In December, on a two-lane road not far from the ACE Basin, a protected ecosystem and wildlife refuge in South Carolina, Paul Black drove past St. Paul AME Church and the cemetery where his wife’s grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-grandmother are buried, then slowed as the trees opened onto the piney tract. Black is an environmental […]
Adam Mahoney
Adam Mahoney is the climate and environment reporter at Capital B. He can be reached by email at adam.mahoney@capitalbnews.org, on Bluesky, and on X at @AdamLMahoney.
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Venezuelan Oil Brought to the U.S. Would Be Refined in Black Gulf Communities
On Saturday morning, John Beard woke up to news that he’d been dreading, but preparing for: A global oil crisis could hit closer to home in Texas. The southeastern part of the state is home to more than a dozen oil refineries, and he’d spent decades working at one of them. But after attending more […]
Posted inBlack Migration, Politics & Policy
Deportations of African Migrants Triple Under Trump’s Second Term
African migrants in the United States are being arrested and deported at rapidly escalating rates under President Donald Trump’s second term, even though most have no criminal record. Deportations of people from African countries are on pace to nearly triple this year compared with the annual average during the Biden administration, according to a Capital […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Land Pollution, Politics & Policy
Louisiana Town Fights for Relief After a Billion-Dollar Oil Disaster
Four months have passed since a Louisiana oil facility burst apart, spewing a dense black sludge that drifted across homes, farms, and waterways as far as 50 miles away. Since then, the U.S. Department of Justice and Louisiana environmental regulators have filed a sweeping lawsuit against Smitty’s Supply, the company that ran the facility storing […]
Posted inAgriculture, Black Farmers, Environmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Food Access, Rural Issues
In a N.C. Town With Almost No Grocers, One Farmer Is Expanding Local Food Access
Most days, Patrick Brown kneels in the red clay of Warren County, North Carolina, running the soil through his fingers. His roughly 300 acre farm has been in his family since 1865 and has survived crisis after crisis. Now it has another important job to do — affordably feeding families in one of the state’s […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ghanaians Across Two Continents Are Living in Fear as U.S. Immigration Crackdowns Intensify
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. Capital B has chosen to use first names for some sources due to security concerns. Photos by Adam Mahoney except where noted. GREATER ACCRA REGION, Ghana — About an hour and a half east of Ghana’s capital city, Gladys Adgy stood outside a stand in Kpone waiting […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Pollution, Unsafe Water
How Plastics and Fossil Fuels Are Making Black Communities Unlivable
Copyright © 2025 by Beyond Plastics. This excerpt originally appeared in The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late, published by The New Press. Reprinted here with permission. Debra Ramirez lives at a place where survival and sacrifice meet. She knows the winding back roads that crisscross […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Religion
Meta’s AI Data Center Sparks a Crisis in the Bible Belt Over the Power of Faith
Photo illustrations by Alexandra Watts/Capital B RICHLAND PARISH, Louisiana — Seen as far as 2 miles away, a white cross — the size of a 12-story building — welcomes you to this largely forgotten stretch of Delta country. While cotton no longer runs supreme here, every road, ballot measure, and industrial promise still has to […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
West African Woman Attempts Suicide After U.S. Deportation to Non-Native Country
ACCRA, Ghana — A West African woman deported by the United States to Ghana recently attempted suicide in custody, and several other deportees have been secretly transferred, according to Ana Dionne-Lanier, an attorney for one of the deportees. Dozens of deportees have been sent to Africa from the U.S. since July after the Trump administration […]
Posted inCulture, Partner Content, Politics & Policy, Social Welfare
Black and Latino Residents Unite to Defend South LA Amid ICE Raids and Aid Cuts
This story is part of ICE vs. LA, a collaborative reporting project by LA Public Press, Caló News, Capital & Main, Capital B, LA Taco, and Q Voice. Four months after nearly 5,000 federal troops descended onto Los Angeles, Marsha Mitchell, a Black organizer in South Central, explained what made it impossible for her not […]