The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ): Inland Empire environmentalism.

In the midst of a sprawling central realm of seemingly endless sprawls of concrete and jobs, vibrant songs of defiance and hope rise above the noise. This is the song of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), whose soundtrack affects the region of rhythm it serves.

Unlike a solitary violin or a solitary drum, CCAEJ functions as a whole orchestra, its instrumental voices and the experiences of indigenous people who have experienced environmental injustice from young mothers who wind with children’s breathing concerns bringing into play the voices and experiences of seasoned community leaders who fight for clean water.

Instead of a gilded concert hall, CCAEJ performs its music in the midst of the community itself. Maria Lum, the organization's solutions manager, explains, "We believe that environmental justice is not a demonstration on a distant stage. It is a conversation on a street corner, a conversation at a kitchen table, a meal. They share where we build capacity to create a healthy future."

Their music is not limited to traditional sheet music. Rather, it is a combination of ancestral wisdom, lived experiences, and new ways of working. Imagine powerful crescendos of young mothers, empowered by workshops on environmental health risks, educating their neighbors through door-to-door outreach. Imagine a rise in youth interest stimulated by leadership initiatives, organizing community clean-up projects, and leading environmental campaigns. Listen to the cacophony of community leaders holding advocacy-trained, elected officials accountable for their actions.

This is not just a game; This is the movement. CCAEJ’s music resonates throughout the Inland Empire, sparking a chorus of change. Air quality regulations got stricter, later recommending the closure of polluting sites, empowering countless individuals to be stewards of their environment, but the impact goes far beyond policy simply announced and instilled a sense of ownership and teamwork in the community, transforming them from passive recipients to active activists against injustice.

CCAEJ Board Secretary/Treasurer Dean Mayorga says, "We don't just give people a microphone and ask them to sing. We give them the tools to compose their own songs and write their own songs about environmental justice."

CCAEJ’s symphony is a testament to the power of collective action. A reminder that even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable challenges, ordinary people coming with a collective vision can make an extraordinary difference. Through their unwavering quest for justice, their music resonates beyond domestic imperialism, inspiring communities around the world to raise their voices and demand a sustainable future They are a living example of the possibility of change; their song is a powerful expression of resistance even the smallest voice amplified by a community can be.