Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor (Urban and Industrial Environments) (Paperback)

by Steve Lerner (Author), Robert D. Bullard (Foreword) "Josephine Bering, 87 years old, can be found most days in her living room, sitting in a comfortable armchair next to her fish tank..." (more)
Key Phrases: fenceline communities, fenceline community, relocation struggle, Concerned Citizens of Norco, Margie Richard, New Orleans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Issues of environmental justice and civil rights come to the fore in this fine account of a Louisiana community's battle with its petrochemical company neighbors. Drawing heavily on interviews with residents and local activists, Lerner (Eco-Pioneers) chronicles how the people of Diamond, an African-American subdivision sandwiched between a Shell chemical plant and a Motiva oil refinery in the town of Norco, lobbied Shell (which also owns Motiva) to pay for their relocation after decades of exposure to the plants' toxic emissions. Led by Margie Richards and her Concerned Citizens of Norco, Diamond residents argued that the Shell plants' pollution caused a variety of problems, including kidney and nervous-system damage and lung cancer, while their white neighbors, who lived further from the plants' shadow, tended to dismiss such claims. Lerner charts the growth of a grassroots, community drive to get Shell to recognize its impact on Diamond, the movement's expansion to encompass assistance from national organizations such as Greenpeace and the Sierra Club and its ultimate success in convincing Shell to pay for the relocation of many Diamond residents (though Shell did so without acknowledging that its plants caused health problems). Lerner does an excellent job of explaining concisely both the scientific and the legal issues involved, never slowing down or oversimplifying a compelling and complicated story.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"'Diamond' is an important, ultimately inspiring book."
— Steve Weinberg, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

"Hundreds of communities worldwide are being poisoned, living and dying in the shadow of petrochemical giants. Most of them remain powerless and anonymous. Steve Lerner has artfully captured the story of one community that fought back and refused to be made expendable. The story of Diamond is one of hope, tenacity, and the hunger for justice."
—Gary Cohen, Environmental Health Fund and Health Care Without Harm

"In an oil-driven society, Steve Lerner deftly shows the power of the African-American residents of Diamond to overcome the injustices created by Royal Dutch/Shell. Their victory is an inspiration to all of us, especially to communities around the world located in the shadows of hazardous industrial developments."
—Monique Harden, Director and attorney, Advocates for Environmental Human Rights

"Lerner does an excellent job of explaining concisely both the scientific and the legal issues involved... a compelling story."
— Publishers Weekly

"Steve Lerner has provided a masterfully measured look at what it means to live across the fenceline from chemical processing plants. Calm, nuanced, compelling, and written from multiple perspectives, it will put real people on your front doorstep: the people who live there, the heroes that emerged out of one suffering community, employees within Shell who realized the status quo was not enough, and the eclectic team that assembled from around the country to support the fenceline community at risk. Diamond's narrative is an important story of environmental justice for the 21st century, one that Shell's leaders would do well to heed."
—Pete Myers, coauthor, Our Stolen Future

"Steve Lerner passionately weaves together the story of the Diamond community in a way that allows the reader to gain a telling picture of the people involved while resisting the temptation to romanticize either the residents or their cause. This book is not only an excellent read, but an important contribution to the growing body of work that connects space to racial equity. Perhaps equally important, Lerner has forged a path of new possibilities by documenting the potential for change created by collaboration across the traditional boundaries between environmentalists and racial justice movements."
—John A. Powell, Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ohio State University

"Steve Lerner's patient, thorough telling of the Diamond story provides such detail that you feel you are there as events unfold. He understands and relays eloquently the spiritual cornerstone of this historic African-American victory—the powerful faith that propelled David over Goliath."
—Anne Rolfes, Founding Director, Louisiana Bucket Brigade

"Steve Lerner's story of Diamond, Louisiana, is one of the most remarkable tales that has ever been told about the environmental justice movement."
— Ruth Rosen, Dissent

"There are thousands of communities all across America just like Diamond, where poor people share a fenceline with polluting refineries, chemical plants, or waste dumps operated by multibillion-dollar corporations. Many of these communities also have homegrown heroes and heroines who have stood up to the powers that be and insisted, enough is enough! What Diamond has that other fenceline communities do not is a brilliant writer like Steve Lerner to tell its tale and cull the invaluable lessons for the rest of us. Diamond is a must-read for anyone concerned about the environment, civil rights, or their intersection in environmental justice."
—Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group

"This book expertly captures the many facets of the struggles of the environmental justice fenceline community as its members attempted to survive in the toxic plume of air emissions from nearby industrial facilities. The strategies for the relocation of Diamond residents will serve as a comprehensive and realistic model to guide other environmentally affected communities."
—Wilma Subra, Subra Company, technical advisor on environmental justice issues

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Product Details

• Paperback: 319 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262622041
• ISBN-13: 978-0262622042
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #908,459 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspring struggle for justice, April 16, 2005

By	Malvin (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor (Urban and Industrial Environments) (Hardcover)

"Diamond" by Steve Lerner is a compelling account of a community's struggle for environmental justice. This highly-readable work skillfully examines the subject of toxics pollution and the petrochemical industry's tendency to disproportionately harm people of color. In particular, the book is noteworthy for the care and compassion with which Mr. Lerner has profiled and documented the remarkable individuals who successfully led a grassroots campaign for justice in Diamond, Louisiana. In so doing, the author has alerted us to the potential for the environmental and racial justice movements to collaborate and work for change.

The first section recounts the unique history of Diamond. The tight-knit African-American community had endured centuries of slavery and segregation only to find itself on a collision course with Big Oil due to Diamond's location near the Gulf of Mexico. Over many years, the massive amounts of pollution released by Shell's refineries and chemical plants located adjacent to Diamond had caused ill health among the local population and spurred the citizens into organized action.

The second section discusses Shell and its relations with its neighbors. Through numerous interviews and visits to Diamond and the adjacent community of Norco, Mr. Lerner uncovered a startling difference in how the two ethnically stratified towns perceived reality. The mostly white residents of Norco, many of whom were employed by Shell, seemed unwilling to acknowledge the ill effects of the pollution and openly questioned the motivations of the black residents of Diamond, most of whom did not benefit economically from the plant and consequently did not shrink from vocalizing their discontent. In my view, the author's mature treatment of this particular aspect of the story provides insight into the deep-rooted racial divide in America and helps us understand how we might heal the relationship.

The third and fourth sections document the increasing tension as hard evidence of toxic releases exposed Shell's non-compliance with EPA regulations and elevated the level of distrust in the community. Greenpeace and other organizations joined with the local residents in highlighting the injustice and brought increased media scrutiny on the situation.

The fifth section shows how victory was achieved through the linking of the struggle in Diamond with the well-known case of the Ogoni people and their victimization by Shell's operations in Nigeria. The threat of negative publicity prior to a prominent international conference proved to be decisive, moving Shell management to strike a deal with Diamond residents.

In the final section, Mr. Lerner discusses the lessons learned. The author recommends buffer zones around plants, better monitoring of air and the phase-out of toxic chemicals.

In the Conclusion, Mr. Lerner credits Shell with doing the right thing but discusses the human costs of relocating the residents, a strategy that took people out of harm's way but divided neighbors who had lived near one another for generations. But in winning this David-versus-Goliath struggle, the author praises Diamond resident Margie Richards for her faith, intelligence and perseverance in leading the struggle to fruition. Ms. Richards is compared with Rosa Parks as a role model and an inspiration to all who are struggling for environmental justice.

I highly recommend this pathbreaking and important book to everyone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing insight into the lives of fenceline residents, August 24, 2005

By	M. Allen (iowa city, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor (Urban and Industrial Environments) (Hardcover)

mr. lerner does an excellent job of reporting exactly what happened to the diamond subdivision of norco, louisiana. he interviews many residents of diamond and neighboring norco and gives invaluable perspective to the struggles of both: one, a community smushed between two toxic-spewing behemoths and the other, a largely white, largely shell-employed suburb trying to "protect" their company and town. basically, the white residents are being paid to suffer the health and environmental consequences of living next to chemical and petrochemical refineries, whereas the black community, diamond, was not only suffering the brunt of the chemical emissions but not even hired by shell--i think the rate was 3% in diamond. the history of this particular part of louisiana was fascinating and well researched. the racial divides in this part of louisiana are historically intense (as they were in southeastern texas, where i grew up); the environmental racism perpetuated by shell is obvious and appalling. that it took as much time as it did for shell to relocate this community, then to do it in stages that decimated generations of family ties, is proof of their utter lack of concern for the human cost of their operations. i tried to feel a little good for shell in the giving credit where credit is due part of the book, but i still am appalled by their utter lack of concern for the health of the community, and when they did care it was only because they were threatened with bad publicity. the suggestions made by the author at the end of the book for change were excellent, and i loved margie richard's statement to the chemical companies that they should be doing this cleaner, cheaper and healthier. theirs was not a total victory, but a big one nonetheless. i look forward to any new books written by mr. lerner and i am really looking forward to seeing what happens to the current and former residents of diamond, who i hope bring forth a massive suit against shell for the damage done to their health.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wow, April 27, 2005

By	Dalton Newby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor (Urban and Industrial Environments) (Hardcover)

This is an exceptional book. Hard hitting, informative, life affirming and full of the pulls and pushes of the real challenges people face. That said, I could not help but think what a great movie this would make. I could see this book. The images are so vivid. The stories so real. The wins so bittersweet. Mr. Lerner is a gifted writer with a warm heart and brillant mind. Thank you for writing this story. Hopefully it will inspire other real life stories.