Improving the Health of Our City: Q&A With Justin of Memphis Community Against the Pipeline
Future901 is dedicated to creating a Shelby County and Tennessee that is better for everyone. Today, we’re shining a light on an organization that has won some hard-earned victories to keep Memphis’s water clean for all.
In this Q&A, Justin Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), shares his experience on how he got involved with the Byhalia Connection Pipeline, what he sees as the next top environmental concerns for Memphians, and offers some encouragement to others wanting to make Memphis a healthier place to live.
Tell us about yourself and how you got involved in the fight against the Byhalia Connection Pipeline?
I am from Westwood, along with my parents and grandparents. I moved away but came back to Memphis March of last year, thinking I would only stay for a short bit. Come October, I was still here in Memphis.
There was a lot happening, aside from the pandemic, there’s been a racial reckoning going on across America. In Westwood, anyone could clearly see why. Recognizing all of this, I felt that I needed to stay in Westwood.
Before the pandemic, a lot of people assumed that everyone is affected equally by health and environmental concerns. But with the pandemic, it’s obvious that those who are Black, poor, or otherwise marginalized, experienced a much more severe impact..
I think of the phrase “I can’t breathe”, said by George Floyd and so many who take a stand to remember him. This phrase means a lot to me, because a lot of Black people can’t breathe even in normal situations. Our environments—neighborhoods that are obviously the byproduct of housing segregation—have all sorts of toxins polluting the air, which can cause breathing problems and other health issues.
Being home, here in Boxwood, and seeing all this happening around me, made me realize it was time to do something. And for me, that something was fighting the Byhalia Pipeline.
Before the project was called off, the Byhalia Pipeline was routed directly through Boxwood and Westwood.
Can you talk about the importance of advocacy and what you call "People Power" to this victory?
There’s no way we would have won the fight against the Byahlia Pipeline without “People Power”. I see this as the recognition of the intrinsic power we all have to make change—whether through policy, the courtroom, or wherever we find a way to fight for justice.
This coalition is beautifully diverse, but we’re all fighting for a similar cause: elevating the voices of those who have been most excluded.
Can you share how environmental racism affects communities in Memphis and Tennessee?
The most polluted areas are also the most poor.
There’s a history involving redlining, industrialization, and many other compounding factors that all culminate in these areas. The result is very poor environmental conditions.
When you buy an expensive house, you are more protected. You have privileges. These protected neighborhoods are overwhelmingly white. Other communities, primarily communities of color, have fewer educational resources, parks that aren’t maintained, less access to healthcare, and more pollutants and hazards that intensify the issues.
A lot of people from Memphis haven’t even been to Southwest Memphis—they don’t understand the issues, the daily smell, the health hazards people in these areas have to deal with. Research has shown that residents of these areas have a risk of developing cancer that is four times the national average. Looking at the Toxic Release Inventory map, it’s easy to see why.
Environment racism is very real, and it affects communities in Memphis and across Tennessee. You just need to take the time to acknowledge this disparity to realize how close it is.
Why should we all be concerned about the environment?
We all share the same sky. A polluted sky doesn’t have a point where it says these are the White folks, these are the Black folks. All of us are going to have contaminated water and air eventually. It will hurt the most marginalized first—but it will affect everyone. We have to do the best we can for the people who are most oppressed, but know that any environmental work will benefit everyone.
We are all living a less good life when we allow our environment to be degraded, thinking that it only affects others.
As Memphis Community Against the Pipeline evolves to Memphis Community Against Pollution, what are some of the goals you all have for the city and the environmental justice movement?
When we started, the fight was exclusively against the Byhalia Pipeline. But as we did the work, we realized that the pipeline was simply revealing significant problems that already existed in the community. We learned more about the toxins in the air and how damaging environmental racism is. We realized there were more gaps we could fill. We are now focused on:
Research
Education
Advocacy
We focus on these topics and how they interact with environmental justice and pollution, specifically air pollution.
We have an opportunity to build an environmental network for Memphis, so that’s what we’re trying to do.
How can we help Memphis be a more environmentally conscious city?
Email local leaders about important issues. Send comments about issues that matter to you, and on behalf of people who can’t speak for themselves (like the unborn).
Talk to people about injustices you see. Share those stories, narratives and those struggles. Teach someone about an aquifer.
Don’t shy away from words like environmental racism. Boxtown and Westwood, these are towns ignored by people in power. Break that silence by including justice-focused words in your daily life.
No good work takes zero time. Whether you’re reading and learning or posting on social media, all these things matter. Do what you can to raise awareness and elevate voices.