African-American Scholar Dr. Robert D. Bullard Receives Honorary Degree from an African University
“It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I accept this honorary doctorate. This is special. I’ve received several honorary doctorates from universities but never one from an African university. This is special for me. I am humbled by this award, this honor,” said Dr. Bullard in his acceptance speech.
African-American Environmental Justice scholar, Dr. Robert D. Bullard, received an honorary degree in Humanities from the University of Johannesburg on Friday, October 14, 2022, in South Africa. He was among six luminaries, including two Nobel Prize laureates, who were conferred with honorary doctorates from the African university.
He accepted the award in person at the university’s 2022 summer commencement ceremony held at Kingsway Campus in the city of Johannesburg. Dr. Bullard was recognized for his “significant contributions to environmental justice scholarship and praxis, leadership, and activism that have provided the world with tools to reimagine a more equitable and healthier planetary future”, according to a press statement obtained by Wakanda Network News.
“It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I accept this honorary doctorate. This is special. I’ve received several honorary doctorates from universities but never one from an African university. This is special for me. I am humbled by this award, this honor,” said Dr. Bullard in his acceptance speech. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Georgetown University.
Dr. Robert D. Bullard is a distinguished professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University. He is also the founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at the university.
Bullard earned his title as the ‘father of environmental justice’ over his 40-year academic career authoring more than 18 published books on environmental racism, pollution, and climate change. at Texas Southern University U and is often called the “father of environmental justice,” after having written more than 18 books over the past four decades.
In 2020, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) honored him with its 2020 Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award, the UN’s highest environmental honor.
