Hey John,
My name is Yeishka and I’m a leader with Sunrise New Orleans. I’m marching for climate justice in St. James Parish, Louisiana — or, as it’s often called, Cancer Alley.
The nickname speaks for itself. Cancer Alley — an 85-mile industrial corridor along the Mississippi River — is home to more than 150 petrochemical plants and oil refineries. As a result, people here suffer from some of the highest rates of cancer, asthma, and other pollution-linked illnesses in the country.
So when the people of St. James heard that a giant plastics company was trying to build yet another plant in their community, they’d had enough.
Here’s the good news: President Biden can stop this plastics plant from being built with just the flick of a pen. The bad news? He still hasn’t done it.
We’re calling on Biden to revoke the permit for Formosa Plastics and stop them from doing further harm to our communities and our planet. Add your name to send Biden a message:
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Stopping this plant isn’t just a climate issue, John. It’s a racial justice issue. Formosa would pollute a predominantly Black community and disturb unmarked burial sites of formerly enslaved people.
We know the harm these plants bring to our communities. That’s why St. James was one of the first stops on Generation on Fire’s march for climate justice. Yesterday, dozens of Sunrisers marching from New Orleans to Houston gathered with RISE St. James, a grassroots environmental group that has been leading the fight to block Formosa, to call on President Biden to revoke the permit and to envision a better future for South Louisiana.
St. James deserves better. Biden needs to think of the families in Cancer Alley — who have already endured years of anguish and loss — and prove his commitment to racial and environmental justice, the cornerstone of his climate plan. That starts with permanently revoking Formosa’s permit.
Will you help us, John? Add your name to tell Biden to stop the plant and protect the residents of Cancer Alley.
Local residents are doing everything they can to stop Formosa. Now, we need Sunrisers from every corner of the country to amplify their fight and join them.
In solidarity,
Yeishka, Sunrise New Orleans
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P.S. Our organizers on the ground need all the help they can get to win this fight and protect their communities. If you can, please click here to chip in a few dollars to support our work.