Grijalva, a national leader on environmental justice, gets close look at community efforts to protect natural resources, ancestral gravesites

June 18, 2022, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana – Today, an organization that advocates for descendants of enslaved people took Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ) on a tour of river parishes long imperiled by environmental racism. Rep. Grijalva, chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, visited communities and cultural landmarks under threat from industrialization and heard from local leaders working to combat environmental injustice. 

Rep. Grijalva (TX) is spending Juneteenth weekend in the area on the invitation of Jo and Joy Banner, co-founders of the Descendants Project. The visit is part of a nationwide community-input process for the Environmental Justice For All Act. Introduced in the House by Grijalva and Reps. Donald McEachin (VA) and Tammy Duckworth (IL), the legislation is an ambitious attempt to remedy the kinds of injustice prevalent in Cancer Alley, where numerous factories endanger the health of the largely Black population. 

The Banners have filed a lawsuit challenging the illegal, decades-old rezoning ordinance that a Denver-based company is using to try to build a massive terminal in Wallace, Louisiana, on land that likely contains gravesites of enslaved people. Today’s tour highlighted not only their own battle but also similar ones waged by residents of neighboring communities. 

“We are honored to have Rep. Grijalva visit the river parishes to personally see the environmental challenges we face and the communities we love,” said Joy Banner. “Our local elected officials have unfortunately dropped the ball, but we believe the Environmental Justice For All Act is a game changer in our fight to have our voices heard.” 

At a press conference kicking off the day’s events, Grijalva said government needed to force industry to meet strict environmental standards. “There should be a standard of transparency and public health protection that we don’t have right now,” he said. “It should not be discretionary, whose life is protected and whose is not...it’s not just wrong, it’s immoral.

Today, Rep. Grijalva visited important cultural and historic sites imperiled by industrial overreach: the Whitney Plantation, Willow Grove Cemetery, and Lac Des Allemands. They had lunch at the restaurant that the Banners own and operate, Fee-Fo-Lay Cafe, which uses the Afro-Creole recipes of their ancestors.

Also on the itinerary were factory sites of the sort that have caused illnesses and lowered life-expectancy in Cancer Alley: the Denka plant in St. John the Baptist Parish, which sits near an elementary school and emits chloroprene, a carcinogen; the ADM grain elevator and Nucor plant in St. James Parish; and the site of the proposed grain terminal in Wallace. Even though a district court has ruled that the Descendants Project lawsuit can proceed, Greenfield Louisiana has begun “pre-construction” activities on the land. 

In addition to the Banners, other community leaders in the fight for environmental justice joined the tour: Tyron Walker, Vice President for Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Development at the Urban League; Gail LeBoeuf, Executive Director/President of Inclusive Louisiana, Myrtle Felton, Director/Treasurer of Inclusive Louisiana, Barbara Washington, Director/Secretary of Inclusive Louisiana, and General Russel Honoré of the GreenARMY. 

At a press conference, they expressed appreciation to Rep. Grijalva for his leadership and delivered a message to industry executives. “Just because you’re here and you’re doing business doesn’t give you the right to pollute our water, our air, and our land, or to disrespect the people who are buried here,” said General Honore. 

Tomorrow, to commemorate Juneteenth, Rep. Grijalva will attend a land blessing ceremony honoring enslaved ancestors buried on the site of the proposed grain terminal.