Saturday, July 1, 2023, New Orleans, Louisiana—Five leading Black female environmental justice activists leading the way to oppose new fossil fuel projects that threaten Louisiana communities’ health and livelihoods came together for a storytelling event during ESSENCE Festival.
The event included speakers Dr. Beverly Wright, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and Member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Wawa Gatheru, Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist; Roishetta Sibley Ozane, Founder of The Vessel Project of Louisiana; Shamyra Lavigne, Executive assistant at Rise St. James; Jo Banner, Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Descendants Project; Dr. Joy Banner, Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Descendants Project.
Speakers shared reactions to the Environmental Justice Protection Agency’s (EPA)’s decision earlier this week to drop the civil rights investigation into Louisiana pollution without providing support or relief to the community. In January 2022, Earthjustice filed a complaint on behalf of affected residents asking the EPA to investigate whether the State of Louisiana had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by permitting industrial development that exposed its Black residents to disproportionate environmental harm.
“We’d been out here fighting so hard for so long, it felt good to have someone shouldering the burden with us, and it felt good to not be gaslit. After all of that fighting, they just abandoned us… but this pain is not something that’s foreign to us. We’re used to them making the most vulnerable do all the work,” said Dr. Joy Banner.
Dr. Banner touched on Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael Regan’s appearance at ESSENCE Festival, despite not being present at the community event discussing EPA issues. “Why is Michael Regan not here listening to us?,” said Dr. Banner. “[He] owes us this much. I don’t care if it’s uncomfortable. Chemotherapy is uncomfortable.”
“We will keep fighting,” Dr. Banner continued. “[This decision] forces us to be creative. We are sharpening our claws and learning. Our ancestors were very resourceful.”
“They have kept people in Louisiana in the dark,” said Dr. Beverly Wright, Ph.D. “Louisiana is always first in line for the worst stuff, never the renewable solutions. It is my hope that the ship is about to change direction.”
Roishetta Sibley Ozane discussed what’s needed for Black environmental justice advocates to feel supported in the oftentimes traumatic work of protecting their communities.
“Until we are supported, have the resources, and unrestricted funding that we don’t have to report on all the time because we are in the community every day. Until we have general operating budgets, support, and the understanding that my community hears my sirens everyday… until you can hear those sirens and go back to New York, don’t tell us what our community needs,” said Ozane. “Trust us when we tell you [what our community needs].”
“Every time we’re faced with a challenge, we sharpen our claws, we learn more, we collaborate. We’re getting stronger. We are Goliath, we have the power,” continued Ozane. “The petrochemical industry] wants to poison the soil in the earth because we are so connected to it.”
Speaking on the expectations of Black women to constantly remain resilient at the frontlines, Jo Banner stated “We did not create this pollution problem, but here we are being the ones who have to stop it.”
Shamyra Lavigne shared a call to action from Rise St. James to stop the deadly build-out of DG Fuels and Air Products in Cancer Alley. “Twenty years from now, St. James will be a healthy place for our children,” said Lavigne. “We’re laying the grounds for that.”
To close out the event, New Orleans-based renowned spoken word artist Sunni Patterson wrote and shared a poem that encapsulated the event, touching on resistance, community, and the essence of liberation in the face of petrochemical violence.
Access photos and videos from the event HERE.
***To request sound recording, video footage, or professional photography from the event, please email chloe@redcypressconsulting.com***
About People over Plastic
People over Plastic is the only multicultural media platform of its kind, publishing stories by BIPOC for BIPOC. We focus on uplifting our people’s environmental justice stories and we do so in a way that is both nuanced, sensitive, and in-depth. Our approach is to build community relationships first.
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About Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
Learn more at earthjustice.org
About Black Girl Environmentalist
Black Girl Environmentalist is a supportive community dedicated to empowering Black girls, women and non-binary people across environmental disciplines. Through programming, educational resources, and mentorship, BGE strives to support and create opportunities for our community to thrive in the environmental field. Our goal is to create an inclusive, representative climate movement - truly made in the image of all of us.
Learn more at blackgirlenvironmentalist.org
About 350.org
350.org believes in a safe climate and a better future — a just, prosperous, and equitable world built with the power of ordinary people. Through online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions, our movement is rising from the bottom up all over the world to hold our leaders accountable.
Learn more at 350.org
About PATOIS Artist Collective
Founded in 2004 by New Orleans artists and activists, PATOIS hosts the annual PATOIS: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival, which is dedicated to nurturing the city’s human rights community, supporting the work of local organizers and organizations involved in these struggles, and providing a forum for artistic expression of local and international issues.
Learn more at patoisfilmfest.org
