Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. in conversation with Catherine Coleman Flowers. Moderator: Cameron Oglesby.

This event, recorded Sept. 15 2022, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Warren County protests in North Carolina. The nonviolent protests in 1982 surrounded the state’s disposal of soil laced with PCBs in the predominately Black community. The protests were considered among the earliest for environmental justice in the United States.

The Robert R. Wilson Distinguished Lecture features the Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., who is credited for coining the term “environmental racism,” which he declared from his prison cell after being arrested during the protests. Chavis will be joined in conversation by Catherine Coleman Flowers, activist and recent McArthur Genius Grant awardee.

Event partners include the Sanford School of Public Policy, the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute. In addition to the Wilson Distinguished Lecture support, this event is also supported by the Reckoning with Race and Racism in the American South grant and the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. This event is a part of a larger series of lectures and celebrations of environmental justice this fall at Duke University.

WATCH: Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Speaks On Warren County PCB Protest, Origin and Future of Environmental Justice Movement

Photo Credit: The Black Press of America

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“Birthplace of the Environmental Justice Movement”

The Warren County Environmental Action Team, Warren County Community Center, NAACP Warren County Branch, Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church, United Church of Christ, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University along with other groups will hold a multi-faceted commemoration of the historic 1982 Warren County PCB protests this month. These protests led to the birth of the environmental justice movement.

Organizers plan to retrace the landmark marches and sing many of the protest songs when they walk to the Warren County dumpsite on Sat., Sept. 17. In addition to an ongoing exhibit at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library, there will be panel and webinar discussions and an NAACP virtual banquet.

Among the events are:

Aug. – Dec. 22: UNC-Chapel Hill Wilson Library Environmental Justice Exhibit

Sept. 14 at 1 PM: Webinar discussion with former protester Dollie Burwell, the Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis and the Rev. Bill Kearney. Register here

Sept. 14 at 5:30 PM: “Recalling Warren County – Discussing the Birth of the Movement. Discussion between former protesters, a protest photographer, the first NC Black woman elected to Congress and the Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis at Duke University’s Penn Pavilion Garden Room. Register here

Sept. 15 at 1-3 PM: UNC-Chapel Hill Wilson Special Collections Library panel discussion and exhibit viewing

Sept. 15 at 5:30 PM: “Environmental Justice: Past, Present and Future” with Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis and Catherine Coleman Flowers at Duke’s Chapel (see attached flyer) Register here

Sept. 17 from 8 AM – 2 PM: Commemoration Ceremony & March to the landfill. Registration and gathering at Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church in Warren County. Address: 224 Parktown Road, Warrenton, NC 27589 More info. here

Sept. 18 from 2 – 4 PM: Community Worship Service at Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church. Info. here

Sept. 20 from 5 PM – 8 PM: Downtown Warrenton & Warren County Jail Museum EJ Tour. Info. here

Sept. 24 at 1:00 PM: EPA to make policy announcement at the Warren County Courthouse Square. Address: 109 S. Main Street, Warrenton, NC 27589

Sept. 24 at 6:30 PM: “Back Together Again” Virtual gathering NAACP Warren County Branch. Register

Sept. 30 at 12-1 PM: “40 Years of Environmental Justice: Birth in Warren County to Today & Beyond” with Rev. Bill Kearney and additional speakers TBA, a free lunchtime webinar hosted by Clean Water for NC. Info here

Sept. 30 at TBD: “The Roots, Experiences, and Future of Climate Justice” with William Barber III, Yumna Kamel, and Dr. Jennifer Hadden at Duke University Gross Hall room 107, Ahmadieh Family Auditorium. Register Here.

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The Warren County Environmental Action Team cordially invites you to a Red-Carpet Kickoff for the 40th Anniversary Commemoration: Birth of the Environmental Justice Movement on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 11am at the Warren County Courthouse (109 S. Main St, 2nd floor). During the program, they will show the documentary, Warren County:Birth of a Movement.

Following the showing, there will be a panel featuring the Honorable Eva Clayton, Dollie Burwell and Wayne Moseley, all of whom played instrumental roles in the protests.

The program will serve as a springboard for next year’s events and the organizers are requesting that people bring items they have saved from the protests such as buttons, bumper stickers, photos, posters, newspapers, and to also assist in identifying people in photos and videos.

There will also be time set aside to record stories for those who participated in the 1982 protest.

This event is open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Masks are required and social distancing will be practiced.

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