000;
(5) in October 2000, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation found that the Environmental Protection Agency had retaliated against a senior scientist for disagreeing with that agency on a matter of science and for helping Congress to carry out its oversight responsibilities;
(6) notifying Federal employees of their rights under discrimination and whistleblower statutes should increase agency compliance with the law;
(7) requiring annual reports to Congress on the number and severity of discrimination and whistleblower cases brought against each Federal agency should enable Congress to improve its oversight over agencies' compliance with the law; and
(8) penalizing Federal agencies by requiring them to pay for any discrimination or whistleblower judgment, award, or settlement should improve agency accountability with respect to whistleblower and discrimination laws.
Maybe the NO FEAR Coalition should look into this coalition:
CASEnergy Coalition
Clean and Safe Energy Coalition
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