Rise Up - 50 Years of Fighting for a Healthy Future
We’re celebrating the Ecology Center’s 50th anniversary [1970-2020].
The Ecology Center was founded after the Ann Arbor Teach-In on the Environment in 1970, the first and largest of hundreds of Earth Day events held across the United States that year, in what, at the time, constituted the largest mass mobilization of people in U.S. history. The 50th anniversary of both the Ecology Center and Earth Day heralded a phenomenon unlike any we’ve seen since 1970 -- a mass uprising of people to address the climate crisis, and to provide a livable world for future generations.
History, told well, shines a light on the present. There are through-lines in the history of the Ecology Center, and of environmental activism in Michigan that carry forward to the most vital issues of today.
We intend to honor and celebrate the Ecology Center’s historic achievements in ways that illuminate and elevate our current priorities – and those of the larger environmental and environmental justice communities. Whether you’ve been following and supporting our work for 50 years, or if you’re new to the Ecology Center, we hope the occasion will deepen your commitment to our work today.
Research for these stories provided by the Environmental Justice HistoryLab at the University of Michigan. For more, see history archive.