Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Chandra Taylor-Sawyer Of The Southern Environmental Law Center Is Helping To Change Our World
Clean air, safe water, and healthy communities shouldn’t depend on zip code or income level. When people understand that environmental harm is intertwined with racial and economic inequity, it opens the door to collective action that uplifts everyone.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Chandra Taylor-Sawyer, Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, where she leads the Environmental Justice Initiative.
For nearly two decades, Chandra has championed communities across the South who face the heaviest burdens of pollution — bringing legal expertise, historical context, and a deep commitment to equity to the fight for clean air, safe water, and healthier futures.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I came to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) in 2006 because I saw an organization that genuinely cared about the people and environment of the South. I’ve always been motivated by social and environmental justice and wanted to improve the world in tangible ways. During law school, I was drawn to environmental health and financial protection — spaces where advocacy could make a generational difference. When I heard reporting on NPR about SELC arguments for clean air in the US Supreme Court, I knew this was where real, systemic progress was happening. It was clear this was an organization that would make huge strides in achieving environmental justice.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
One of the most significant moments was in 2021 when SELC officially launched the Environmental Justice Initiative. Although we had long been doing environmental justice work, this initiative formalized our commitment and intentionally made it a core part of our organizational strategy. What stood out to me was seeing our attorneys and staff across every program and initiative — air, water, energy, land and community, wildlife, forests, and now climate and coasts and wetlands — coordinating on how to integrate environmental justice into their cases and outreach. It was a cross-cutting effort to ensure that our work reflected the realities of the South’s communities.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
There was a time when I was much more confident in my way being the correct way. Not only did that jeopardize my budding career, it also prevented me from fully receiving valuable feedback that ultimately improved my work product, professional and personal relationships. As a much more seasoned professional, I do trust my own counsel, but I am much more open to the fact that I will make mistakes, repeatedly, and that when I invite constructive critique, I create circumstances for incredible growth. I love that I have a lifetime opportunity for learning, and know from those early mistakes to not cut off avenues for feedback.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
At SELC, we believe that solutions start in the South. Our Environmental Justice Initiative works to improve environmental health in communities of color and low-wealth communities across the region. We do this by partnering with community organizations, providing legal and technical tools, and helping to make sure that residents facing disproportionate impacts from pollution are heard. Through our extensive program work, and our Plantations to Pollution storytelling project and the Broken Ground podcast, we’re connecting the history of racial injustice in the South to today’s environmental harms, helping people see that clean air, safe drinking water, and healthy communities are basic rights, not privileges.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual or organization that was impacted or helped by your cause?
One thing I love about the work I do is being able to work with and fight pollution alongside such passionate people. The EJ Initiative at SELC is always excited to make events and educational opportunities across the region successful and impactful. We do this via sponsorships, participation as panelists and speakers, and just by showing up. In addition, our staff are creating precedent in multiple venues across our region that improve the environment and public health.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Learn, share, and stay informed. Understanding history is the first step toward change. Explore our storytelling series Plantations to Pollution to see how past injustices and continuing systemic racism shape today’s environmental challenges. Use your voice — share these stories, follow local environmental issues, and help others make the connection between history, health, and justice.
- Support and strengthen communities on the ground. True progress happens when communities are resourced and heard. Community members can attend local events, join advocacy efforts, and support organizations working for cleaner air, safer water, and healthier neighborhoods- and start their own community learning and advocacy hubs! Donations, volunteer time, and amplifying community-led work all make a difference.
- Hold leaders accountable and protect environmental laws. Government officials, elected leaders and key decision makers play a crucial role in ensuring fair enforcement of environmental protections. Advocate for strong environmental laws and accessible healthcare, oppose harmful rollbacks, and encourage investment in communities most affected by pollution. Policies should reflect the belief that protecting frontline communities protects us all.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is about showing up consistently and using your influence to lift others. For me, it means centering the people most affected by the issues we work on and creating pathways for them to be heard. Whether it’s standing beside a community group in Alabama fighting industrial pollution or mentoring younger advocates within SELC, leadership is about service, trust, and accountability.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Progress takes patience. When I first started, I was most gratified by immediate change. But the truth is, systemic issues — especially in environmental justice — move slowly. The work requires long-term commitment, consistency, and knowledge that each case, conversation, or partnership builds toward lasting change.
- Listen before you lead. The best solutions come from the people living closest to the problem. I’ve learned to listen deeply to community members before acting. Their lived experiences guide where we can have the most meaningful impact.
- Wins look different in this work. Sometimes success means a new policy or legal victory. Other times, it’s a community being empowered to speak up, or a young advocate seeing what’s possible. I aim to celebrate all forms of progress, not just the headline moments.
- Collaboration is strength, not compromise. Early on, I thought leadership meant having all the answers. Now I know that bringing in diverse voices and expertise strengthens every outcome. True advocacy happens when lawyers, scientists, storytellers, and residents work together toward a shared goal.
- Hope is an action word. Hope isn’t about waiting for change — it’s about working toward it, even when the path is hard. I’ve seen time and again that hope, paired with persistence, is one of the most powerful tools we have for creating a more just and healthy South.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Health is wealth.” Wellness allows us to fully experience life, and is the foundation upon which we build. There are so many contributing factors to whether we are able to experience our healthiest lives. Having time to rest, energy to exercise, access to affordable preventative, acute, and palliative care, access to affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate food options, strong familial and friendship connections, and of course, an environment that is free from contaminants that harm us, all contribute to living the healthiest life possible. It is my daily motivation to act and work in ways that allow us all to live our healthiest lives. I think we all deserve the foundation of the best health possible, since that makes all our endeavors more possible, richer, and fuller.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to have a meeting with Kamala Harris. I recently listened to her book, 107 days which recounts her run for President. I am incredibly inspired by the force of her voice. She narrates her audiobook, and listening to her gets me as energized as the most upbeat music in my playlist. It is true that seeing what you could be impacts what you strive for in life. Knowing that this Black woman super lawyer brought so much good to the world, so much justice to the underserved and victimized, while still being so humble on the national stage, so loyal to the hope of what our country could be, and still conveyed expansive joy, deep family commitment, and exceptional poise under pressure; that is amazing and so motivating to me to realize more of what is possible. I would love to give her more of her flowers, because she deserves them, and hear how she handles all sorts of situations that professional women encounter on a year-to-year basis.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would inspire a movement that effectively translates environmental justice as basic humanity. Clean air, safe water, and healthy communities shouldn’t depend on zip code or income level. When people understand that environmental harm is intertwined with racial and economic inequity, it opens the door to collective action that uplifts everyone.
How can our readers further follow your work online and expand their knowledge about environmental justice?
I hope readers will explore and follow the storytelling series. These stories are on the ground examples of where we’ve been and where we are today. And that’s not only true of Black communities, it’s true for all communities. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Chandra Taylor-Sawyer Of The Southern Environmental Law Center Is… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.