Advocating for Environmental Justice: Stories From the Women of Cancer Alley
Amy Hill
New Orleans in the popular imagination tends to be represented by images of Mardi Gras or the enduring legacy of Hurricane Katrina. Less attention is devoted to the devastation that’s happening in the city’s backyard. There have been so many cases of cancer, so much inexplicable illness and death, that the 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans has become known as “Cancer Alley.” This corridor is home to more than 200 petrochemical plants and refineries. The roots of many of the African American towns in the area go back hundreds of years. There is a palpable sense of history in the area, yet these communities are under assault by an ever expanding petrochemical industry, as well as a state government that facilitates the construction and pollution of plants and refineries.
Pollution from the industry has devastated the homes, property values, and health of people who live nearby, and the state of Louisiana has directly facilitated the location of this pollution in African American communities. Recognizing this dynamic and understanding the need to support local residents in speaking out about what’s happening, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade initiated a partnership with StoryCenter. In September 2018, we traveled to Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to support women in documenting their personal stories of living in Cancer Alley. In a three-day workshop held at a Victorian home converted to an inn, we guided participants ranging in age from 25 to 66 through the process of sharing their stories, reviewing beautiful video footage shot in advance by local Bucket Brigade partners, and learning skills for digital editing. The resulting short videos touch on the terror of hearing frequent explosions, seeing clouds of pollution near their homes, and witnessing the illnesses and deaths of friends and loved ones over generations.
In 2019 and beyond, these powerful stories will be premiered by the New Orleans Film Festival and shared widely at local and national public screening events, as well as online, to bring visibility to the struggles in the region, engage people in taking action against the petrochemical industry, and support advocacy for a different vision of the future, for Louisiana. Special thanks to Eileen Fisher for funding the project.
View Shamell and Sharon Lavigne’s story below, and watch all seven Women of Cancer Alley stories on YouTube.