Mossville Community to Confront a Former Apartheid Company on MLK Day

Residents of the historic African American community of Mossville in southwest Louisiana plan to protest pollution from a chemical palnt nearby run by SASOL, a petrochemical company that helped prop up the apartheid regime in South Africa.

"After the fall of the apartheid regime, SASOL crossed the ocean to make money in the United States. SASOL stocks are now traded on the New York Stock Exchange. These stocks include the chemical products manufactured by an industrial plant that SASOL purchased in 2001. The SASOL chemical plant is one of several industrial facilities located near the historic African American community of Mossville in southwest Louisiana. For decades, Mossville residents have suffered the hardships of living near the facility acquired by SASOL, other petrochemical manufacturers, an oil refinery, and a coal-fired power plant. These industrial facilities release massive amounts of toxic pollution pursuant to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other federal environmental laws. The industrial pollution dumped on Mossville is associated with elevated levels of dioxins in the blood of Mossville residents, as well as cancer, asthma, and other severe health problems suffered by residents."

Monique Harden reports for Bridge the Gulf January 13, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"Capturing Mossville's History" (American Press)