Finding Faith in Cancer Alley

Cancer Alley is the nickname given to 80 miles of the Mississippi between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. There are 140 petrochemical plants along the river there. The area is also home to many working class people, a majority of them Black.

Two days after the election, I left for Mississippi and Louisiana with a group of five from my UCC church in Yarmouth, Maine. Our mission was to spend 10 days witnessing and learning about the struggle for civil and environmental rights.

The first thing you notice there are huge refineries. Tall smokestacks spew toxic chemicals. Methane flares light up the sky. The scale of industrialization is hard to imagine—there are miles and miles of factories and chemical plants.

Sandwiched between them are small communities, many settled after the Civil War. In many places the only thing separating industrial complexes from homes, schools and churches is a seven foot chain link fence. Residents there face a cancer risk fifty times higher than the average in this country—hence the nickname Cancer Alley.

I wasn’t sure how a group of white people from the north would be received in these places. But we found warm and welcoming people. There are a dozen or more grass roots organizations in Cancer Alley working for the right to clean air, clean water and a healthy environment. We met with organizers from four of them.

Meeting these leaders was inspiring! They are up against state and local governments that invite multinational corporations to move into their neighborhoods. They don’t have money, connections or graduate degrees. But what they do have is faith. They told us God is in their hearts and God is directing their action.

Barbara Washington, a founder of a group called Inclusive Louisiana put it this way, “We know we are up against Goliath, but with God all things are possible.” Sharon Lavigne, founder of RISE St. James said, “God told me to fight, and nothing is going to stop me.”

Cancer Alley organizers know without doubt that they deserve clean air and water. They do not identify themselves as victims, even though they legitimately could. They are subject daily to racism, corporate indifference and a system that offers them little opportunity.

But instead of seeing themselves as victims, they see themselves as full human beings deserving of clean air, clean water and a healthy life. Their stand is hugely inspiring!

There’s something else Cancer Alley organizers can teach us: Positive action is the antidote to fear and despair. The Cancer Alley organizers know their values and work for them tirelessly, no matter the odds against them. This gives their lives purpose, meaning and joy.

As we head into a difficult period in our country, we all need to celebrate our faith and take action based on God’s love for her creation. The organizers in Cancer Alley are showing us the way.

Learn more here:

Louisiana Bucket Brigade

Rise St. James

Susan Inches is a member of First Parish Church in Yarmouth, Maine. She’s an author, educator and environmental advocate. Read her blog at susanbinches@substack.com.