A Toxic Tour Talk with Illinois Deputy Governor and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director

United Congregations of Metro-East (UCM) invites community members to join us for A Toxic Tour Talk. A community conversation with Illinois Deputy Governor Bria Scudder and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director James Jennings at Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church. The event continues the work UCM began with the inaugural Metro-East Environmental Toxic Tour on June 12, 2026. This tour was a visual journey through communities in the metro east that are experiencing dire environmental concerns. The tour concluded with a fireside chat where we discussed how to move forward in collaboration with the IEPA on transforming our communities and addressing these concerns on a more urgent, consistent basis. On November 5, we will continue growing this coalition.Together, we will further the conversation and strategize the actions we will take as a community in 2027.