Africatown Storytelling & Pollution Concerns

This video was made in April 2014, at a US Human Rights Network hearing on human rights abuses, part of the Mobile Center for Fair Housing’s Regional Justice Leadership summit. I told the story of Africatown’s founding, the introduction of the paper industry and pollution in the 1940's, decline of the industry in the 1990's, and attempts to bring in new industry in 2014.

At the time of this hearing, industry was trying to build a new coal terminal near a school and Mobile residents near downtown Mobile. Residents forced them to withdraw that request. Since that time Mobile residents have stood up to defeat industries attempt to re-zone a section of Africatown from residential to heavy industry to build warehouses. Now heavy industry is trying to use their third strike to build a Storage Tank Farm City large enough to store millions of barrels of Tar Sands Crude Oil within the blast area of Africatown's Middle School and residents. I truly believe once the Lord lays his hands on the good people of Mobile County this project will not be allowed to happen.

Watch more video testimonials from the Human Rights hearing.