Celebrating Dr. Robert D. Bullard’s Books and Research over the Decades

Each day during Black History Month, the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University will honor the scholarship and groundbreaking work of its founding director, Dr. Robert D. Bullard. Widely recognized as the father of environmental justice, Dr. Bullard is a distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy, holding a Ph.D. in sociology from Iowa State University. He has played a pivotal role as co-founder of the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium and HBCU Climate Change Consortium. He serves as co-chair of the National Black Environmental Justice Network. 

Over the past four and a half decades, Dr. Bullard has exemplified what he describes as “kick-ass” sociology—where science, research, data, and facts are combined with action to create transformative, lasting change. Inspired by his hero, W.E.B. Dubois, Dr. Bullard has demonstrated that a Black sociologist can excel as a teacher, scholar, scientist, activist, and justice advocate in the United States and globally.

Dr. Bullard is the author of 18 books on environmental racism, urban land use, housing, transportation, sustainability, smart growth, climate justice, and community resilience. His landmark book, Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality, published thirty-five years ago, was the first to introduce readers to the field of environmental justice.

Professor Bullard has received numerous awards and honors. Notably, he was awarded the United Nations Environment Program Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award, the UN’s highest environmental honor. This award recognizes outstanding leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment.

Additional honors include the TIME Earth Award, the Museum of Science (Boston) Bradford Washburn Award, and the Urban Land Institute Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. Dr. Bullard has also been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the California Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology.  

Dr. Bullard is also a proud Vietnam Era U.S. Marine Corps veteran. For his full biography, please click HERE.