Best Practices in Rural Neighborhood-Based Activism for Environmental Justice

ABSTRACT

The Saint Peter Saint Paul Community Council, Inc., began its grassroots organization with “ordinary people.” We had a common cause that was protecting our rural historic African American residential/farming community from a request for a land use or zoning action. Running a grassroots movement to protest a major industrial development, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was a huge challenge. And it involved educating ourselves on a technical subject matter, environmental racism, and environmental justice. In addition, as property-owners, we were responsible for submitting evidence to local government on both the beauty and fragility against industrial development of our beloved residential neighborhood. Some suggested best practice steps to consider are educate, organize, communicate, lawyer up, believe, challenge, collaborate, public relations, finance, and stay vigilant.