This story was originally published by Inside Climate News. MOBILE, Ala.—Walter Moorer likes to say he lives at 411 “Death Row Street.” At least that is what he compares his living conditions to as he is bombarded with the stench, pollution, noise and dust that emanates from an asphalt plant owned by Hosea Weaver and […]
Environmental Justice
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Partner Content
Flooded Black Community Awaits Help. Is White House Official’s Visit a First Step?
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News. COFFEE COUNTY, Ala. — By now, Pastor Timothy Williams could lead the tour blindfolded. It begins at his own home, its roof nearly level with the highway a stone’s throw away. For years, following the road’s elevation and expansion to four lanes in 2018, U.S. Highway […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Transportation
Will the Electric Vehicle Push Bring Black Americans Along on the Ride?
Americans love their cars more than practically anyone — only New Zealand has more cars per capita. So, when President Joe Biden announced in 2021 that he wanted to speed up the transition from gas-guzzling vehicles to electric ones, the push drove debate among state leaders, city planners, and everyday people alike. Over the past […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Infrastructure, Transportation
The Port of Baltimore Tore This Community Apart Long Before the Key Bridge Collapse
Around 10 p.m., Eric Johnson left his church service in Turner Station and drove across the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore County. He didn’t know it’d be his last trip across the 47-year-old bridge that had defined much of his adult life, but he was certainly glad it was. Just over three hours later, […]
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice
How Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Created a ‘Climate Time Bomb’ in Black Neighborhoods
Nearly 45 years ago, the Acres Homes area north of Houston was the largest unincorporated Black community in the South, a thriving 9-square mile area where homeownership was the norm. That was until the city of Houston annexed it, and the Interstate 45 highway was built through its heart. In the aftermath, the community’s poverty […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Partner Content
Industry Poisoned a Vibrant Black Neighborhood in Houston. Is a Buyout the Solution?
This story was produced by Grist and co-published with Houston Public Media. Leisa Glenn spent decades living in the Fifth Ward, a historically Black neighborhood in Houston, known for having one of the city’s best views of downtown. Every July 4th, Glenn, 65, and her neighbors would stream out of their houses into the summer […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Partner Content
Prayers to End Sewage Crisis in Alabama’s Black Belt Go Unanswered
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News. BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— As federal officials continue their civil rights investigation of the Alabama Department of Transportation, a White House environmental adviser says more could be done for Black Alabamians. Robert Bullard, a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, traveled to Washington on Wednesday […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
This Black Artist Is Using Farming to Heal Herself — and the Land
If you were to drive down Interstate 70 in St. Louis’ predominantly Black North Side today, you’d be greeted by a billboard with the phrase “Listen to your Elders.” Behind those words, a 1970s-era photo of Dail Chambers’ aunt and uncle, Mary and Dubell, illustrates one of the thorny realities of Black history and the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather
Will FEMA’s New Rules Shorten Black Communities’ Road to Recovery?
EDGARD, La. — Flapping in the wind, blue roof tarps still mark Hurricane Ida’s wrath. It has been 29 months since the second-most damaging storm to hit Louisiana, bringing gaps in the country’s federal aid and recovery process to the forefront. Beneath the tarps, idle homes sag into the earth as the shadowy bloom of […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
The Black-Led Movement to Stop ‘New Cancer Alleys’ From Being Built in Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS — Weeks before Mardi Gras, hundreds two-stepped and wobbled to the beat of a full jazz ensemble through the city’s historic French Quarter. Mixed among them were signs reading “Resist The Fossil Fuel Death Cycle” and “No More Blood For Oil And Gas.” Climate and environmental activists gathered to protest Louisiana’s newfound designation […]
