Origin of the Tour

EJ organizers from Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, Mossville (LA), New Orleans, and Texas gathered in Louisville, Kentucky in May 2004 — together with environmental health groups from across the country — to support the grassroots work of Louisville activists. Local activists had been struggling for nearly 15 years to force a clean up the industry contaminated section of West Louisville, coined by industry as “Rubbertown.” There are 12 plants along a half-mile stretch polluted an adjacent African-American neighborhood on a daily basis. So activists from around the U.S. descended on Louisville to show their solidarity and highlight available solutions. This collaboration, lead by local organizers, paid off. In June 2004, the Louisville Metro Council passed a budget to fully fund a Toxic Air Pollution Reduction Plan. In June 2005, the Council passed the Strategic Air Toxic Reduction (STAR) program, the strongest plan in the country. Although great successes were achieved in Louisville, the STAR program is under attack by big polluters and activists still work tirelessly to ensure pollution reduction goals are made a reality.

Because Louisville’s struggle is common in communities across the country and because groups have found joining together makes us stronger and more effective, environmental justice organizers at the 2004 Louisville meeting brainstormed a National Environmental Justice For All Tour to highlight EJ struggles and meaningfully link community groups together. The goal is to raise the profile of EJ fenceline struggles at the same time as building solidarity and influencing major chemical policy reform debates with the experiences of grassroots fenceline communities.

Environmental Justice for All Tour ‘06 and the History of Freedom Rides

The 1961 Freedom Ride began in Washington, D.C. and was destined for New Orleans. Although the African American and white Freedom Riders never reached their goal because of beatings by mobs of white racists in Alabama and Mississippi and arrests on trumped-up charges, they achieved important civil rights victories in the form of federal laws that outlawed racial segregation in interstate travel and accommodations. More recently, in 2003, the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride successfully employed this civil rights strategy to advocate for a legal status for immigrants who continue to face exploitation despite living, working and paying taxes in the U.S. Building on the legacy of the Freedom Ride, the Environmental Justice for All Tour ‘06 can create momentum for reforms of governmental, corporate, and institutional policies and practices that result in environmental racism, expose people to toxic pollution, and damage our environment.

		Introduction \| Goals \| History \| Coordinators Origin of the Tour EJ organizers from Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, Mossville (LA), New Orleans, and Texas gathered in Louisville, Kentucky in May 2004 — together with environmental health groups from across the country — to support the grassroots work of Louisville activists. Local activists had been struggling for nearly 15 years to force a clean up the industry contaminated section of West Louisville, coined by industry as “Rubbertown.” There are 12 plants along a half-mile stretch polluted an adjacent African-American neighborhood on a daily basis. So activists from around the U.S. descended on Louisville to show their solidarity and highlight available solutions. This collaboration, lead by local organizers, paid off. In June 2004, the Louisville Metro Council passed a budget to fully fund a Toxic Air Pollution Reduction Plan. In June 2005, the Council passed the Strategic Air Toxic Reduction (STAR) program, the strongest plan in the country. Although great successes were achieved in Louisville, the STAR program is under attack by big polluters and activists still work tirelessly to ensure pollution reduction goals are made a reality. Because Louisville’s struggle is common in communities across the country and because groups have found joining together makes us stronger and more effective, environmental justice organizers at the 2004 Louisville meeting brainstormed a National Environmental Justice For All Tour to highlight EJ struggles and meaningfully link community groups together. The goal is to raise the profile of EJ fenceline struggles at the same time as building solidarity and influencing major chemical policy reform debates with the experiences of grassroots fenceline communities. Environmental Justice for All Tour ‘06 and the History of Freedom Rides The 1961 Freedom Ride began in Washington, D.C. and was destined for New Orleans. Although the African American and white Freedom Riders never reached their goal because of beatings by mobs of white racists in Alabama and Mississippi and arrests on trumped-up charges, they achieved important civil rights victories in the form of federal laws that outlawed racial segregation in interstate travel and accommodations. More recently, in 2003, the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride successfully employed this civil rights strategy to advocate for a legal status for immigrants who continue to face exploitation despite living, working and paying taxes in the U.S. Building on the legacy of the Freedom Ride, the Environmental Justice for All Tour ‘06 can create momentum for reforms of governmental, corporate, and institutional policies and practices that result in environmental racism, expose people to toxic pollution, and damage our environment.
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