Q&A: Understanding the work and impact of EEJI at Wake Forest
As Wake Forest’s Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative (EEJI) continues to bring together scholars, students and community partners to explore the connections between environmental sustainability, knowledge and justice, an upcoming film screening offers another opportunity to engage with this work. On Monday, Nov. 16, at 5:30 p.m., in the Porter Byrum Welcome Center, EEJI will host a screening and discussion of “Paimîye: A Documentary on Guyana’s National Flower,” a film made in partnership with Karanambu Lodge and funded by the initiative.
Ahead of the screening, Inside WFU spoke with the initiative’s principal investigator, Corey D. B. Walker, dean of the School of Divinity, Wake Forest professor of the humanities, and director of the Program in African American and African Studies. In this Q&A, Walker discusses EEJI’s purpose, its campus and community partnerships, current projects, and its impact at Wake Forest.
Q&A: Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative
What is the Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative (EEJI), and what is its purpose at Wake Forest?
The Wake Forest University Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative (EEJI), funded by a major grant from the Mellon Foundation, is a humanities-based response to the environmental crisis that complements our scientific efforts to create a more just and sustainable world. The initiative is grounded in the recognition that the environmental crisis we face is also an ethical and epistemological crisis where all knowledges – arts, business, humanities, law, medicine, sciences, and theology – are needed to effectively respond to this planetary challenge.
Read the original media release.
How does EEJI’s work intersect with the broader campus community? What partnerships and collaborations help advance the initiative’s work?
EEJI intersects with the broader Wake Forest community by creating opportunities for faculty and students across disciplines to engage a shared set of urgent questions about the environment, knowledge, and justice through its programming and events. The Initiative draws upon the distinctive strengths of the University while extending beyond campus by working with journalists, community organizations, public officials, and other institutions. These collaborations reflect EEJI’s conviction that addressing the environmental crisis requires not only interdisciplinary scholarship but also meaningful engagement across communities and forms of expertise. A list of faculty fellows and other collaborating faculty are available on the website.
What projects or initiatives are currently underway or coming up that demonstrate EEJI’s impact?
Wake Forest University Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative (EEJI) hosted its fourth annual Summer Institute in London from May 31 through June 4, 2026. The institute supports environmental justice reporting and advances public understanding of environmental justice issues.
EEJI recently published a report of the articles published by its Fellows.
A special film screening and discussion of Paimîye: A Documentary on Guyana’s National Flower will be held on Monday, November 16 at 5:30pm. This film was made in partnership with Karanambu Lodge and funded by EEJI.
EEJI will also host the 11th Annual John W. Hatch Lecture at the Wake Washington Center on the theme “Faith, Health, and the Environment: An Agenda for the 21st Century.”
What does the future of EEJI at Wake Forest look like, and how can faculty, staff and others across campus get involved?
We envision EEJI as an enduring intellectual and collaborative platform at Wake Forest University that brings together diverse forms of knowledge and expertise to address the environmental and epistemological challenges of our time. While the initiative formally concludes in December 2027, the scholarship and teaching will continue through a range of academic programs and the broad scholarship by professors, students, and community partners working at the intersections of environmental and epistemic justice.
How does EEJI’s work connect with Wake Forest’s mission and commitment to Pro Humanitate?
The Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative (EEJI) embodies Wake Forest University’s commitment to Pro Humanitate by bringing the University’s intellectual resources, creative energies, and collective expertise to bear on one of the most consequential challenges of our time. Recognizing that the environmental crisis is also an ethical and epistemological crisis, EEJI brings together scholars, students, journalists, activists, and public officials across disciplines and communities to generate knowledge, advance justice, and imagine more sustainable and equitable futures. In this way, EEJI gives tangible expression to Pro Humanitate as a shared responsibility to put knowledge in the service of humanity and the common good.