In September 2026, we hosted a workshop on New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law for our partners at the Center for Environmental Transformation (CFET) in Camden, NJ. Together, we traced the history of the EJ movement and the years of grassroots organizing that made the state's landmark EJ Law possible.

CFET is doing vital, on-the-ground work building toward a healthier, more sustainable Camden, and we're grateful for the chance to support those efforts.

In July 2026, a pillar of the Collingswood, NJ community and owner of Zena’s Mediterranean Cuisine was detained by ICE and taken to Delaney Hall. A father of four, Iemad has called the US his home for nearly 25 years, entering the country lawfully, and has pursued every legal step to remain in the US.

SJ ROOTS worked alongside Iemad’s family, coordinating press outreach, sponsoring a letter-writing event, and guiding a strategic social media push to amplify his story. Within a week, that effort generated almost 200,000 impressions, raised $30,000, and gathered 5,000 petition signatures and 150 letters of support. As a result of this community support, Iemad was released on bond on August 15, 2026.

In August 2026, our partners at Camden for Clean Air joined Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers to develop a workshop series highlighting the City of Camden's issues with combined sewer overflows, street and basement flooding, and related pollution.

SJ ROOTS joined the effort by providing communications and media content for the series, amplifying its reach and documenting CFCA's critical work for public and funder audiences.