Derrick Z. Jackson received the Excellence in Opinion Writing award from Scripps Howard for his columns in Grist and the Union of Concerned Scientists on the failed U.S. COVID-19 response in 2020.
Jackson—an EHN contributor and board member of Environmental Health Sciences, which publishes EHN—wrote more than a dozen columns outlining the COVID-19 crisis’ disproportionate impact on essential works and people of color.
“Derrick Jackson writes with the aplomb of one heavily armed intellectually and the vigor of a man determined to use his voice to right wrongs. His research and sourcing provide credibility, and his eloquent writing makes his work moving and memorable,” the Scripps judges wrote.
Jackson, a Union of Concerned Scientist Fellow in climate and energy, is a veteran reporter and columnist and previously worked at the Boston Globe and Newsday. He’s a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a 10-time award winner from the National Association of Black Journalists, a 2-time winner from the Education Writers Association, a commentary winner from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, and co-winner of Columbia University’s Meyer Berger Award.
Follow Jackson’s EHN columns here.
Banner photo: Derrick Z. Jackson holding a puffin chick in 2019 on Eastern Egg Rock.