Stopping the Expansion of Petrochemical Companies in Cancer Alley
| Grant Information | |
|---|---|
| Categories | Environment |
| Location | United States |
| Cycle Year | 2024 |
| Organization Information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name (provided by applicant) | Louisiana Bucket Brigade |
| Organization Name (provided by automatic EIN validation) |
Louisiana Bucket Brigade
|
| Secondary Addressee | |
| EIN | 72-1488935 |
| Website | www.labucketbrigade.org |
| Contact Information | |
|---|---|
| Contact Name | Ms. Anne Rolfes |
| Phone | 504-484-3433 |
| anne@labucketbrigade.com | |
| Address |
4731 Canal St
New Orleans
LA
70119-5809
|
| Additional Information | |
|---|---|
| Used for | The Louisiana Bucket Brigade works with communities along the Mississippi River in the region known as Cancer Alley. Grant funds will be used for the following: 1. Collaborate with community partners to create campaigns that expose the disparate, imbalanced siting and expanding of petrochemical facilities along Cancer Alley in communities of color 2. Engage local and national media to expose Industry’s plans to further desecrate burial sites of formerly enslaved African Americans |
| Benefits | The communities along Cancer Alley are experiencing another chapter in the long, tragic tale of white supremacy and Black oppression in Louisiana. The petrochemical industry is today’s plantation economy, and breaking that stranglehold is seismic. For the global African diaspora, this sends an inspiring and unifying message: if we can take on oppressive polluters here, we can take them on everywhere. |
| Proposal Description | WHO BENEFITS: Our partners along the Mississippi River are Inclusive Louisiana and Rural Roots Louisiana, based in St. James Parish (county) and Ascension Parish, respectively. Our partners have deep roots in the historic Black communities in this area. The goal of our collaboration is to protect these communities from being wiped off the face of the earth by local governments that plan to industrialize these areas. Those who benefit are thus the people who live in these communities. The other residents of these parishes also benefit, as our work prevents massive amounts of pollution. WHAT WE WILL DO TO ACHIEVE THE RESULTS A. Continue to stop industrial expansion In the last five years we have prevented the construction of Wanhua Chemical and South Louisiana Methanol and caused Nucor Steel to pull its plans for an expansion. Formosa Plastics - in St. James Parish is on hold. We continue to communicate with agencies and officials from the Biden Administration, providing them with information to keep the facilities in St. James Parish stalled, and to prevent expansions in Ascension Parish. We will also continue our work to document the burial sites of the enslaved. This is a powerful counter narrative to industry. Outcome: No new facilities or expansion. B. Apply for historic designations in the parish. Several of our community partners are the descendants of people who fought for and won emancipation. Barbara Washington, a founding member of Inclusive Louisiana, owns property purchased by her great-great-great-grandmother in 1874. This history is an important kink in local government and industry’s plan for turning the region into an industrial wasteland. In the course of the campaign to stop Formosa Plastics, for example, the discovery of the grave sites was an important obstacle to construction. We have engaged an anthropologist with experience in applying for historic markers and historic designation. Our goal is to further develop cultural resources to serve as a counterweight to industry. A secondary goal is to develop people from St. James Parish who are trained and knowledgeable to continue this work over time. We have thus created a small-scale apprenticeship program to train local people to lead this work. Out comes: four historic markers, one trained apprentice. C. Media Getting community leaders front and center in the media is our specialty (see the News section of our website for some examples of earned coverage). In the coming year we will engage with journalists via briefings, press conferences and one on one conversations to assure a steady drumbeat of coverage regarding Ascension and St. James Parish. Out come: Our earned media work will result in 20 stories. HOW GRANT FUNDS WILL BE USED:
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