January 2019
The stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known as 'Cancer Alley,' is home to over 150 industrial plants and refineries concentrated in predominantly Black communities. EPA data shows some zip codes here have cancer risk 50 times the national average. In 2019–2021, community groups including Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish fought Formosa Plastics' plan to build a $9.4 billion plastics complex. A federal judge halted permits in 2022, citing failure to consider racial disparities. The Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists documented systematic siting of industrial facilities in Black communities throughout the region.
Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative has secured exonerations or relief for over 140 wrongly condemned death row prisoners by 2020, the majority of whom are Black. Stevenson's 2014 memoir Just Mercy, detailing the case of Walter McMillian — a Black man wrongfully convicted in Alabama — became a best-seller and was adapted into a 2019 film. EJI's work highlighted systemic failures: prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate counsel, racial bias in jury selection, and false testimony. McMillian had been placed on death row before his trial even began.
Events
- 2019Cancer Alley Louisiana: Black Communities Face Industrial Pollution Crisis
The stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known as 'Cancer Alley,' is home to over 150 industrial plants and refineries concentrated in predominantly Black communities. EPA data shows some zip codes here have cancer risk 50 times the national average. In 2019–2021, community groups including Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish fought Formosa Plastics' plan to build a $9.4 billion plastics complex. A federal judge halted permits in 2022, citing failure to consider racial disparities. The Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists documented systematic siting of industrial facilities in Black communities throughout the region.
- 2019FBI Documents Surge in White Supremacist Violence 2018-2023
The FBI reported in 2019 that hate crimes reached a 16-year high, with white supremacist violence being the dominant domestic terrorism threat. Between 2018 and 2022, white supremacist and far-right extremists committed more than 70% of all domestic terrorism fatalities. The DHS and FBI both documented the growth of online radicalization networks spreading 'Great Replacement' theory and accelerationist ideology. Attacks included the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre (2018, 11 killed), El Paso Walmart massacre targeting Latinos (2019, 23 killed), and the Buffalo supermarket massacre targeting Black shoppers (2022, 10 killed). Critics noted federal resources remained disproportionately focused on foreign terrorism.
- 2019Cancer Alley Louisiana: Black Communities Face Industrial Pollution Crisis
The stretch of Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans contains over 150 industrial plants concentrated in predominantly Black communities. EPA data shows some zip codes have cancer risk 50 times the national average. In 2019-2021, community groups fought Formosa Plastics' plan to build a $9.4 billion plastics complex. A federal judge halted permits in 2022, citing failure to consider racial disparities.
- 2019FBI Documents Surge in White Supremacist Violence as Dominant Domestic Terror Threat
The FBI reported in 2019 that hate crimes reached a 16-year high, with white supremacist violence being the dominant domestic terrorism threat. Between 2018 and 2022, white supremacist and far-right extremists committed more than 70% of all domestic terrorism fatalities. Attacks included the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre (2018), El Paso Walmart massacre targeting Latinos (2019, 23 killed), and the Buffalo supermarket massacre targeting Black shoppers (2022).
- 2019Bryan Stevenson and EJI Continue Winning Death Row Exonerations
Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative has secured exonerations or relief for over 140 wrongly condemned death row prisoners by 2020, the majority of whom are Black. Stevenson's 2014 memoir Just Mercy, detailing the case of Walter McMillian — a Black man wrongfully convicted in Alabama — became a best-seller and was adapted into a 2019 film. EJI's work highlighted systemic failures: prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate counsel, racial bias in jury selection, and false testimony. McMillian had been placed on death row before his trial even began.