Harm In The Water

 

 

 

“I tell people all the time that there is blood in the soil, and there’s a lot of blood in the water,” 

 – Harm in the Water  

 

Kingston, R.I. – August 18 – Journalism professor and member of the URI community for the last 22 years, Kendall Moore, and her team walked away with the best documentary award at the Essence Film Festival (EFF). EFF is anchored in the belief that Black stories deserve to be told in their full truth with the intent to disrupt the mainstream narrative.

Moore’s Harm in the Water explores the impact of water pollution on communities along the Mississippi River and helps examine the intersection of environmental justice, history, and science. The pollution stems from chemical plants nestled alongside Black communities and, in turn, presents a concerning and life-threatening health crisis that is blatantly being ignored.  

A subject in the documentary questions: “Is there a link between all of these chemical resources that are nestled along the Mississippi River where many folks live?”

I have seen these stories reported on both CBS Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes.  For as long as there have been (chemical) industries along the Mississippi River, there has been an neglect for the health and welfare of the predominantly black communities and the environment along the shores.  To this day, little to nothing has been done to mitigate the toxins and address the health issues of the populations.  University of Rhode Island professor, Kendall Moore, created the award winning documentary "Harm In The Water" to keep this story alive.  

 

 

 

From the website: "Black people are dying at an alarming rate because of the chemical plant contaminants that include heavy metals. A community just outside of New Orleans is known as “Cancer Alley” due to a significant rise in the disease in that particular area. “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana refers to an 85-mile stretch of communities along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, heavily populated with petrochemical plants and oil refineries. 

An unbelievable 97% of constituents are affected, and many people believe it is inevitable they will have cancer at some point in their lives. Miscarriages, infertility, severe respiratory ailments, yellow-colored rain, air reeking of chlorine, and children covered in rashes are also commonplace. 

While protests are coming from this community, their pleas are being brushed aside. One subject observes that Black engineers are not welcome to engage in the conversation about how to fix this epidemic. Some even consider it a genocide. Further, another subject shares that there’s a feeling that Black voices are not welcome, or that it seems implausible for an individual to be Black and educated to resolve this epidemic based on lived experiences."

Let's keep their story alive.  

Kendall Moore is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a Professor in the departments of Journalism and Film Media. Before joining the faculty at URI in 2003, she worked as a television journalist focusing on medical, health, race, and environmental issues.

Moore has produced numerous independent documentaries that have aired on PBS and in various film festivals including: Charm City (1996), Song in the Crisis (2004), Sovereign Nation/Sovereign Neighbor (2006), The Good Radical (2009), Sick Building (2014), Philosophy of the Encounter (fiction, 2016), and Jalen and Joanna: A Lead Paint Story (2017).

 

Thank you, Cousin, for the enlightenment.