Earthjustice

Dear Friend,

We celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans while also acknowledging the continued need to fight for racial, economic and social justice.

Every day, we have the privilege of representing and working in partnership with leaders who are fighting for environmental justice in their communities. We know that in addition to that fight, Black communities are also grappling with the compounding injustices of racist policing and courts, mass incarceration of Black people, local and state disinvestment in education, housing and health care, access to capital, and other building blocks of health, safety, and prosperity.

At Earthjustice, we know we can never succeed in our mission so long as entrenched racism fuels the exploitation of people and the planet.

This Black History Month, we want to share a few stories of Black leaders we are honored to partner with as we work on behalf of communities for a just and equitable future.

Homes in Washington, D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood were condemned to clear room for a highway in the 1960s. The community fought back. (Image courtesy of Brig Cabe / D.C> Public Library

In the summer of 1969, grassroots activists in an iconic Black community in Washington, DC, paved the way for the passage of our nation’s first environmental law.

A road view from Cancer Alley — an area filled with oil refineries and petrochemical plants, where people have higher rates of disease. (Alejandro Davila Fragoso / Earthjustice)

People living in an area known as “Cancer Alley” are fighting back against toxic chemical plants that are making residents sick. ‘We’re not going to dwell on what we can’t do ‐ we’re going to dwell on what we can do.” - Sharon Lavigne, RISE St. James

Fort Myers resident Crystal Johnson set up a makeshift emergency center in Hurricane Irma's wake after the government failed to provide adequate aid to her neighborhood. (Ana Latese for Earthjustice)

Like many Floridians on the frontlines of climate change impacts, Crystal Johnson isn’t waiting for her government to see the writing on the sea wall. She is pushing for climate resiliency plans that will protect cities from the rising sea.

River Rouge, Michigan. (Photo illustration by Lizzie Gill)

After decades of pollution, the people of River Rouge, Michigan, stood up to the Department of Justice and claimed victory for their health and environment.

Thank you for staying in the fight,
Earthjustice

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Photo Credits: Brig Cabe, D.C. Public Library. Alejandro Davila Fragoso, Earthjustice. Ana Latese for Earthjustice. Photo Illustration by Lizzie Gill.