SouthTalks: The South’s Environmental Legacy

“The South’s Environmental Legacy: From Personal Accountability to Collective Power” by Heather McTeer Toney

In this SouthTalk, Heather McTeer Toney will discuss how the South’s environmental history—ranging from agriculture to extractive industries—has shaped individual and collective behaviors. She will focus on reframing the conversation from personal recycling habits to holding industries accountable and advocating for policy reform.

Heather McTeer Toney is an attorney, environmentalist, speaker, and writer. She was the first Black, first female, and youngest mayor elected in Greenville, Mississippi, at age 27. In 2014, she was appointed by President Barack Obama as regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Southeast Region. Formerly the senior director for Moms Clean Air Force and vice president of community engagement for the Environmental Defense Fund, McTeer Toney currently serves as the executive director for the Beyond Petrochemicals Campaign. McTeer Toney lives with her husband and three children in Oxford, Mississippi. Her latest book is Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions.

SouthTalks is a series of events, including lectures, performances, film screenings and panel discussions, exploring the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. All events are free and open to the public.