Political Quotes

“I want to speak briefly about the courageous environmental activism of Alfred Brownell, a native of Liberia now living in exile in Boston. Mr. Brownell is an environmental and human rights lawyer and the executive director of Green Advocates, a Liberian organization that he founded to promote environmental justice for indigenous communities. Like so many environmental activists around the world, he has been repeatedly harassed and threatened. He was forced to flee his country with his family due to fear of reprisal for his outspoken and tireless work to protect the traditional land rights of his countrymen and against the sale, without their consent, of vast areas of forest to Golden Veroleum Liberia, a Southeast Asian-based company that produces palm oil. Now a visiting scholar and teacher at Northeastern University, Mr. Brownell continues to conduct research and classes on the issues that have come to define his life. Mr. Brownell was recently recognized by the international community for his perseverance in protecting Liberia's forests on which thousands of Liberian families and many endangered species of wildlife depend. He was honored in San Francisco and Washington as one of six recipients of the prestigious 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize. It is important that we not only pay tribute to Mr.…”