Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment

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		PRESS RELEASE For more information contact: Caroline Farrell, Acting Executive Director, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (661) 586-2621 San Francisco, CA: The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE) is mourning the untimely loss of its founder, Luke W. Cole, who passed away in Uganda while on sabbatical on June 6, 2009. Luke was a visionary leader who helped define the role of law and lawyers in the environmental justice movement. With the inspiration and support of his mentor, Ralph Abascal of California Rural Legal Assistance, he founded CRPE soon after his graduation from Harvard Law School. Luke saw that as a legal field, environmental justice could be a bridge between the traditional environmental movement and the traditional civil rights movement. Although he worked hard to bring lawyers into the environmental justice movement, he was always mindful of the secondary role they should play. Luke recognized that in the end, environmental racism is a political problem, not a legal one, and therefore that the ultimate end is to empower disempowered communities. In his view, no legal strategy was adequate unless it met the test of three questions: Will it educate? Will it build the movement? Will it address the root of the problem? Luke came from privilege, and he often laughed about being called a “limousine liberal,” but in his life and his work he walked the walk. He used his education, his race and gender privilege, his “macho law brain,” his charisma, and his heart to help those who did not have a voice influence the decisions that affect their lives and health. His “from the ground up” philosophy of environmental justice advocacy has influenced an entire field of legal practice and scholarship, as well as built lasting relationships with the communities with which we work. While we feel his loss deeply, CRPE is committed to continuing his work and ensuring that his vision of justice and equity is realized. Memorial Services (time and location) will be announced on this site.
Condolences may be sent to Luke’s family at:		Herbert “Skip” Cole scole@arthistory.ucsb.edu 2020 El Camino de la Luz Santa Barbara, CA 93109 Alexandra Cole Accole5@yahoo.com 519 Fig Avenue Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Memorial:		www.lcmemorial.org
Memorial Events:		Monday June 15th Under the leadership of Senator Florez and Pavley, the California State Senate will adjourn in Luke’s Honor. The session will begin at 12 noon, and will finish within an hour. Luke likely will be honored at the end of the session. You may watch via webcast here: www.calchannel.com
Press:		American Bar Association Journal CAL LAW Daily Kos Fresno Bee Los Angeles Times Legal Planet New York Times SF Chronicle Wall Street Journal Law Blog

The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment is a national environmental justice legal organization with offices in San Francisco and Delano, California. We provide legal and technical assistance to grassroots groups in low-income communities and communities of color fighting environmental hazards. In our work, we have three ambitions:

	First, that individuals taking part in a particular campaign leave the campaign with more personal capacity than they had coming into it.
	Second, that the community involved has more power vis a vis decisionmakers at the end of the campaign than at the beginning
	Finally, to concretely address the environmental hazard at hand

Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, 450 Geary Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102
47 Kearny Street, Suite 804, San Francisco, CA 94108
1302 Jefferson Street, Suite 2, Delano, CA 93215

PRESS RELEASE