Friendship

Residents of Hampton Roads are demanding an end to the coal dust, after decades of struggle. But the road to environmental justice is long and winding, full of setbacks and switchbacks. What does it mean to have faith that change is possible and that effort is worthwhile? CoalDustKills.com / IG @coaldustkills / X @therepairlab

There is a new study that could offer more information on the coal dust in Hampton Roads, VA. But will it be enough to reduce coal dust? Doubt hangs in the air. The only thing residents know for sure is they want the coal dust gone. CoalDustKills.com / IG @coaldustkills / X @therepairlab

Since the earliest days of railroads in the US, Black and poor residents have covered the costs of the coal and rail industries with their health and well-being. It’s a tax they pay to wealthy fossil fuel corporations, who continue to escape accountability. This isn’t just Hampton Roads – all the way down the railroad tracks, from West Virginia to Baltimore, the coal and rail industries displace costs onto neighboring residents. CoalDustKills.com / IG @coaldustkills / X @therepairlab

Gentrification of areas contaminated by coal dust in Southeast Newport News, VA, may be the leverage needed to push environmental rehabilitation efforts. But changes in the neighborhood can also push residents out of their homes. And people wonder – how will the coal dust affect newcomers to the neighborhood, who may not be aware of the problem? CoalDustKills.com / IG @coaldustkills / X @therepairlab

Malcolm Jones and Lathaniel Kirts are lifelong friends who are teaming up to deal with harmful coal dust that clouds the air in their hometown. The source: coal terminals that together form America’s largest coal export system. CoalDustKills.com / IG @coaldustkills / X @therepairlab