6 POINT PLAN
Just and Inclusive Recruitment, Training, Jobs and Contracts, Solar Equity for All, Electric Vehicle Transition and more on and behalf of Black and other disadvantaged communities as defined by Justice 40.
In 2022 we came together and formed an Alliance that adopted a 6-point plan. The plan calls on agencies, policies and businesses alike to adopt and make commitments to the following:
1. Commit to post online and transparent data that can clearly show metrics and progress of inclusion i.e. Race Conscious Ethnic Diversity Dashboard
2. Commit to exceed Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Goals with intentional efforts towards Race Consciousness toward Black Business Enterprises, because MBE includes White women, Veterans and other people of color.
3. Commit and enforce, Black, racially and ethnically diverse workforce hiring and development, apprenticeship and training programs, partnerships and opportunities with a Fair Chance.
4. Commit to place clean energy infrastructure ie EV Charging Stations, grid resiliency improvements (including community owned solar) in and on Black, Racially /ethnically diverse communities and Business owned properties to include faith-based institutions, under resourced schools and grassroot not for profits and adding a race conscious geo- mapping overlay.
5. Commit to quantify the projected air pollution to include greenhouse gas reduction based on the geographic placement in Black and racially/ethnically diverse communities.
6. Commit to an Equity advisory board made up of Black, racially/ethnically diverse organizations to guide the current INDOT working group
ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP
DENISE ABDUL-RAHMAN
Executive Director and Founder
BS (USA), MBA (USA), HCM (USA) HIS (USA), Phd student (USA)
A former National NAACP staff, currently State Chair for Environmental and Climate Justice for the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP.
Abdul-Rahman facilitates the Indiana Alliance for Equity, Diversity Inclusion for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure & Economic Opportunities, Indiana Solar Equity For All and leads the building of equitable clean energy projects; and demo projects to PowerUp Clean Energy Jobs, Minority Business Contracts and infuse the Black Green Pipeline initiative.
Among her body of work accomplishments are the successful launch of the PowerUp initiative in Evansville, Indiana as published and distributed to 750,000 members of IBEW and the successful organizing of an “Our Youth Scientists” and “Our Community Scientists” initiative deployed in East Chicago Indiana. A City with 3 zones declared as a superfund site by the US EPA, with over 91,000 parts per a billion of lead.
Abdul-Rahman's most recent honors and recognition are Indiana University Neal-Marshall Exemplar Award 2023, Dr. Franklin Breckenridge Indiana NAACP Award , highest award 2023 Community Service Award 2021, NAACP Medgar Evers Nominee 2021, Vote Solar Dr. Espanola Jackson Award 2020, Faith-Based Rev. Mozel Sanders Drum Major for Humanities Award 2020, Indiana University Robert McKinney School of Law Environmental Protector Award 2019, NAACP Indiana Hazel B. Hunter Award 2019 and the NAACP Indiana President’s Award 2020.
She has had the privilege to speak/work with various organizations and academic institutions, such as DePauw University, IU McKinney School of Law, IUPUI School of Sociology, Purdue University, Indiana State University, IU-Bloomington, Butler University, Emory University, Wayne State-Law School, provided Keynote address for the University of Chicago at Illinois (Freshwater Lab Summit), AALS Clinical Education Conference, Solar Energy Industry Association, Global Citizen Year at Stanford University, Duke University, UC Davis, University Miami, Yale University and IUPUI Richard Lugar Renewable Energy Center to name a few.
She serves the ERI Advisory Board, National Senior ELP Fellow and serves the United States Speakers Bureau, Keynoted in Brazil 2022. Other capacities of service, former Vice Chair of the City of Indianapolis Air Pollution Control Board, former VP of MREA Board, as well as a Delegate to Egypt COP 27, Glasgow COP 26, Paris COP 21 and Global Climate Action Summit.