Dana Alston

Dana Alston (December 1951 – August 7, 1999) was an environmental justice advocate. She revolutionized the fight for environmental justice, by combining climate activism with a concern for environmental pollution experienced by communities of color.

Early life and education Dana Alston was born on December 18, 1951, in Harlem, New York to parents Garlen and Betty Alston. From the beginning of her schooling she demonstrated interest helping fellow people of color. Alston received her higher education from Wheelock College in Boston. She was the president of the institution's Black Student Union, she advocated for more African American courses and an increase in black faculty. She graduated in 1973 with a bachelor of science degree. She was a graduate student in the School of Public Health at Columbia University, with a Master's degree in occupational and environmental health. Dana's participation in the summit assisted in the foundation for the Principles of Environmental Justice.

In 2023, Rachel F. Seidman, curator of women's environmental history at the Anacostia Community Museum, said that Alston's activism inspired her exhibit To Live and Breathe: Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C., which highlights women in environmental activism such as Brenda Richardson, Tina Pham, and Siobhan Ollivierre.