DeepSummary
The episode focuses on the Bihalia Connection crude oil pipeline proposed to run through the predominantly Black neighborhood of Boxtown in southwest Memphis. It introduces Boxtown, a community founded by formerly enslaved people who have deep ties to the land, but have faced decades of government neglect while heavy industry moved in nearby.
The episode highlights the concerns of Boxtown residents like Samuel Hardaway, who fears the pipeline could destroy the area's natural resources and way of life. It also discusses the history of environmental racism in Memphis, with data showing higher cancer rates and lower life expectancy in Boxtown compared to wealthier, whiter areas.
While initially the pipeline proposal seemed inevitable, the episode traces how a younger generation of activists joined long-time residents like Hardaway to fight the project, rallying their community and pushing elected officials to take action against what they saw as a blatant case of environmental injustice.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The proposed Bihalia Connection oil pipeline was routed through the predominantly Black neighborhood of Boxtown in Memphis, sparking accusations of environmental racism.
- Boxtown has a long history as a tight-knit community founded by formerly enslaved people who have faced government neglect while heavy industry moved in nearby.
- Residents like Samuel Hardaway feared the pipeline could devastate Boxtown's natural resources and way of life they have cultivated over generations.
- Data shows significantly higher cancer rates and lower life expectancy in Boxtown compared to wealthier, whiter areas of Memphis, illustrating the health impacts of environmental injustice.
- While the pipeline initially seemed inevitable, a new generation of activists joined long-time Boxtown residents like Hardaway to rally the community and push back against the project.
- The fight against the Bihalia pipeline became a focal point for the broader environmental justice movement combating the pattern of polluting projects being forced on vulnerable minority communities.
- The episode underscores how civil rights, human rights, and the climate crisis converge in pipeline controversies that epitomize corporations ignoring minority populations.
- It highlights the resilience of the Boxtown community in asserting their right to clean air, water, and environment despite systemic racism and injustice.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If it's affecting the old black people.“ by La Noyce White
- “When Helen died, one of my schools, when she died, that was the first for hearing somebody so young with cancer.“ by Moselle Smith
- “The percentile is 91 percentile. That means it's on the top 10% cancer risk.“ by Dr. Chenrong Jia
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Episode Information
Broken Ground
Southern Environmental Law Center
7/1/22
This is Boxtown, a neighborhood in southwest Memphis founded by formerly enslaved people who put down deep roots and residents who cherish their ties to this land. It’s also a neighborhood that’s seen decades of government neglect, while more and more polluting industries moved into the area. So, when the community first heard about plans for a crude oil pipeline that would cut through their neighborhood, they wanted to know more. They didn’t like what they learned.