2026 African American Environmental Pioneer Awards

by | Nov 20, 2025 | News, Uncategorized

Monday, February 16th, 2026

Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center, 1531 W Vliet St, 53205

Doors open at 4:00 pm with networking and food
Program at 5:30 pm

The planning committee for the  American Environmental Pioneers Awards (AAEPA) is pleased to announce plans for the 7th Annual Awards to be held at a special location marking a special collaboration with Milwaukee County Parks and Milwaukee Parks Foundation.

We are excited to announce an AWESOME experience for this milestone event to celebrate Milwaukee’s African American community working for a better environment.   Register here for either in-person attendance or for the link to the live streaming option: www.bit.ly/green_pioneers_2026.

A big round of applause for our 2026 Honorees:

PIONEER AWARDEES
Danell Cross, Metcalf Park Community Bridges
Cheri Fuqua, The Middle Ground MKE
Mabel Lamb, Sherman Park Community Association
Dee McCollum,Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center
Lloyd Seawright, Beach Ambassadors
Yvonne McCaskill, Century City Triangle Neighborhood
 
RISING STAR AWARDEES
Jerica Fehr, MKE FreshAir Collective
Alana Fisher, Earth Echo
Christina Hill, Hawthorne Elementary School
Bryan Rogers, Walnut Way Conservation Corp.
Ifeoluwapo Tolorunju, Sherman Park Community Association
Tylon Moon, Teens Grow Greens
 
These awards were first held in 2020, in effort to recognize African‐American community members who have dedicated themselves to work in service of the Milwaukee community, and the planet, through their work in environmental conservation, sustainability or advocacy. We hold the awards ceremony during Black History Month to honor the rich cultural history of the African Diaspora, while celebrating our living generations of all ages for their efforts to make the world a better place through environmental stewardship.

The event will feature all the great food, culture, arts and fun of previous events and MORE
You can bookmark this page, or follow us on Facebook for updates

If you or organization would like to become a sponsor of the event, please find sponsorship info at this link.

Information about previous year’s events and awardees:

2026 Event Sponsors:

STEWARD LEVEL SPONSORS

Fund for Lake Michigan

 Fund For Lake Michigan

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

 MMSD Logo
Urban Ecology Center Logo of Urban Ecology Center
Milwaukee Parks Foundation Milwaukee Parks Foundation logo
Milwaukee Water Commons Milwaukee Water Commons
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Nearby Nature Milwaukee Nearby Nature Milwaukee
Northwest Side Community Development Corp Northwest Side CDC
Reflo Reflo
Neighborhood House of Milwaukee Neighborhood House Logo

Enthusiast level sponsors:
Land Restoration School Land Restoration School Logo
Hummingbird MKE Hummingbird MKE Logo
Friends of Lincoln Park Lincoln Park Friends Logo
True Skool True-Skool Logo
Milwaukee County Parks County-Parks-Logo
Supporting Level Sponsors:
Wisconsin Green Muslims
CLICK HERE TO BE A 2026 SPONSOR

2026 AAEPA Planning Committee:

  • Jen Abel, Sierra Club Great Waters Group

  • Niki Espy, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee

  • Terry Evans, Urban Ecology Center 

  • Aton Fox, Milwaukee Water Commons

  • CaBeatrice Hart, Mystic Phoenix Studio

  • Grian Hollies-Maxwell, Groundworks, Maxwell Farms

  • Detaya Johnson, Educator, Community Engagement

  • Danitra Jones,  Northwest Side CDC

  • Supreme Moore Omokunde, WI State Representative, Dist 17

  • Julien Phifer,  Milwaukee County Parks

  • Wilniesha Smith, Reflo 

  • David Thomas, Nearby Nature Milwaukee 

  • Fidel Verdin, TRUE Skool

CLICK HERE to Register or get Streaming Link