Cultural Arts Coalition

Our 2001 15-passenger van, which served our Science and Environmental Ambassador programs for many happy years, decided to quit on us for good in the middle of an intersection one day late last year. After renting a vehicle for a few months, we finally found a suitable replacement in January. Thanks to substantial donations from the Community Foundation of North Central Florida and Leslie May, we were able to put a down payment on this sturdy and dependable vehicle. We immediately put it to good use – Science Club visit to Devils Millhopper Geology Day.

Thank you to all our supporters who make wonderful things happen for kids in our community!

Learn more about the award and meet all the nominees

Nkwanda Jah, Executive Director of the Cultural Arts Coalition and Chair of the Alachua County NAACP ECJC, has worked for over 40 years on energy equity and environmental justice issues. Nkwanda’s passion for the environment is grounded in her lived experience as a youth on her family’s rural farm and is focused on a broad understanding of sustainability as encompassing social needs, education, healthcare, food and an equitable transition to clean energy.

In 2017, Nkwanda established the Alachua County NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee. Bringing together all the local environmental groups, the ECJC has helped to solidify a local environmental movement focused on equity and justice. The group has organized six well-attended community forums since 2018, focused on energy; food; climate change; affordable housing; and equitable transitions to clean energy. This provided information in accessible ways and promoted discussion of concrete solutions for her community.

Most recently, Nkwanda led the development of the EMPOWER Coalition team, selected in 2022 and 2024 by the US Department of Energy as a LEAP Community. The Coalition includes city and county governments, educational institutions, local nonprofits and resident associations of three underserved communities where the Coalition is working to expand energy efficiency and weatherization services, electrification, and greater access to green jobs and benefits from solar energy. The EMPOWER project is forging a leadership group of residents from underserved local communities who work together to negotiate solutions for an equitable energy transition and to address the multi-faceted problems faced by these communities of color in Alachua County.