Press Release

February 3, 2025 | By Cole Hatcher

Nadia Kim, Ph.D., will discuss environmental and racial justice Feb. 19 at Ohio Wesleyan and participate in a panel discussion Feb. 20. (Photo courtesy of Nadia Kim)

At the Intersection

Ohio Wesleyan Feb. 19-20 Events to Examine Environmental and Racial Justice

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University will explore issues of environmental and racial justice during a Feb. 19 lecture and a Feb. 20 panel discussion featuring sociologist and activist Nadia Kim, Ph.D.

A professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University, Kim's research focuses on U.S. race and citizenship injustices concerning Korean/Asian Americans, South Koreans, and Latinx immigrants, on women's fights against environmental racism/classism, and on the comparative racialization of Latinx, Asian, and Black Americans.

Kim is the author of two multi-award-winning books, "Imperial Citizens: Koreans and Race from Seoul to LA" and "Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LA," and she has organized on issues of immigrant rights, affirmative action, and environmental justice. Kim has been interviewed by National Public Radio, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Korea Times, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among other national and international media outlets.

She will present "Refusing Death: Immigrant Women of Color on Environmental Racism and Classism" at 5 p.m. Feb. 19 and participate in a follow-up panel discussion, "The Intersection of Environmental and Racial Justice," at noon Feb. 20. Both events are free and open to the public and will be held in Room 301 of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.

In addition to Kim, the Feb. 20 panel discussion will feature Ohio Wesleyan faculty members Laurel "Laurie" Anderson and Ashley Toenjes as well as Jen Miller of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

Laurie Anderson, Ph.D.

Anderson, Ph.D., is a plant ecologist and holder of the Morris Family Professorship in Natural Sciences in Ohio Wesleyan's departments of Biological Sciences and Environment & Sustainability. She is president of the Board of Directors for the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN) and chair of the Network Management Team of the Macrosystems Ecology For All Network (MEFA), both initiated with National Science Foundation funds. Her research and teaching interests include temperate forest ecology, invasive plants, global environmental change, and developing collaborative ecological projects across small colleges.


Ashley Toenjes, Ph.D.

Toenjes, Ph.D., is an instructor of human geography in OWU's Department of Environment & Sustainability. She teaches courses on environmental justice, colonialism, and Southwest Asia. Her current research explores the role of maps in media reporting of Palestine and Israel in recent years. The project is part of her broader research interests in the transnational dimensions of social movements and borders, decolonial theory, and visual methods.


Jen Miller, M.A.

Miller, M.A., is executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio and has more than 20 years of experience working with diverse communities to promote social justice and civic action through positions with Columbus Recreation and Parks, the Martin Luther Jr. King Arts Complex, Sierra Club, The Ohio State University, and Global Gallery. Miller is a board member of the Ohio History Connection and the Ohio Women's Suffrage Monument Commission, and she says inspiring others to participate in civic engagement is her deepest passion.


Both the lecture and panel discussion encompass OWU's 2024-2025 Butler A. Jones Lecture on Race and Society, Benjamin F. Marsh Lecture on Public Affairs, and Robert Kragalott Lecture on Genocide, Mass Atrocity, and Human Rights. They also are part of the university's Sagan National Colloquium and are sponsored by the departments of History, Politics & Government, and Sociology & Anthropology. Learn more at owu.edu/history, owu.edu/politics, owu.edu/SOAN, or owu.edu/SNC.


Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.