XyayX’s Environmental Science & Justice Program empowers Black communities in Brooklyn and beyond to lead the environmental justice movement through data-driven action, technology, and cultural preservation. We believe those most affected by environmental inequities must be key decision‑makers, not mere subjects of study.

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• Across the United States, people of color inhale significantly more air pollution (PM₂.₅) than white communities—a disparity that persists even when accounting for income and location 

• Urban neighborhoods that were redlined in the 1930s now face summer temperatures that are 2–5 °C higher than wealthier areas with more green infrastructure, reinforcing deep-seated environmental and health inequities 

• In New York City, Black and Hispanic subway riders experience 23–35 % higher particulate exposure than other riders, highlighting how urban infrastructure compounds exposure 

• These systemic inequities fuel higher rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and heat-related illness in Black communities—conditions that have already claimed tens of thousands of lives each year.

 

Our program is based in Brownsville, Brooklyn, with plans to expand into Eastern North Carolina. We bring together residents of all ages—students, educators, families, elders, and community leaders—to take action by:

• Installing real-time IoT sensor networks for air, water, soil, and heat monitoring

• Launching cultural geo-zones that layer data with storytelling and oral history

• Designing smart-city solutions like heat alerts, smart irrigation, and public data dashboards

• Conducting community-led environmental research with public exhibitions, digital reporting, and policy engagement

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