Our
Accomplishments
STOP THE
DUMP!
In
1996, Congressman John Lewis introduced legislation asking Congress
to designate Highway 80 from Selma to Montgomery as the US Civil
Rights Trail. Congress passed the legislation and President Clinton
signed it into law. Plans were undertaken to design the Trail.
Friends of the Trail organizations were formed in Selma,
Montgomery and Lowndes Counties and planning work got underway.
In
1998, with news of the Trail publicized, developer Lanny Young, now
thought to be an agent of Waste Management, bought a large parcel
of land on US 80 just east of Lowndesboro and west of the African
American community of Burkville, Alabama. Young formed a
partnership with local whites and they presented their plan for a
regional landfill to be placed on the parcel of land they purchased,
which was right on US 80, the designated Civil Rights Trail. The
dumpers moved with lightening speed through the governmental
process, quietly obtaining support and the consent of the Lowndes
County Commissioners. The political power structure, sure that the
landfill would bring needed jobs and revenue to the county, backed
the dump proposal. The public did not. During a poorly-publicized
“public hearing black and white citizens expressed their dismay at
the plan. They were ignored.
When
it became clear that the political power structure would force the
dump on the citizens, people began to protest. On at least two
occasions, black and white citizens, protested along US 80 at the
dump site. The events got wide television and media coverage.
Thousands of people in Lowndes County signed petitions, and mass
meetings were held at a local church.
Local
lawsuits were filed to stop the dump, and most of them failed.
It was
at that point that the pro-dump forces, through their political
allies, played their trump card. They got both the black and white
political leadership to go to their people and attempt to polarize
the anti-dump movement. Blacks were reminded how the whites from
Lowndes had never supported anything good for blacks, and that the
whites were using the blacks to fight the dump because it was close
to the majority white Town of Lowndesboro. Whites were told that
blacks would never join them in masses to fight the dump, and that
the black support against the dump was fleeting. Economic threats
were made to the anti-dump participants. Political pressure was
heavily applied. The pro-dump forces characterized the anti-dump
movement as white-led. Some blacks backed off, as did some whites.
The plan almost worked.
During
the next year a few people from both communities kept the anti-dump
movement alive and in the public. A local activist who published a
free community newsletter honed in on the issue. People wrote
letters that were published in newspapers in Lowndes County and
Montgomery. The issue went national, with organizers asking for
national support against the dump on the Civil Rights Trail. The
activists, small in number but heavily committed, got letters of
support and against the dump from people all over the country. Every
major newspaper in Alabama came out against the dump. When
President Clinton came to Selma in March of 2000, there were
hundreds of signs along Highway 80 reading, “Don’t dump on our Civil
Rights Trail,”, and “Don’t Trash our Treasure”. The publicity
counter-acted the gossip which was that the dump issue was “a done
deal” and could not be stopped.
LCUFA
EMERGES
In
Burkville, the black community closest to the landfill site, people
began to organize. There had been informal discussions about the
oppression of the local political system and the lack of economic
opportunity and development, and those participants decided that
nothing positive was going to happen in Lowndes County unless the
dump was stopped. Six women, all black but one, met to plan a mass
meeting, and the Lowndes Citizens United for Action was born.
The
first order of business for LCUFA was to try and stop the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management from issuing a permit for the
dump. Whites in Lowndesboro had formed their own organization and
had invited blacks to join, but inequity in numbers and economics as
well as the diversity of issues led LCUFA to decide that though they
would participate with the white community, there was no way they
would have any equality in decision-making. Lowndesboro had already
hired their own attorney and had filed their own lawsuits, and
although LCUFA wanted to assist with that effort, they felt that the
issue would never be permanently resolved in court and that the
focus should be on community organization. In addition LCUFA knew
they would have no say over any proposed settlement of any lawsuits,
and they felt that some settlements would not be in the best
interests of the black community.
BLACK &
WHITE TOGETHER
However, LCUFA joined with white Lowndesboro in public protests and
strategy sessions to plan the public outcry against ADEM granting
the permit. They helped with the lawsuit, researching history and
locating documents. They were out in force at every hearing. LCUFA
got over 200 letters, most of them from the black community,
demanding a public hearing and although ADEM originally ruled not to
order the hearing, they finally allowed such a hearing. LCUFA was
in force at the public hearing but ADEM issued the permit and the
dump process continued.
The
decision to form a Black community organization proved to be correct
because it placed blacks in leadership where had they simply joined
the white group; they would have not been given that opportunity.
LCUFA has worked hard to partner with the whites and they have been
successful but have managed to retain and develop black leadership.
The whites, most of whom never supported civil rights, attempted to
use the Civil Rights Trail as an issue in their fight against the
dump but they had no credibility and were also seen as
opportunistic. It was the birth of LCUFA and the publicity of a
black-led organization that really fueled the fire of outrage
against the dump.
REACHING
OUT
In
addition, LCUFA has assisted other organizations in Alabama with
their anti-dump efforts. Indeed, when Macon County was at risk for
a huge dump, Macon County citizens came to Lowndes where they were
encouraged to act quickly, before their County Commission gave their
permission and this was a key ingredient to their success in
stopping the landfill in Macon County. It was the Lowndes and Macon
County dump issues along with pressure from SOC and the African
American Environmental Justice Network to force Alabama Governor
Siegelman to appoint three AAJEAN representatives to the Governor’s
Environmental Task Force. LCUFA members followed the town meetings
around the state to bring forth the environmental racism issues.
Although these issues were ultimately ignored by the task force,
LCUFA members supported the AAJEAN members when they complained that
the task force was unresponsive to the citizens and a political
sham.
LETTING
IN THE SUNSHINE…
Early
on, LCUFA realized that the dump was a symptom of the sick political
situation, and that their organization would be multi-faceted. They
decided to make fighting the dump their top priority, but building
people-participation in government was chosen as another focus and
labeled the Open Government Project. They began attending County
Commission meetings. The Lowndes County Commission had never had
this kind of audience nor input. The Commission tried to stop
citizen comments. LCUFA wrote letters requesting to be on the
agenda for the rest of the year. When the Commission tried to make
private decisions and have private discussions, LCUFA cited the
Sunshine Laws. When the Commissioners tried to whisper to each
other, LCUFA insisted they speak up. When the Commission would
silence one member, other members would speak. LCUFA members
inspired others throughout Lowndes County to speak up and attend
meetings, and this process has opened up the Lowndes County
Commission meetings and made them well-attended. As a result, many
more people are involved in all the important decisions made at the
County Commission level.
With
equipment from an environmental grant, LCUFA members began
videotaping the Lowndes County Commission Meetings.
Members of LCUFA worked to get the new Alabama Open Meetings Law
passed and are currently working on the new and improved Alabama
Open Records Act which will come before the Alabama Legislature in
2006.
The
Lowndes County Commission has become more accountable. Three
members of LCUFA have served on the Lowndes County Industrial
Development Board. One member is still part of that organization.
POLITICS
AND ACTION
The
political climate in the year 2000 was also undergoing change. A
black man ran for District Judge in the Democratic primary against
one of the main white families in the power structure. In this
case, the District Judge had stepped down before the end of his term
and the Governor had appointed the Judge’s daughter to the job. She
served some months and had to run for election. A number of LCUFA
members got involved to support the black candidate. The primary
became a bloodbath, and some whites succeeded getting the black
candidate eliminated on the basis of non-residency. The black
candidate appealed to the Democratic Party and reminiscent of
Mississippi and Fannie Lou Hamer, he lost. The black candidate then
attempted to run in the November election on the Reform party ticket
but at the last minute the Lowndes Probate Judge ruled he was
ineligible on the basis pf residency and the strategy had to be
changed to a write-in campaign. He was defeated by a few votes and
there were overt political shenanigans that cost all of Lowndes a
fair election. Sadly, the whites in Lowndesboro helped defeat the
black candidate and voted “white”, as expected, but a few broke with
the pack to support the black candidate, who was also anti-dump.
This was another hard lesson learned by LCUFA that racism is often
stronger even than an important issue, and that racism often wins
out over issues.
The
black candidate was once more defeated for District Judge in 2006.
The incumbent was supported by many blacks in Lowndes County who
felt she was doing a good job and had a proven track record. . The
black candidate has not been strongly active in the community since
his latest defeat, and has not taken a public position on
environmental justice.
The
summer of 2000 also brought about the largest dump protest in the
history of Alabama. Jesse Jackson attended a rally on Highway 80 at
the memorial marker where Viola Liuzzo was murdered in 1965. Over
3,000 people attended the rally. LCUFA’s Debra Harris was a keynote
speaker along with Rev. Jackson and others. Lowndesboro whites set
up the physical lighting and got the site ready for the rally. It
was the day after James Perkins got elected Mayor in Selma (first
black mayor), beating long time segregationist Mayor Smitherman.
Perkins came out to support the movement against the dump. Other
people spoke, black and white. One Birmingham reporter noted that
people had not segregated themselves in groups by race as folk tend
to do in our area. Blacks and whites were standing together,
talking together. People were working together. It was a sight to
see.
In
November 2000, LCUFA, in yet another historic event, ran their own
write-in anti-dump candidate against the incumbent County
Commissioner. The incumbent Commissioner was a long time politician
in favor of the dump. The LCUFA candidate announced only weeks
before the election. He narrowly lost by less than 200 votes. The
race dramatically changed the climate at County Commission
meetings. For once people began to be treated with respect. The
victory was in the effort.
Although two political races were in essence lost, the effort and
the closeness of the races themselves energized the people of
Lowndes County and gave them new hope for change. The lessons
learned by LCUFA and their supporters were important.
In
December of 2000 Lowndesboro won an important legal victory. A
Montgomery Circuit Court judge ruled that ADEM had issued the permit
for the dump erroneously because they had not complied with the law
which said the State Solid Waste Plan had to be followed. There was
no Solid Waste Plan in force; the State had failed to adopt such a
plan. The judge issued a stay against the dump. The decision also
held up permits for at least 22 other dumps on the way to being
permitted in Alabama.
Meanwhile, the media began reporting about the friendship of Alabama
Governor Siegel man and dump developer Lanny Young. That
relationship proved powerful during the 2001 Alabama Legislative
Session. Immediately, Rep. Marcus Black (D) of Tuscumbia introduced
HB 309 in the Commerce Committee. That bill would change the law to
allow all the dump permits. LCUFA attended the Commerce Committee
meeting in force, and this time the Mayors of three towns in Lowndes
County, two of whom had previously been silent on the dump issue,
attended and spoke out against the dump. Despite this, the bill
sailed out of committee. HB 309 and another bill got caught in the
middle of more Alabama political battles and did not pass during the
session nor the later special session.
In
March 2001, the annual Jubilee Bridge Crossing celebration was held
in Selma. LCUFA was there with their big yellow banner that reads,
“Stop the Dump on our Civil Rights Trail”, and underneath, “Lowndes
Citizens United for Action”. Two weeks later, when Lanny Young and
Waste Management hosted a dinner for the Governor and Alabama
Legislators, LCUFA was there, talking to reporters, keeping the dump
issue alive.
LCUFA
had concerns about the Lowndesboro court case; LCUFA believed that
it is correct to hold off as many dumps as possible in Alabama, and
that Alabama is becoming a dumping ground. They had no standing in
the Lowndesboro case, but encouraged Lowndesboro citizens not to
settle getting justice only for Lowndes, but for the whole state.
Lowndesboro finally settled their lawsuit against the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management because the State had failed
to adopt a solid waste management plan, but by that time ADEM began
to issue permits, after nearly a year of dump moratorium.
The
case against ADEM was successful and $300,000 was awarded to
Attorneys Susan Copeland and Doyle Fuller, but the case was
appealed. All the people in Lowndes County were impressed with the
work and dedication of these two talented attorneys. Unfortunately,
an appellate court reduced their fees.
Eventually the Dansby family from Hope Hull, who had made the deal
with the devil in the first place, ended up suing Lanny Young. They
said they had been pushed out of the business and that Lanny Young
was always a front for Waste Management. That case was settled
mid-trial in 2002.
THE
POWER PLANT
In
2001 the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce with the support of
Lowndesboro came to LCUFA with a plan for a coal burning power plant
along the Alabama River close to black Burkville. Certain LCUFA
members were invited to a breakfast, and then the pro-power plant
forces, including the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce were presented
with a catch 22. LCUFA members were told that there would be 125
jobs and big tax income from the project, but that the plant would
be built on Lowndes land or just across the line in Montgomery
County, without the tax revenue. LCUFA, after discussion, voted to
oppose the coal burning power plant in both locations. As usual,
the Lowndes County Commission gave the power plant deal their
blessing; however, it has never materialized.
THE
STRUGGLE CONTINUE
LCUFA
didn’t get lazy in 2002. While the legal fight about the dump
continued, LCUFA began a real push to force accountability from
public elected officials. They continued to attend local government
meetings. They pursued a move to incorporate Burkville, but the
spacing of the people in the area made that impossible. When they
heard that Hayneville was going to annex a good portion of Burkville,
they went to Hayneville and asked if the incorporation could also
include the land west of Highway 21. LCUFA figured that at least
they could get representation on the Hayneville Town Council, as
they had had little success with the Lowndes County Commission. In
the end, Burkville did not allow the annexation with Hayneville.
LCUFA
members visited the Black Caucus at the Alabama Statehouse to keep
their issues alive. They held fund raisers to pay the huge costs of
their billboard. The directory will list elected offices, dates of
elections and will give people the information necessary to become
involved in local politics.
THE FIGHT
ISN'T OVER
Eventually, Waste Management has sold the acreage outright along the
US Civil Rights Trail, and LCUFA has again heard rumblings that the
move is on to put a dump on the Civil Rights Trail on US 80. Lanny
Young and former Governor Siegelman have been found guilty of
crimes. The huge billboard on Highway 80 was relocated to Highway
21, where LCUFA members built their own frame. The billboard was
destroyed by a hurricane. The fight on the dump on the Civil Rights
Trail is over. LCUFA has partnered with nonprofit REACH for grants
and LCUFA offices are now housed in mobile units on Highway 21 owned
by REACH.
LCUFA
is heavily involved in the movement to bring a sewage system to the
County. They have representatives on economic development boards.
When something is happening in Lowndes County, LCUFA is there.
HERE
WE GO AGAIN
In
2006, Alabama River Partners came to Lowndes County with a proposal
for a construction and demolition landfill. It sounded good. It
was to be built on County Road 54 near the Alabama River in
Burkville. There was to be a port on the river and a rock quarry
for gravel to be mined. A rosy picture was painted by the company.
Immediately, citizens living close to the dump site organized
Citizens for a Clean Black Belt, a primarily white organization.
They enlisted the help of LCUFA. Working tirelessly, the true
nature of Alabama River Partners was exposed, and a county wide
struggle began. Blacks and whites together held countless meetings
and lobbied the Lowndes County Commission so that would not give
host approval. The ties of Alabama River Partners and Waste
Management were exposed. The truth about C&D landfills was
exposed. One of the Lowndes County Commissioners who had supported
the dump on the Civil Rights Trail changed his Tune and fought to
keep the Commission from giving approval, along with two other
commissioners.
The
dumpers tried to use race to divide the people, but this time it did
not work that well. Despite the paying of money to many churches,
Alabama River Partners lost round one. The Commission voted NOT to
give host approval.
Everyone knows that Alabama River Partners will come back. They
have spent too much money to back off now. But they don’t know
Lowndes County. LCUFA is now a bi-racial organization uniting
people of all races and socio-economic classes. There is new unity,
and people are working together for environmental justice.
LCUFA TODAY
LCUFA
has been through ups and downs since its formation. They have
worked with other community groups, such as the Concerned Citizens,
who are trying to make political change. Two LCUFA members have
been appointed to the Lowndes County Industrial Development Board.
One member has been named 2002 Head start Parent of the Year for the
State of Alabama and the Southeast US Region. One ran unsuccessfully
for Probate Judge to try to gain fairness in the local election
process. LCUFA is a founding member of the ADEM Reform Coalition
(Read
the coalition Blue Print for reform).
LCUFA
members are sought out by other organizations for advice and
counsel. LCUFA members serve on the Advisory Board of Alabama
Watch, and are members of Alabama Arise. Members attend workshops
to learn and share. LCUFA has a national reputation for positive
change and struggle on the ground. Members are active and involved
in many facets of the community, from education to environmental
justice.
LCUFA
is a racially diverse organization. The mission statement is read
prior to every meeting. Members work hard to share information and
views in an honest and civil way to promote change in the
community. There are still racial problems in Lowndes County, and
they are complicated by the fact that some black leaders do not
protect the black or white communities. The interaction of the
races at LCUFA, however, has made the organization become more
tolerant and more informed, and much good is coming of new
relationships.
Everyone involved with LCUFA helps. Everybody does something.
Some are great cooks; some are good speakers. Some are always there
at every meeting and at every community function. Some work hard on
the building, some haul and buy supplies for fundraisers. LCUFA has
a wide variety of talents. As we grow our membership, we grow our
community and are able to help others.
We are here for the long run!
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