| Description |
<p><b>WHO BENEFITS:</b></p>
<p><span>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. </span></p>
<p><b>WHAT WE WILL DO TO ACHIEVE THE RESULTS</b></p>
<p><b>A. Continue to stop industrial expansion </b><span> 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.</span></p>
<p><b>B. Apply for historic designations in the parish.</b><span> 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. </span></p>
<p><span>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. </span></p>
<p><b>C. Media </b><span>Getting community leaders front and center in the media is our specialty (see the </span><a href="https://labucketbrigade.org/news-stories/?_sft_category=news#search"><span>News section </span></a><span>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.</span></p>
<p><b>HOW GRANT FUNDS WILL BE USED: </b></p>
<ul>
<li><span>Grant funds will be used to develop campaigns with the insights and assistance of local grassroots organizations to prevent the development and/or expansion of new facilities.</span></li>
<li><span>This support will also allow us to</span> <span>submit applications to the national registry, Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation or other appropriate forums for at least three properties in St. James Parish for Historic designation. </span></li>
<li><span>These funds will also be used to produce</span> <span>twelve media stories about the work for environmental health and justice in St. James Parish. </span></li>
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