Joe Womack on defending Africatown, Alabama against big polluters: Season 4, Ep. 6
Description
Just a few miles from downtown Mobile, Alabama, Africatown has a deep history that informs its name. It's home to descendants of enslaved people who were brought to this country aboard the last slave ship to enter the United States. When the Civil War ended, they purchased the land and called it Africatown. Today, the community is rich in history and culture, but it also suffers from decades of harmful environmental conditions. But Joe Womack is seeking environmental justice for his community and ancestors. He runs the Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition (MEJAC - mejac.wordpress.com) and Clean, Healthy, Educated, Safe, and Sustainable Communities (CHESS - facebook.com/AfricatownCHESS) which are working to clean up the mess and keep industry out, for good.