Environmental Justice & Community Advocacy: A Case Study of Los Sures as Characterized by Community Nonprofit El Puente

In South Williamsburg, referred to by residents as Los Sures, the nonprofit organization El Puente has a 40-year history of organizing around community issues. For much of that history, El Puente’s staff and volunteers have identified environmental justice matters, particularly those surrounding air quality, as a major concern. Recent research indicates that air quality is a factor influencing increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. While the environmental justice literature is large, there is limited analysis of how such groups operationalize their environmental health work during a health crisis, particularly in communities where air quality is already a central issue. In order to understand how Los Sures residents contextualize their health as a function of place, especially during COVID-19, this master’s thesis will explore the work of El Puente both prior to and during the pandemic. Through primary source research on newspaper/web articles, gray literature, and organizational documentation, this paper will explore El Puente’s campaigns for clean air. The research will be supported by qualitative interviews with key staff and community members to understand how organizational work was and continues to be affected.