What to Expect

This unforgettable evening will feature:

• Keynote Speakers: Catherine Coleman Flowers, environmental justice activist and founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, and Cliff Villa, environmental law scholar and advocate for community-driven change.
• Live music from Ja’nise Gentry, whose soulful Cello will set the tone for an evening of hope and reflection.
• Awards recognizing environmental justice champions in our community.
• A dinner and craft cocktails, celebrating Birmingham’s creativity and culture.
• Interactive art and storytelling experiences that lift up frontline voices.

VIP Experience (Limited Availability)

VIP guests are invited to arrive early at 4:00 PM for an exclusive pre-event experience featuring hors d’oeuvres and a private guided tour of Sloss Furnaces led by Ty Magulani, beginning at 4:30 PM.

Ticket Information

Early Bird & Student Tickets: $35 (available through October 31)
Don’t wait — ticket prices will increase after the early bird deadline!

Sponsorship Opportunities

We invite community partners, businesses, and individuals to stand with us as sponsors. Your support makes this celebration possible — and powers our ongoing work for clean air and environmental justice.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jilisa Milton at [email protected].

Until the Smoke Clears

Our 2025 theme, Until the Smoke Clears, is more than a message — it’s a promise. A promise to keep pushing until every community can breathe freely, to stand together when forces try to divide us, and to transform Birmingham’s legacy of industry into a future defined by equity, resilience, and impact.

Every ticket, every toast, and every story shared helps GASP combat air pollution, hold polluters accountable, and protect the people and places we love.

Join us for a night of community, courage, and celebration — until the smoke clears.

Speakers

Catherine Coleman-Flowers

Catherine Coleman Flowers is an internationally recognized environmental activist, MacArthur “genius” grant recipient and author. She has dedicated her life’s work to advocating for environmental justice, primarily equal access to clean water and functional sanitation for communities across the United States. Founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ), Flowers has spent her career promoting equal access to clean water, air, sanitation and soil to reduce health and economic disparities in marginalized, rural communities. Flowers sits on the Board of Directors for the Climate Reality Project, the Natural Resources Defense Council and RMI, as well as serving as a Practitioner in Residence position at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.

Clifford Villa, Professor of Law

Professor Cliff Villa teaches, writes, and practices in the areas of constitutional rights and environmental law, with particular expertise in environmental justice and disaster response. On leave from academia, Prof. Villa served in the Biden administration as political leadership for the U.S. EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management. In that role, based in Washington, D.C., he provided policy direction for national programs including Superfund cleanup, Brownfields revitalization, and emergency response. Previously, Villa served more than 20 years as an EPA attorney in Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado; and Seattle, Washington. Within academia, in addition to UNM, Villa has taught at Columbia Law School and Seattle University. Among other publications, Villa is the lead author of ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: LAW, POLICY & REGULATION (4th ed. 2025), and author of legal scholarship including Law and Lawyers in the Incident Command System (2013), Remaking Environmental Justice (2020); Don’t Blame the Flint River (2022), and Environmental Justice Beyond 2 ̊ (2024). Villa was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with local roots tracing back to the Atrisco Land Grant of 1692.

Ty Malugani

Ty Malugani is the Education Coordinator and Historian at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, where he leads public programming and interpretive tours that engage visitors with Birmingham’s industrial past and its legacies of labor, innovation, and environmental impact.

Although originally from California, Ty’s family relocated to Alabama, settling in Fairhope when his father accepted a pastoral position. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he also minored in theater — blending his passion for narrative with historical scholarship. He now also serves as Deputy Director of Sloss. Under Ty’s leadership, Sloss’s public history has evolved: he has helped shift the narrative from one that focused mainly on industrial achievement toward a more balanced account that confronts the site’s more difficult histories — including labor exploitation, the convict lease system, and the environmental toll of industry. In addition to his museum work, Ty is also an improvisational comedian, performing with local groups such as Positively Funny Improv and Chaotic Good Improv. He writes sketches, coaches performers, and brings humor and curiosity to his storytelling.

Ja’nise Gentry

“Rooted in Birmingham, Alabama, Ja’Nise Gentry is a cellist who uses her music to honor Black history, culture, and the legacy of her ancestors. Named the 2024 Bama Jazz Female Artist of the Year, she performs at weddings, funerals, galas, church gatherings, and special events—wherever her sound can bring comfort or celebration. Blending classical depth with contemporary soul, Ja’Nise creates music that uplifts, connects, and inspires reflection, healing, and hope.”