Fred Tutman Fellow: Breathing Lessons
Fred Tutman Fellow: Breathing Lessons
In June, EJJI welcomes our first Fred Tutman Fellow. Like its namesake, who serves as the Patuxent Riverkeeper, the Tutman fellow was to be a person interested in journalism, advocacy, and the law. Fred Tutman, the first and still only Black riverkeeper in the Chesapeake Bay, and the only one serving in the country, has been a staunch advocate for underserved communities along Maryland’s longest river. He has fought for standing in court, against air and water polluters, and alongside aggrieved parties who governments have ignored.
EJJI entered into a partnership with our friends at the Chesapeake Legal Alliance and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to ground our fellow in laws/procedures and advocacy work. Our fellow, Lilly Howard, spent time with all three organizations. She helped EJJI plant floating wetlands at our marina, worked with CBF on a video story about a compressor station, and worked with CLA on some stories that touched on their recent cases. Howard, a University of Maryland junior, said the fellowship was transformative.
“This fellowship has taught that it is up to journalists, lawyers, and community advocates to hold enforcement agencies and state legislature accountable,” she said. “It is so important to tell these stories so communities are well informed in order to function as a proper democracy.”
Today, we share with you a story close to Tutman’s heart in Lothian:
