7th Annual African American Environmental Pioneer Awards, February 16th, 2026
In recognition of Black History Month, the African American Environmental Pioneer Awards 7th annual event is honoring those in Milwaukee’s African American community working for a better environment. Nominees are chosen by previous honorees and event organizers. Awardees consist of community leaders ranging in scope from neighborhood to county-wide impact. The ceremony is held during Black History Month to honor the rich cultural history of the African Diaspora, while celebrating our living generations of all ages for their efforts to make the world a better place through environmental stewardship. Awards are given in two categories, to recognize the intergenerational nature of community work, “Pioneers” as well as younger “Rising Stars”.
This year the awards will be held at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center, 1531 W Vliet St. Doors will open at 4:00 for networking and food, and the program will beginat 5:30 pm. In addition to the awards, the event always includes artistic performances including African drumming, a libation ceremony and the singing of the Black National Anthem. The program will be broadcast as a live stream. Both online and in-person attendees are asked to RSVP for the event at this link: www.bit.ly/green_pioneers_2026
The planning Committee has announced artists and performers for this year’s event, to include:
- Drummer Ojumire Charleston with the Drums Up – Guns Down 414 youth drummers
- Ko-Thi Dance Company’s Ton Ko-Thi Youth ensemble
- Nationally acclaimed vocalist Carl Jackson will lead the singing of the Black National Anthem
- Wisconsin State Rep Supreme Moore-Omokunde will perform the Libation
- Spoken Word Artist, Martiza Dixon will perform
Awards will be presented to twelve individuals. The 2024 honorees are:
PIONEER AWARDS
Danell Cross, Metcalf Park Community Bridges
Cheri Fuqua, The Middle Ground MKE
Mabel Lamb, Sherman Park Community Association
Dee McCollum, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center
Lloyd Seawright, Beach Ambassadors
Yvonne McCaskill, Century City Triangle Neighborhood
RISING STAR AWARDEES
Jerica Fehr, MKE FreshAir Collective
Alana Fisher, Earth Echo
Christina Hill, Hawthorne Elementary School
Bryan Rogers, Walnut Way Conservation Corp.
Ifeoluwapo Tolorunju, Sherman Park Community Association
Tylon Moon, Teens Grow Greens
The event has adopted the Ashanti Adinkra symbol “Asase Ye Duru” meaning “The Earth has Weight”, symbolizing the providence and divinity of Mother Earth.
This event is free and open to the public. Participants must register in advance at www.bit.ly/green_pioneers_2026
The inaugural event in 2020 was held at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society/Museum. It featured a call to ceremony by drummers from Ko-Thi African Dance Company. Brenda Coley of Milwaukee Water Commons was the featured speaker and addressed the need for society to be more inclusive in what is known as “the commons”, public spaces and resources that belong to all of us. At a 2021 “all virtual” event, the keynote was pioneering Harlem poet Dahveed Nelson, a member of the Last Poets, credited for work that led to the emergence of hip-hop. In 2022, a hybrid virtual and in-person event featured Lieutenant Governor Mandella Barnes as the Keynote. In 2023 the keynote was replaced with an intergenerational panel on Climate Justice. In 2024, the AAEPA committee presented a community “Call to Action” and the Milwaukee Environmental Justice Alliance announced their organization.
A web page featuring all the information on this year’s event can be found at this link:
2026 African American Environmental Pioneer Awards
Generous sponsors allow the group to hire professional AV support, hire numerous performing artists, and provide food during the networking hour
2026 Event Sponsors, to date, include:
Clean Wisconsin
Elevate
Faith In Place
Friends of Lincoln Park
Fund for Lake Michigan
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Hummingbird MKE
Land Restoration School
Midwest Environmental Advocates
Milwaukee County Parks
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Milwaukee Parks Foundation
Milwaukee Water Commons
MKE Fresh Air Collective
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Nearby Nature Milwaukee
Neighborhood House of Milwaukee
Northwest Side Community Development Corp
Northwestern Mutual
Reflo
True Skool
Urban Ecology Center
Wisconsin Conservation Voters
Wisconsin Green Fire
Wisconsin Green Muslims
The 2026 AAEPA Planning Committee includes:
● Jen Abel, Sierra Club Great Waters Group
● Niki Espy, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee
● Terry Evans, Urban Ecology Center
● Aton Fox, Milwaukee Water Commons
● CaBeatrice Hart, Mystic Phoenix Studio
● Grian Hollies-Maxwell, Groundworks, Maxwell Farms
● Detaya Johnson, Educator, Community Engagement
● Danitra Jones, Northwest Side CDC
● Supreme Moore Omokunde, WI State Representative, Dist 17
● Julien Phifer, Milwaukee County Parks
● Wilniesha Smith, Reflo
● David Thomas, Nearby Nature Milwaukee
● Fidel Verdin, TRUE Skool
For more information or to arrange interviews, please email: [email protected]
Or Call:
● Terry Evans, Urban Ecology Center: 414-793-3649, [email protected]
● Niki Espy, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, 414-933-6161 x156, [email protected]