Energy Justice is Racial Justice: Dismantling a System Built on Exclusion
Black communities have borne the weight of exclusion while leading the most strategic efforts for a more just society. From housing discrimination to environmental racism, redlining wasn’t just about drawing lines on a map. It was a deliberate strategy to lock Black families out of wealth, opportunity, and
essential services. The same policies that denied Black communities access to mortgages also created an energy system that still leaves us with higher bills, unreliable infrastructure, and limited access to clean power. These conditions are not just unfortunate; they were deliberately designed to uphold systemic inequities. And what is built by design can only be dismantled by intention, organizing, and collective action.That is why the fight for energy justice is a fight for racial justice.
The energy system has never been fair. Black neighborhoods have been forced to pay more for basic services while facing higher risks of power outages and pollution. Utilities and policymakers have spent decades prioritizing profits over people, leaving strategically undervalued communities with the least investment and the most harm. But across the country, Black organizers and leaders are proving that another future is possible. From Detroit’s Soulardarity to D.C.’s Groundswell to Florida’s EMPOWER coalition, Black-led efforts are creating community-owned solar, lowering energy costs, and building local power in every sense of the word.
At Vote Solar, we know that those closest to injustice are closest to the solutions. That’s why our Access & Equity Advisory Committee (AEAC)—a coalition of Black, Indigenous, and experts of color from across the country—works to advance equitable clean energy policy. Each year, AEAC members identify the most pressing barriers to clean energy access for low-wealth, frontline, and BIPOC communities, shaping solutions that make our energy systems more just. This year, we focused on redlining’s enduring grip on electric infrastructure, diving into how decades of disinvestment still shape energy access today.
Our latest issue brief, “Wiring the Divide: The Impacts of Redlining on Electric Infrastructure” lays the groundwork for understanding these energy inequities and serves as a starting point for policy solutions. But this is just the beginning—dismantling decades of systemic disinvestment requires continued action, deeper research, and bold, race and class-driven commitments.
Reparations isn’t just about righting past wrongs—it’s about redistributing power, in every sense of the word. It means shifting resources away from extractive industries and towards community-driven clean energy solutions. It means holding utilities and policymakers accountable for decades of neglect and harm. Energy justice is not just about affordability or efficiency—it is about self-determination. The future of energy must be shaped by the communities that have been most impacted by its inequities.
This Black History Month, we must recognize that the fight for energy justice is a continuation of the long fight for civil rights. We are not just advocating for fair rates or cleaner air. We are demanding an energy system that supports, sustains, and uplifts Black communities. The path forward requires action, investment, and accountability. It is time to ensure that Black communities, once systematically shut out, are at the forefront of building a just and equitable energy future.
A just energy future that speaks to the plight of Black liberation isn’t a distant dream; it’s a necessity, and through collective action and solidarity, we can and will make it real.