Grandmother and retired special education teacher Sharon Lavigne lives with her family in St. James Parish, a part of Louisiana called “Cancer Alley” for its notorious rates of respiratory illnesses and other diseases. Home to many predominately Black, low-income communities, this stretch of the Mississippi River has become overrun with industrial plants in the last several decades. As a result, harmful pollutants, including carcinogens, have inundated the air and water of the surrounding neighborhoods and induced staggering rates of sickness and death.
Friese, Zoe. “Fight or Flight: A Story of Survival and Justice in Cancer Alley.” Women Leading Change, vol. 7, no. 2, Newcomb College Institute, Tulane University, pp. 3–18.