In mid-October, advocates for social and environmental justice gathered at Attucks Park to commemorate men impacted by the former Koppers wood-treating plant with an honorable monument showcasing their hardwork. Koppers allegdely caused environmental pollution by contaminating soil and water systems near a predominantly black community that the facility mostly employed during its operation from 1902Continue reading “MONUMENT UNVEILING REMEMBERS THOSE IMPACTED BY KOPPERS”
Category Archives: Unresolved Issues
CHAPTER 8
GOVERNMENT DETERS JOURNALISTS, ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS COMPROMISED Pilsen and Little Village, a primarily Mexican American enclave facing years of poor air quality after the mishandling of a demolition project of an old coal-treating plant, only made the news because it was a disaster, not environmental racism. This story of air pollution impacting a community ofContinue reading “CHAPTER 8”
CHAPTER 6
UNHAPPY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT, RESIDENTS SAY HEALTHCARE ROLLOUT WAS CONFUSING The former Koppers wood-treating site occupies about 136-acres along north Marion Street on the northeastern edge of Carbondale, Illinois in Jackson County. According to an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) assessment conducted in 2001, the land use surrounding the site is for residential,Continue reading “CHAPTER 6”
CHAPTER 5
BLACK COMMUNITY WANTS SOIL RETESTED FOR CONTAMINATION, SIUC SOIL EXPERT AGREES Black residents near the Koppers Superfund site in Carbondale, Il. demanded in June 2021 that their residential property be retested because previous tests used inaccurate soil sampling techniques. Those challenged tests showed no contamination and no risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. Donald Monty,Continue reading “CHAPTER 5”
CHAPTER 4
Rodney Morris who lives adjacent to the Koppers plant points to Glade Creek where contamination was found. Photo courtesy of the Southern Illinoisan.
CHAPTER 3
RELATIVES THINK A CANCER CLUSTER IN THEIR FAMILY IS CAUSED BY PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO KOPPERS POLLUTION On the verge of the Great Depression, Fredrick Tisdale, one of the only black farmers in Carbondale, Il., moved north of the former Koppers Inc. wood-treating plant to start a family and plant roots in the town. Mr.Continue reading “CHAPTER 3”
CHAPTER 2
COMMUNITY SUSPICIOUS OF LATEST CLEANUP, FRUSTRATION CONTINUES Northeast community members continue to mistrust waste cleanups near their homes by a chemical manufacturing company and oversight of government entities following historically unsafe handling. Koppers Incorporated., located in Carbondale, Illinois, serviced the Illinois Railroad system and employed a predominantly African American workforce until its closure in 1991Continue reading “CHAPTER 2”
Environment and Race: How are journalists covering environmental racism? 