Warren County Landfill Protests

Rev. Ben Chavis, right, raises his fist as fellow protesters are taken to jail at the Warren County PCB landfill near Afton, N.C., on Sept. 16, 1982.
Greg Gibson/AP

Historical Context:

In 1978, over 30,000 gallons of oil, contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs), were illegally dumped alongside the highways in North Carolina across 14 different counties. Following this, the state decided the best course of action would be to dump and bury the contaminated soil within a landfill near the predominately black community of Afton, NC. Despite initial protest from local residents, civil rights activists, and environmental scientists over the instability of the soil and the risk of groundwater contamination, dumping commenced in the summer of 1982. The following protests helped set the stage for the birth of environmental justice and was an important factor in the continued battle for Civil Rights in America.

What are PCBs?

Polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) are man-made chemicals once used in electrical transformers, hydraulic fluids, and industrial products because they resist heat and don’t easily break down from the 1930’s to the 1970’s.
The same durability makes them so valuable also made them extremely hazardous and toxic to organic life. As PCBs are durable, they do not breakdown easy in soil, water, and air. PCBs tend to accumulate in fat deposit within animals and humans.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PCBs have been shown to cause cancer in animals and are classified as a probable human carcinogen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also links long-term exposure to skin conditions, immunological problems, developmental issues, and reproductive harm.

Prelude to the Protests:

We decided that we needed to fight because … if someone didn’t speak up, then it was going to be automatic … So we decided that we had to start speaking up.”
Willie T. Ramey III reflecting on the community mobilization in Warren County

Following the states disregard for public opinion on the Warren County Landfill, preparations began for construction, transportation, and operation of the landfill. At the same time, preparation was underway for the local residents response to the landfill. What began as a small, rural, majority black protest soon grew to encompass individuals of all race and ethnicity as the risk of hazardous exposure to PCBs was “colorblind” – Deborah Ferruccio on the start of the Warren County Protests.

Several weeks before the first trucks were scheduled to bring in contaminated soil, residents and protestors began to meet up at the Coley Springs Baptist Church to discuss any potential options. As the trucks began rolling in, protestors formed human chains in an attempt to physically block the trucks from entering the landfill site. The initial protestors were primarily local families, farmers, and influence church leaders. As the wider environmental and civil rights communities began to see the actions of the protestors, they began to commit members to the cause. The majority of outside support came from the United Church of Christ and from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP).

Inspired by previous Civil Rights protests of the 1960’s, the Warren County protestors maintained a policy of non-violence and organized sit-ins and marches. And, just like the Civil Rights movement, arrests began to occur as the State had no intention of stopping the dumping of contaminated soil. For six weeks following the opening of the Warren County landfill, more than 500 protestors were arrested. Some of the individuals arrested were high profile members of the church and various other civil rights advocacy groups to include the Reverend Benjamin Chavis Jr. and North Carolina representative Henry Michaux Jr.

Media Coverage of Warren County PCB Landfill Protests

The Aftermath:

Despite backlash from the media and other Civil Rights advocacy groups, North Carolina continued to dump contaminated soil and remained in operation until the early 1990s. Nevertheless, the protests helped ignite the intersection of environmentalism and civil rights like none before it.

Following the protests, the EPA established the Office of Environmental Equity in 1992. This was later named the Office of Environmental Justice.

Historical Context:

What are PCBs?

Prelude to the Protests:

The Aftermath:

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