Louisiana

Protesters hold signs in support of abortion rights outside of Supreme Court.
Ayana Byrd  Oct 7, 2019 1:32PM EDT

SCOTUS To Hear Case That Could Dismantle Roe v. Wade

“Access to abortion is hanging by a thread in this country, and this case is what could snap that thread.”
a gas flare and buildings of the Shell Petroleum plant in Norco, Louisiana, against a dark sky
Ayana Byrd  Sep 9, 2019 1:43PM EDT

Cancer Alley Residents Stop New Chemical Plant From Opening

A lawsuit and protests pushed a Chinese petrochemical firm to withdraw its approved application to build in Louisiana.
A Black man holds a Black boy standing in front of chemical plants
Ayana Byrd  Jun 26, 2019 12:51PM EDT

Louisiana Activists to Chemical Plant: 'Stop Poisoning Black People'

Cancer Alley activists travel to Japan to confront Denka, the company that is currently killing them.
Robert Taylor. Black man wearing light blue buttondown shirt stands in front of brown brick building
Ayana Byrd  May 6, 2019 3:09PM EDT

Inside a Louisiana Town's Fight Against Environmental Racism

Reserve, located in “Cancer Alley,” is the focus of a year-long investigative series by The Guardian. 
The outside of the Supreme Court
Ayana Byrd  Feb 4, 2019 10:29AM EST

SCOTUS To Make Landmark Decision on Abortion This Week

The conservative majority Court could effectively overturn Roe v. Wade as it rules on a Louisiana law. 
John Legend in grey jacket and black patterned shirt in front of white wall with multicolored paints
Sameer Rao  Aug 14, 2018 3:03PM EDT

John Legend On The 120-Year-Old Law That Still Oppresses Black Louisianians

“Ending the 10-2 jury rule in Louisiana will not solve the issue of mass incarceration or dismantle White supremacy, but it will deal a significant blow to both.”
Robert Taylor. Black man wearing light blue buttondown shirt stands in front of brown brick building
Kenrya Rankin  Aug 8, 2018 3:16PM EDT

WATCH: Robert Taylor Battles Chemical Plant in 'Breathing While Black'

The 77-year-old man’s majority Black hometown—Reserve, Louisiana—carries a cancer risk more than 700 times the national average.
Pipelines in Williston, North Dakota, on June 15, 2011.
Ayana Byrd  May 10, 2018 2:27PM EDT

Judge's Order Derails Plans to Complete Bayou Bridge Pipeline

The pipeline is slated to run through St. James Parish, an area with a high number of oil refineries—and residents afflicted with cancer. 
A buried section of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline emerges a few miles north of the Yukon River on July 21, 2002 in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Ayana Byrd  Apr 30, 2018 1:43PM EDT

Appeals Court to Decide if Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction Can Continue

It’s owned by same company as the Dakota Access pipeline.
A security vehicle sits outside Exxon / Mobil refinery September 23, 2005 in Baytown, Texas.
Ayana Byrd  Aug 30, 2017 11:05AM EDT

Hazardous Chemicals Released Into Air Following Hurricane-Related Refinery Accidents in Houston

ExxonMobil acknowledged that two of its refineries were damaged, and there was an unrelated pipeline leak. 
An abandoned lighthouse is seen surrounded by water in Plaquemines Parish August 3, 2006, near Venice, Louisiana.
Yessenia Funes  Jul 5, 2017 12:11PM EDT

READ: In Southern Louisiana, A Question of Whether to Stay or Go

Climate change has hit the region hard, and residents must answer an urgent question.
Indigenous children at the L'eau Est La Vie (Water is Life) Camp on June 24, 2017, in southern Louisiana.
Yessenia Funes  Jun 28, 2017 3:00PM EDT

New Louisiana Anti-Pipeline Camp Increases Security by Requiring Water Protector Application

The vetting process is intended to keep out infiltrators and protect camp occupiers.
Black women and men in black, grey, blue and white clothing stand behind multicolored press microphones in front of grey sky and brown overpass
Sameer Rao  Jun 27, 2017 5:02PM EDT

Alton Sterling's Family Sues Baton Rouge, Police Department for Wrongful Death

The Department of Justice did not file criminal charges against officer Blake Salamoni, who killed Sterling outside a Baton Rouge convenience store.
Indigenous leaders open the L'eau Est La Vie (Water Is Life) Camp in ceremony June 24, 2017, in southern Louisiana.
Yessenia Funes  Jun 26, 2017 12:39PM EDT

ICYMI: Prayer and Resistance Camp Launches in Louisiana to Challenge Pipeline Connected to DAPL

The Bayou Bridge Pipeline would transport North Dakota’s crude oil to refineries and facilities in Louisiana.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image of the storm at 12:48 p.m. Central Time (17:48 Universal Time) on June 20, 2017. (Caption by Adam Voiland)
Yessenia Funes  Jun 22, 2017 12:49PM EDT

What the Numbers Tell Us About Tropical Storm Cindy

It’s hitting an area with a high concentration of Black people.
A sheen of oil floats in a marsh on April 19, 2011, at Middle Ground in southern Louisiana. More than seven years later, the Gulf Coast region still feels the disaster's effects.
Yessenia Funes  May 11, 2017 4:16PM EDT

A Louisiana Parish Just Received $45 Million To Help Rebuild From the BP Oil Spill

Plaquemines Parish still deals with the impact of the 2010 accident, and experts have differing ideas on how the money can best help the community.  
The coast of Grand Isle ahead of Tropical Storm Karen on October 4, 2013, in Grand Isle, Louisiana.
Yessenia Funes  Apr 17, 2017 11:15AM EDT

LISTEN: Louisiana Tribes Losing Their Traditional Food in Face of Climate Change

Sinking land and rising sea waters are forcing people off their land and destroying the means to raise cattle. 
Photo of Phillips 66 pipeline fire
Yessenia Funes  Feb 13, 2017 12:27PM EST

Worker Missing in Louisiana Pipeline Explosion Assumed Dead

It took four days for responders to extinguish the blaze caused by the accident.
Spencer Platt/Getty
Yessenia Funes  Nov 29, 2016 1:00PM EST

Louisiana Environmentalists Release Report on the Petrochemical Industry

It comes one week after a significant fire at a Baton Rouge Exxon refinery.
Black woman in grey t-shirt with black and orange lettering pouring water from water bottle into eyes of Black woman in grey hoodie
Sameer Rao  Nov 3, 2016 12:24PM EDT

6 Arrested During Protest of David Duke's HBCU Appearance

Duke—a former Ku Klux Klan leader, current Senate candidate and Donald Trump supporter—railed against the Black Lives Matter movement and Jews during a controversial debate appearance at Dillard University, an historically Black institution.