Virginia Sanders
Board Member
Virginia Sanders is a former National Sierra Club Organizer who worked in the Richland and Marion Counties of South Carolina. Her work to further environmental justice includes fighting for her community’s right to access clean water. Virginia and the Sierra Club were instrumental in stopping developers in 1999 who had purchased land near the Congaree River to build a gated community in the floodplain. She knew that if they succeeded, they would divert flooding waters into a low-income Black community in Lower Richmond. With help from the Sierra Club, Virginia rallied volunteers to educate the community and fight the development, and they won. Virginia's tireless efforts continued in 2018 when a uranium and acid leak from a Westinghouse nuclear facility, located five miles from her home, posed a threat to the community's water source. Additionally, Virginia has organized bus riders in the city of Columbia to advocate for improvements to transit services and investments in walking and biking infrastructure. She serves on the Richland County conservation commission as well, all in an effort to improve the quality of life for the people of Richland and Marion Counties.
