HISTORY
Environmental justice did not emerge overnight, and it has never followed a straight path. It rises in response to crisis, faces backlash, and reorganizes in new forms.
Keep On Marching traces this cycle through the story of the modern Environmental Justice Movement, from the revolutionary roots of Halifax County, North Carolina, to the 1982 Warren County PCB protests where residents stood in the path of toxic waste and helped transform a local struggle into a national civil rights framework.
From that defining moment, communities across the United States began naming a pattern many had long experienced — that pollution and environmental harm disproportionately affected BIPOC, rural, and low-wealth communities. What began as ordinary people organizing to protect their homes became a movement that reshaped how the nation understands the connection between environment, health, and justice, and continues to influence policy, research, and grassroots activism today.
PRESENT DAY
Today, environmental justice organizations across the United States are navigating a new wave of political hostility. Federal funding is shrinking, agencies tasked with protecting vulnerable communities face cuts, and efforts to erase the history of civil rights and environmental justice movements are growing.
For leaders who have spent decades confronting environmental racism, this moment is not new — the movement has always advanced through cycles of progress, backlash, and renewed resistance.
Keep On Marching captures this pivotal chapter, showing how communities in North Carolina and beyond continue to confront pollution, political disenfranchisement, and the forces that seek to silence them, while once again finding ways to organize, connect, and push forward.
DOLLIE BURWELL
FoUNDATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZER
In 1982, Dollie led protests in Warren County against a toxic PCB landfill, sparking the birth of the environmental justice movement — yet the health impacts of PCBs have gone unmapped, undocumented, and ignored.
“Was the PCB dump the bomb that killed my daughter?… I’ll never know.”
Follow Dollie’s inspiring story of leadership, grief, and unrelenting activism.
LA'MESHIA WHITTINGTON
PFAS RESEARCH & COMMUNITY ADVOCATE
La'Meshia is a prolific environmental justice architect whose work ranges from climate disaster relief to pioneering research on water contamination.
After her organization had a $20 million grant withdrawn, she and her family were targeted by the media.
Follow La’Meshia’s extraordinary story of courage, trauma, and visionary advocacy.
CARROL OLINGER
ACTIVIST AGAINST CHEMICAL POLLUTION
Carrol is a self-described “accidental activist.” The more she uncovered about environmental racism, the louder and more determined she became. Despite life-threatening illnesses caused by PFAS in her drinking water, she remains the voice of the protest.
Follow Carrol’s moving story of fearlessness, struggle, and unwavering spirit.
MOZINE LOWE
ENERGY JUSTICE LEADER
Mozine is a local trailblazer and connector serving communities of colour in regions shaped by the legacy of slavery.
She fights to expose energy inequity, the erasure of DEI language, and the impacts of chronic disinvestment facing her communities.
Follow Mozine’s powerful story of tireless determination, conflict, and unabated hope.
EVA CLAYTON
Political & CIVIC TRAILBLAZER
Eva was the first Black congresswoman elected in North Carolina and a foundational figure in the environmental justice movement.
Now in her 90s, Eva remains a force to be reckoned with, sharp, outspoken, and unwavering in her commitment to justice.
Follow Eva’s emotional reflections on the powers that worked against her, and that continue to resist justice today.
