NAACP Advances Climate in Color at New York Climate Week ’25, Amplifies Climate Justice Agenda on AI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2025
Contact: communications@naacpnet.org
New York, NY — The NAACP pushes its fight for climate justice to the global stage at New York Climate Week '25 with the debut of a short-film under its Climate in Color: Reframing our Future program, launched earlier this year, as well as programming regarding the environmental and climate justice impacts of the data center boom in frontline communities across the country. The Climate in Color initiative highlights the innovative ways frontline communities are using storytelling to combat climate misinformation and push for outcomes centered in equity. The need to center solutions to the increasing resource needs of data centers is highlighted in the NAACP and coalition partner's Frontline Framework Data Center Guiding Principles that the NAACP will highlight during Climate Week this year.
"For too long, frontline communities have borne the brunt of climate disasters without having their stories centered or their solutions uplifted," said Abre' Conner, Director of the NAACP Center for Environmental and Climate Justice. Through Climate in Color and our frontline framework programming during New York Climate Week, the NAACP is showing that climate justice is civil rights — it's about equity, resilience, and the power of community voices to drive national change. By pairing art with policy and advocacy, we are ensuring that those most impacted are also leading the path forward. This intersectional approach is clear in the Center's framework, including a united front to making sure no community is without clean air, water, or faces higher utility bills because of data centers."
Abre' Conner will serve as a juror for the Climate Film Festival, a multi-day event, joining leaders in climate and film to select award-winning projects. The NAACP is also hosting Films from the Frontlines: Stories that Lead to Climate Action in partnership with The Solutions Project, Climate Power, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)'s Rewrite the Future, and the Climate Film Festival on Monday, September 22.
"I'm honored and excited to serve as an NAACP Climate in Color Ambassador. As a storyteller and the director of the Nat Geo series 'Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,' I've seen firsthand how critical it is to tell the stories of communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice. When we center the voices of the most vulnerable, we push for solutions that are equitable and create a path forward that better protects us all." said Traci A. Curry, Director, National Geographic's "Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time."
"When communities tell their own stories, they move from victims to victors and visionaries, rewriting the narrative from disempowerment to self-determination," said Gloria Walton, President and CEO, The Solutions Project. "Their stories show what's possible when solutions come from the ground up, led by the people most impacted by the climate crisis. At a time where so many regressive, false, and hateful narratives are pushing against us, we must continue to cultivate the power of community imagination and action. It's time for the world to see frontline communities creating transformational change and leading the way for climate justice solutions."
"Film and television have the power to move not only minds, but hearts. Now more than ever, we need bold stories that inspire, advance justice, highlight the environmental issues that vex us all, and illuminate the path to a better future. That's exactly what the NAACP's Climate in Color initiative is doing," said Meredith Milton, Creative Director, NRDC's Rewrite the Future.
"The stories we see shape the futures we can build. Film has always been a powerful medium for shifting culture and making change visible. The Climate Film Festival is dedicated to elevating the stories too often overlooked — especially the voices of communities living on the frontlines of environmental injustice. Together with the NAACP and our allies, we're bringing these stories to the stage and screen to shift the narrative and confront the defining challenges of our time" said Alec Turnbull, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Climate Film Festival.
The NAACP will also address the environmental impacts of AI-driven data center expansion through several programmatic panels and roundtables. The day of events includes a closed-door community dialogue on frontline impacts and a public panel on aligning AI's massive energy footprint with clean energy solutions.
These convenings reflect the NAACP's steadfast commitment to advancing justice on every front. The Association will continue to advocate for climate justice as a civil rights issue, mobilizing our communities against misinformation, holding corporations and policymakers accountable in the face of unchecked AI and data center expansion, and bridging the voices of impacted community members with those in power. The NAACP will continue driving the urgent change needed to secure a more equitable, sustainable future for us all.
See the full list of events here.
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About NAACP
The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.