Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor

by Steve Lerner

The story of how a mixed-income minority community in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor fought Shell Oil and won. For years, the residents of Diamond, Louisiana, lived with an inescapable acrid, metallic smell—the "toxic bouquet" of pollution—and a mysterious chemical fog that seeped into their houses. They looked out on the massive Norco Industrial a maze of pipelines, stacks topped by flares burning off excess gas, and huge oil tankers moving up the Mississippi. They experienced headaches, stinging eyes, allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems, skin disorders, and cancers that they were convinced were caused by their proximity to heavy industry. Periodic industrial explosions damaged their houses and killed some of their neighbors. Their small, African-American, mixed-income neighborhood was sandwiched between two giant Shell Oil plants in Louisiana's notorious Chemical Corridor. When the residents of Diamond demanded that Shell relocate them, their chances of success seemed a community with little political clout was taking on the second-largest oil company in the world. And yet, after effective grassroots organizing, unremitting fenceline protests, seemingly endless negotiations with Shell officials, and intense media coverage, the people of Diamond finally got what they money from Shell to help them relocate out of harm's way. In this book, Steve Lerner tells their story. Around the United States, struggles for environmental justice such as the one in Diamond are the new front lines of both the civil rights and the environmental movements, and Diamond is in many ways a classic environmental-justice a minority neighborhood, faced with a polluting industry in its midst, fights back. But Diamond is also the history of a black community that goes back to the days of slavery. In 1811, Diamond (then the Trepagnier Plantation) was the center of the largest slave rebellion in United States history. Descendants of these slaves were among the participants in the modern-day Diamond relocation campaign. Steve Lerner talks to the people of Diamond, and lets them tell their story in their own words. He talks also to the residents of a nearby white neighborhood—many of whom work for Shell and have fewer complaints about the plants—and to environmental activists and Shell officials. His account of Diamond's 30-year ordeal puts a human face on the struggle for environmental justice in the United States.

Genres: Activism, Nonfiction, Environment, History

328 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2004

Reviews

[Gracie Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-crafted narrative exploring a classic environmental justice story!

[Shin Furuya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. It's a great story telling through the community residents' testimonies + other stakeholders' testimonies such as local, national and international NGOs, individual activists, corporate officials + case analysis of environmental justice movement started out of a small community of Diamond in Louisiana's notorious 'chemical corridor'.



It's a valuable source of voices from the fenceline residents who became activists through their own experiences.



I also liked the fact that the author does not simplify the reality (which is often happened by many writings by overtly emphasizing the victory for the community) and recognizes the fact it is ongoing struggle. Through vivid writings, the author successfully depicts multiple stakeholder- entities and their multi layer structures within themselves, readers can grasp the complex issues as it is.

[sdw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to know a few more reasons why Shell sucks? Read this book.

The text provides a useful and remarkable case study of a contemporary struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's "chemical corridor" or "cancer alley."

This is an engaging book for activists, and non-activists alike.

One of the things I enjoy about this book is the way it situates the struggle in the longer history of oppression and resistance - such as the massive slave rebellion that happened on the very grounds that the community struggles for control over and safety in today.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another book that I picked up and put down - and eventually will pick back up again - in my field you can only read so much before becoming perpetually pissed off or depressed. Those who want to hear the voices of those that have been screwed over in a fenceline community and are all about the grassroots, read it. Lerner has created an important piece of work. Also, be warned that if you are the knit-picky type, yes, the manuscript could have used another round of editing.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this book had had the benefit of better editing. This is an important subject--the plight of minority and/or economically disadvantaged people living beside huge polluting factories. As in, how do you convince the outside world that you are really being hurt by this junk you are breathing, and you didn't choose to live this way? This is an inspiring story of the persistence of the human spirit against great odds, marred by repetitive and pedestrian reporting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diamond's citizens are posterchildren for environmental justice issues.