Finding My Inner Climate Champion
Why I Joined the Fight for Climate Justice
By Sharon Phillip
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sharon, and I am the Digital Engagement Manager for Arm in Arm. Like many, I am still reeling from the SCOTUS decision on West Virginia vs. the EPA. As someone new to climate advocacy, I do not need a Ph.D. in environmental science to see that we are in trouble. Just take a look at the news. Or better yet, take a look around our communities. Fires rage without discrimination throughout the West, and tornadoes destroy entire towns. Crops destroyed by major flooding mean higher prices at grocery stores.
Meanwhile, those with the power to do something about the problem do nothing. Our communities are constantly being used, abused, and forgotten about by corporations like Southern Company and the legislatures in their pockets. They put profits before people.
I was introduced to Environmental Activism by a long-time friend, Lindsay Harper, and her organization, Green Going Forward. Learning about the toxic waste dumped in our backyards broke my heart—especially in our black and brown communities. What I learned from Lindsay led me to join Arm in Arm. Through this organization, I had the opportunity to participate in acts of solidarity with other Arm in Arm hubs, including members of Mississippi Rising Coalition. We came together to call out Southern Company for their inequitable spending and hypocrisy at the upcoming World Games in Alabama.
Joint actions - Power 4 Southern People NOT Southern Company, June 2022
Teams in Georgia and Mississippi collected trash and then transported the bags to the doorstep of Southern Company subsidiaries, Georgia and Mississippi Power. We proudly held our banners and demanded that they #CleanUpTheirAsh. This action was one of many in a more organized campaign against Southern Company and their predatory practices while building Power 4 Southern People NOT Southern Company. Our goal was simple ... to show people they have a voice and that any action, no matter how small, can have an impact.
"I live in MS, the poorest state in the US, and SoCo is deliberately killing Mississippians with pollution, with corrupt practices, with manipulation, with lies. And they are doing it deliberately so a few people can get rich. It's immortal, it's unjust, and it's my obligation as a human being to stand up against that". - Lea Campbellz
Someone once asked me, "Do you know where our energy comes from"? I did not know the answer. All I knew was that when we flip a light switch, the light is supposed to come on. I learned that one of the by-products of generating power is coal ash. Most coal ash comes from coal-fired electric power plants. Did you know coal ash typically contains heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, and mercury? These contaminants are poisoning our land and drinking water and slowly killing our people and planet.
Coal hash generated at Georgia Power's Plant Scherer near Macon, Ga., flows to an onsite ash pond - 2019 Photo Georgia Public Broadcasting
This toxic waste is also discarded in "coal ash ponds." Many of these ponds are unlined, leaking toxins into our water supplies, and located in our lower-wage communities and communities of color, communities that always suffer the most. Once I knew the truth, I could not sit idly by.
Quote: "When the world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful."- Malala Yousafzai
I don't know about you, but I think it's time we come together, claim our power, and stand up to the corporations. Utility companies like Southern Company demand clean air, renewable energy, an end to predatory rate hikes, and cleaning up the waste that threatens our communities' safety and health. We deserve better … cleaner air, cleaner water, and better representation. It's time to claim Power 4 Southern People NOT Southern Company.
How can you participate?
If you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area, we will gather there July 15th-16th at the World Games to take action against Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. Our goal is to call attention to the hypocrisy and greenwashing done by Alabama Power, its executives, and the politicians who do their bidding to continue to use, abuse, and discard our communities. Activities include an art build on Friday, Jul 15, 2022, followed by our in-person action on Saturday, Jul 16.
For more information, please join our Tuesday, Jul 12 Hype Call at 4 pm PT/5 pm MT /6 pm CT/ 7 pm ET, where we will share details about planned actions as well as our broader campaign against Southern Company. To participate in either or both of those dates, click HERE to register. It's time we come together to take back Power 4 Southern People NOT Southern Company.
If you cannot participate in person, you can show your support by participating in our social media blitz and sharing your stories on our platforms. Or, you can donate to help offset the cost of executing our actions by texting ArmInArmBham to 71777.