Our Top Three 2025 Dr. Espanola Jackson Energy Justice Award Nominees
We are thrilled to announce the top 3 nominees for the 2025 Dr. Espanola Jackson Energy Justice Award. This award celebrates the legacy of Dr. Espanola Jackson, a tireless community and environmental justice leader. These nominees have been long-time leaders, dedicated coalition builders, and passionate advocates for a just and sustainable future. This award recognizes outstanding leaders of color who have made significant contributions to their communities through energy and environmental justice. These leaders embody all of the following criteria:
- Long-time leaders in their communities (10+ years of work in energy or environmental justice), may be located anywhere in the U.S. or territories who are:
- Dedicated to improving health and well-being in their community through clean energy;
- Strong coalition builders– able to mobilize support both within and around their community;
- Working at the intersection of racial justice & clean energy access;
- Working to stop extractive and/or polluting industry in their community;
- Working to bring jobs and savings to their community via clean energy opportunities;
- Influencing the state, local, or federal energy policy agenda through direct grassroots advocacy.
Meet the Top 3 Finalists:
Chief Henry Red Cloud
Role: Founder & Executive Director for Red Cloud Renewable
Chief Henry is a direct descendant of Chief Mahpiya Luta and serves as Executive Director of Red Cloud Renewable. A respected Lakota leader, Henry founded Red Cloud Renewable in 2017 and has trained over 1,100 Indigenous students in solar installation, weatherization, and sustainable building. Henry and his team have installed solar heating systems in over 1,200 reservation homes that would otherwise struggle financially against the bitter South Dakota winters. Henry’s programs train indigenous workers from many tribes as well as the Lakota, empowering Native communities through energy sovereignty and cultural resilience. Henry’s work is focused on building skills for indigenous workers as well as providing clean energy for Native people. As he says “this work isn’t just about energy. It’s about sovereignty. It’s about healing. And it’s about coming back to our original instructions: to take care of one another, to live in balance, and to make a good path for the generations to come.”
There is no industry on Pine Ridge–it is in the poorest county in the U.S. with very high unemployment . Henry’s work in solar, weatherization and sustainable building helps many Indigenous families on many reservations to avoid the use of costly fossil fuel and wood. Red Cloud Renewable has trained over 1000 solar technicians. By providing valuable job skills and fostering career opportunities, they help Native Americans support their families and contribute to their communities. Simultaneously, their efforts align with broader environmental goals, advancing sustainability and promoting a greener planet. This dual impact reflects their commitment to both economic empowerment and environmental stewardship, resonating with the traditional Native American values of harmony with nature. Please visit the Facebook page for updates on training programs and impacts.
Tarshire Battle
Role: Executive Director for Roots 2Empower
Tarshire Battle is a passionate advocate for social justice, economic empowerment, and environmental resilience. She is dedicated to uplifting underserved communities across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, working to create pathways for equity, opportunity, and lasting change. Her understanding of structural hurdles and the need for comprehensive, community-driven solutions grew as she worked with the New England Center for Homeless Veterans and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. These experiences inspired her to establish Roots2Empower, a community-based organization that promotes systemic change through business and financial education, community gardening projects, and policy lobbying. Recognizing that no single organization can solve these injustices alone, she works with environmental and social justice organizations to pool resources and expertise, furthering climate action, food sovereignty, and community reconciliation in ways that encourage long-term structural change.
Tarshire also wrote Rooted in Resilience: A Pathway Towards Global Social Change, in which she discusses her experiences working in her home nation and around the world, notably in Africa. She is currently working on her PhD in Environmental Science. Her study examines the social and psychological consequences of climate change in post-war Liberia, with an emphasis on mental health, displacement, and community cohesion. Tarshire Battle continues to combat injustice, build resilience, and effect change through grassroots organizing, research, and storytelling, both in her own neighborhood and throughout the world.
Brionté McCorkle
Role: Executive Director for the Georgia Conservation Voters
Brionté believes in a healthier, more vibrant future for all people and the planet. She is dedicated to teaching people how to self-organize and build strategic partnerships to protect the environment, advance racial equity, and grow civic engagement. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Conservation Voters, where she works to secure a more just and sustainable future by advancing climate and environmental justice policies, electing pro-environment candidates, and holding elected officials accountable for their actions and votes.
Brionté earned a B.S. in Public Policy from Georgia State University and minored in Spanish. In 2014, she led the Georgia Sierra Club’s involvement in the successful effort to expand MARTA to Clayton County. Most recently, Brionté was a plaintiff in a successful and historic federal Voting Rights Act lawsuit (Rose vs. Raffensperger) challenging the at-large election method of Georgia’s Public Service Commissioners.
Join us for the 2025 Energy Justice Award Fireside Chat on Monday, December 8 at 3 p.m. ET. This virtual event will spotlight the top three nominees for Vote Solar’s Energy Justice Award as they share more about their work and the communities they serve. The conversation will be followed by a live Q&A hosted by our Executive Director, Sachu Constantine. Register now to reserve your spot and celebrate these incredible leaders advancing energy justice across the country.