St. James, Lousiana has garnered international attention this year, becoming one of the world’s highest-profile environmental site fights as the small community campaigns against giant corporations’ petrochemical developments. Two weeks ago, we released a new video featuring RISE St. James’ Sharon Lavigne, a tireless fighter for the rights of her community members in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. Days later, we heard from Sharon that she and many of her neighbors were facing devastation from Hurricane Ida — homes destroyed, power lines down, and the multiple chemical plants surrounding them were flaring, emitting toxic gases into the air.
Our partners on the ground fight heroic battles every day to stop further petrochemical build-out, thereby slowing down the effects of extreme weather for us all. And when we called out to our community to help recover from Hurricane Ida, you responded, contributing over $9,000, and with a generous match from McPike Zima Foundation, we doubled our community’s donations and disbursed a total of $25,779.13. All of this money is going directly to:
Another Gulf is Possible Collaborative – $3,000
Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy – $3,000
RISE St. James – $3,000
Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) – $3,000
Inclusive Louisiana – $3,000
The Descendents Project – $2,000
Concerned Citizens of St. John – $1,000
The United Houma Nation – $1,000
Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi Chitimacha Choctaw – $1,000
Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe – $1,000
Grand Caillou/Dulac Band Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw – $1,000
Zion Travelers Cooperative – $1,000
Red People of the Bayou – $1,000
Imagine Water Works – $779.13
Tchoupitoulas Chapel – $500
Southern Solidarity – $250
The Vessel Project – $250
We’re proud to be able to support these predominantly black- and indigenous-led and serving organizations as they rebuild and recover while simultaneously continuing to fight environmental degradation in their communities. It’s been a record year for global climate consequences. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned this summer, it’s this: the antidote to despair is getting more deeply involved in what matters to us. Our collective participation holds the key to unlocking systemic changes and passing the common-sense policies we need to rebuild better, centering inclusivity and sustainability.
