Celebrating Black History: The Women of 48217

"It's always been profits over people," Landrum said. "This shows it can be people over profits. Small Davids can win against the Goliaths if the EPA does what it's supposed to do."

The roots of this victory stretch back decades. Much of Detroit and surrounding communities were redlined so Black homeowners were often forced to live near industrial facilities.  Residents started forming block clubs and neighborhood organizations to be able to advocate for themselves but it wasn’t until the early 2000s when residents started to take clear action to fight industrial facilities. A longtime 48217 resident and professor, Dr. Dolores Leonard, started gathering neighbors around a single question: "Did you ever think that all of this illness is related to the environment and its impact on your health?"

From there, serious organizing began. Rhonda Anderson, a longtime Sierra Club organizer, spent years teaching residents how to research polluters, request public hearings, and speak the regulatory language that agencies respond to.

Landrum and Anderson started hosting Toxic Tours, where they invited journalists and policymakers on bus tours of their community and asked them for their help to tell their stories and organize for change. Wayne County deployed air quality sensors across the area to monitor data in real-time and to raise awareness to the community.  

"As soon as people learn what’s been going down, they will cut you down every type of way with their knowledge,” Anderson said. “They put it in their natural language. They will tell you about SO2 and where it's coming from and what it does to you. And they will tell you whose responsibility it is to take care of it."

All the while, EES Coke's 85 coke ovens vented thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide over surrounding neighborhoods. Epidemiologists testified during the recent case that excess emissions contributed to approximately 98 premature deaths between 2019 and 2022, along with widespread asthma, heart attacks, Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive decline.

When the Department of Justice finally filed suit, these organizers - Landrum, Leonard, Anderson, and more - were involved every step of the way. 

"This case was made off the blood, sweat, and backs of Black women who stood up with the little power that they had - their voice, their bodies - and they made a difference," Theresa said.

The recent ruling requires the formation of a Community Quality Action Committee charged with directing the $20 million toward air purifiers, weatherization programs, and other health initiatives. This Black History Month, we celebrate these leaders and the generations of residents whose persistence made this victory possible.

"I am a firm believer that we have to celebrate," Anderson said. "I have worked so hard alongside with community, to get these things to happen. We are working so hard we don't take a moment. The fight isn't over but we need to celebrate, rest, and get right back to work."

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Learn more about the recent ruling against DTE and EES Coke here.