IHSI Diversity Committee Monthly Resources
Each month, the IHSI Diversity Committee shares recommended reading and resources with the rest of IHSI staff. Curating and sharing these resources gives our team an opportunity to educate ourselves on various topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. As an institute devoted to promoting all forms of health, we want to share these resources more broadly with our campus and community stakeholders. We hope that you will find them as useful as we have.
Environmental Justice Advocate Sharon Lavigne
Max Wallace, Visiting Research Project Coordinator, shared resources to highlight an incredible environmental justice advocate and civil rights leader in honor of Earth Day: Sharon Lavigne.
Sharon Lavigne is a lifelong resident of St. James Parish, Louisiana—a region of the Mississippi River corridor known as “Cancer Alley” due to its high concentration of petrochemical plants and disproportionately high rates of pollution-related illnesses. In 2018, after learning of yet another planned industrial project near her home, she founded RISE St. James, a grassroots environmental justice organization that has become a national symbol of community resistance.
Lavigne has led efforts to stop the construction of a $9.4 billion Formosa Plastics plant that could double or triple airborne carcinogens in her majority-Black community. Her leadership brought national and international attention to the environmental racism endured by communities in Cancer Alley. In recognition of her advocacy, she was awarded the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize, and in 2024, she participated in TIME’s inaugural Climate Leadership Forum, calling for equity and justice to be central in climate conversations. She was identified as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People of 2024.Sharon Lavigne’s story is a powerful reminder of how community action can challenge corporate and governmental powers. If you'd like to learn more about Sharon Lavigne:
- If you have five minutes (or twenty-five to watch the full discussion), read this TIME article on her work and the Climate Leadership Forum.
- If you have another five minutes, explore Sierra Club’s in-depth feature on her fight for clean air.
- If you have more time, dive into these local reporting pieces that track the ongoing legal and environmental battles:
- And to support or learn more directly from the organization: visit RISE St. James.
Let’s continue to uplift the voices of those fighting for justice in their own backyards, and recognize that climate justice is racial justice. People of color and low-income families are hit the hardest by ignoring needs for breathable air.