What do we do as the petrochemical industry plans to relentlessly expand in Louisiana? We stand up and invoke the power of communities that have been here since the 1800s.
Fighting for freedom is nothing new in Louisiana, and the Black communities that are today in the bull’s eye of the oil, gas and chemical industry are descended from people who fought for and won emancipation. Our four-member Genealogy Team – our Gene team – is leading the research that documents community connection to the land.
An essential part of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s approach is to apply the power of the past to today’s movement (for more on this, book a bike ride). This approach was developed by Margie Richard of the Concerned Citizens of Norco, who 20 years ago invoked the 1811 slave revolt in her battle with Shell.
Tracing the Past
Our Gene Team is an ace team of researchers that traces the genealogy of families to document their generational connections to the land, identify those interred in burial sites and utilize this information as a bulwark against expansion of the petrochemical industry.
Remember and Return
Our Remember and Return series takes place on sacred spaces in Louisiana. We collaborate with our community partners to identify historic sites and hold events there, from consecration of the land and All Saints Day gatherings to prayers in cemeteries and ceremonies on important dates.
Sacred Spaces, not Industrial Sites
Our Gene Team is uncovering plantations upon which enslaved ancestors were born, labored and died, discovering the burial sites of the enslaved and identifying descendants. This information and documentation utilizes history as leverage to prevent toxic industries from slowly but surely eradicating African American communities.