Dr. Samuel Leguizamon Grant  was born in Washington D.C. to two lifelong Black evolutionaries who braided education and organizing to advance common well-being and equitable opportunity.  Picking up the legacy from his parents and other ancestors, Sam has embodied an environmental justice approach to facilitating the healing of our relations in the world since 1983. Sam is also a published author, with a co-edited volume coming soon from Bloomsbury Press – Grassroots Responses to Extractivism https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/grassroots-responses-to-extractivism-9781350331624/. 

Sam is the Executive Director at Rainbow Research, which he has been leading now for 4 years. Under his leadership, Rainbow has evolved its focus to prioritize environmental justice and climate resilience. Rainbow Research is currently engaged in 11 environmental justice action research initiatives, including the ones listed below:

• Support 4 Black EJCC leaders to design and implement strategies to address environmental justice priorities in the East Metro.
• Working with scientists at the University of Minnesota on two projects addressing flood and drought risk and resilience, one focused in MN, and one focused on the Midwest.
• Co-facilitating a Community Engagement Working Group for the MN Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Over 4 years a coalition has worked to establish a small grants program to be coordinated by the MN DNR, which will distribute funds from lottery proceeds each year – in the range of $25 to $28 million.
• We co-founded the Commons Land Community Trust, which is now working to secure an 83 acre parcel to support 75 BIPOC and emerging farmers in SE MN.
• We are supporting the development of 11 African immigrant cooperatives that are forming now, and will all link through a twelth coop – the MN Pan African Agroecology Cooperative Network. The 60 farmers involved will grow 3 or more rice varities utilizing the System of Rice Intensification model that emerged in Madagascar in the 1980s. The farmers are doing this in conjunction with Jubiliee Justice and Potlikker Capital, with support from the Community Table Cooperative and the Ajani Group’s Gary Hampton.
• Working with Indigenous Environmental Network to analyze and address the negative impacts of extractive industries in Minnesota and Montana on Indigenous population health and Native lands and ceded territories. 

Join us in the atrium as posters presenters share their research. AESS will be awarding a student poster award this year.

Join us for an open general session where the AESS Board and committee leaders present information about the state of affairs of the organization. This is open to all attendees, and we welcome you to learn more about the association and what opportunities exist to engage with members between events. Grab a beverage of your choice and hang with us while reception service is getting set up.

The Awards Reception is a long-standing AESS tradition. Award recipients will receive their physical award and be given the opportunity to share a speech. Traditionally, the Lifetime Achievement award winner ends the ceremony with a speech. Our photography contest and student poster award winners will also be announced.