Public Project
Women on the Frontline
In the heartland of Louisiana, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, a 150-mile corridor along the Mississippi River tells a tale of environmental degradation, social injustice, and economic struggle. This region, home to over 150 behemoth chemical facilities and oil refineries, is also where numerous communities, predominantly low-income and marginalized, reside. Nearly 50% of the residents are African Americans, their roots intertwined with the land for centuries, dating back to the days of slavery when they were forced to cut and process sugar cane on vast plantations that dominated the river parishes.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports a staggering 95% higher risk of cancer due to air pollution for residents in this area compared to the rest of the United States. This tragedy has earned the corridor the morbid moniker, "Cancer Alley," a term underscored by UN human rights experts in 2021 as a stark example of "environmental racism.”
As the United States faces the possibility of electing its first woman of color as President, the fight for environmental justice in Cancer Alley becomes even more significant. On the frontlines of this battle, women—most of them African American—are powering the environmental justice movement.
Who are they? What is their purpose? How do they fight these industries?
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