Photo by iStock.com/ablokhin
Hello from Birmingham! I’m Joi Travis, the Chair of Sierra Club’s Alabama Chapter. We are a state gifted with so many natural resources and history.
Alabama is an incredible place to live, work, play or raise a family. Unfortunately, we face multiple environmental injustice challenges that occur at the expense of Alabamians. That threat is more pervasive in our Black and Brown communities. These communities face toxic waste, air contaminants, radiation, and other biohazards.
This week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Ben Jealous to show him our great work protecting our communities, our health, and the incredible natural resources. I actually first met Mr. Jealous as a member of the NAACP, so this has all come full circle. Then, as now, our fights for the environment and justice are linked together.
Our state faces a wide range of environmental issues, from coal ash and water pollution to road construction and the effects of large industrial facilities. Too often, these polluting industries come into a community and don’t provide jobs, communicate or show consideration for the residents. The pollution affects their health and welfare and contributes to increased health issues, high mortality rates and decreased property valuation.
Part of our visit was a tour of Africatown, which is a community founded after the Civil War by a group of 32 West Africans who were enslaved and brought into the United States aboard the ship Clotilda in 1860. The Clotilda is the last slave ship to arrive in America. It is listed on the National Register of Historic places. Most recently, the Africatown community was highlighted in the Netflix documentary Descendant where descendants of the Clotilda survivors share their story and honor their ancestors.
But Africatown, which is surrounded on all sides by heavy polluting industries, and so many other communities like it have been harmed when giant polluters don’t respect the community.
As an attorney and lifelong advocate for the underrepresented, I want you to know how exciting it is for me to have Mr. Jealous coming on board at this critical juncture for the organization. As I shared with him, so much of our work has been about diversifying who is at the table – and that’s the hard part. Once we bring everyone together, the solutions become more inclusive and effective.
This is key for our work both in Alabama and everywhere. I look forward to working with Mr. Jealous and the rest of you on continuing this vital work to protect our natural resources and landmarks.
Learn more about the Alabama Chapter, find a chapter near you, or find a local event to attend.
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