I am from St. James Parish, Louisiana, the daughter of a long line of regular people turned activists who fought for justice even as they faced seemingly unbeatable giants. My mother and I have devoted our lives to the fight against the petrochemical manufacturers that have forced their way into St. James. These companies closed down our high school and our post office while poisoning our resources and our bodies without a second thought. This is what it’s like to live in a community that is harmed directly by Big Oil and Gas.
We understand better than anyone that CEOs will do anything to make a profit. My community is a harbinger of what’s to come if the toxic oil and gas industry is allowed to continue its extortion campaign against our people and our world.
Decades ago, petrochemical corporations flooded St. James Parish. They built toxic factories on top of the gravesites of my enslaved ancestors and thought our community would take their poison lying down. They were wrong. Instead, we honor those who came before us by fighting back. I’ve learned from the legacy of leaders in my own family and from my strongly held faith not to be disturbed by the appearance of a giant because, as was David’s, my faith is my rock. Giants have fallen before, and they will fall again in St. James — but the fight must continue to make that a reality.
Now, as oil and gas CEOs artificially spike gas prices — forcing families to pay out the nose for utilities and travel — and blame it on global instability as we face an ongoing climate crisis, we cannot allow them to win their campaign to drill more as the nation pleads for clean energy. If petrochemical corporations continue their deadly march to drill across the nation, the devastation we’ve seen in St. James will spread to every corner of the nation.
As a majority Black and brown community, the fight against corporate environmental devastation is existential in St. James. We aren’t just up against poverty and exploitation from petrochemical corporations, we’re fighting systemic racism too. Plastics companies, oil and gas companies, look at us and they don’t see humans, they don’t see God. Because of that, they’ll continue to sacrifice us without a second thought when they put profits ahead of communities. It’s a big task to win against these corporations, but I know this is our moment because now. My community is speaking up, for ours and yours. We will sacrifice no more.
Oil and gas profiteers and petrochemical CEOs will not hesitate to destroy a community to satisfy their endless pursuit of wealth and domination. When petrochemical companies moved into St. James Parish, we lost our high school, our post office, our county fair and our convenience store. These vital hallmarks of a thriving community were sold to the highest bidders, corporations that moved in and poisoned our home, throwing lives into chaos and leaving families to pick up the pieces. Leaders of these organizations will not stop their crusade for profits — not for families, not for communities, not for the healthy and sustainable future that we have been working to create for decades.
Big Oil CEOs and the elected officials in their pockets can expect that we will keep going until change comes. I will not give up until every person in St. James and other frontline communities are honored with meaningful environmental justice action. I will not stop fighting until petrochemical companies are barred from inhumane profiteering and antiquated drilling operations.
The future I am dreaming of is one where toxic factories are replaced by clean energy manufacturing that can power our nation and our communities while restoring health and good wages. The oil and gas industry has had its time, it’s done its damage. The CEOs of these organizations have made their billions off the backs of my neighbors, but we cannot allow that to go on. If we don’t stop them now, communities across America will be hurt like St. James Parish was, and that’s a threat I cannot live with.
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Shamyra Lavigne is a grassroots environmental justice activist from St. James Parish, Louisiana. Shamyra and her mother, Sharon, are founding members of RISE St. James, an advocacy organization that has fought against the petrochemical factories that have destroyed the environment and sickened the people in Cancer Alley.
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