Environmental Racism in My Hometown: The Legacy of Rock Hill’s "Trash Pile" with Kibri Everett (pt. 2)

What happens when the leaders in your hometown turn a Black neighborhood into a dumping ground?

In part 2 of our conversation, environmental scientist and advocate Kibri Hutchison Everett takes us back to my hometown of Rock Hill, South Carolina, to confront the legacy of the so-called “Trash Pile.” What began with the placement of unlined landfill in the heart of a Black neighborhood, the Trash Pile stands as a stark example of how racist policy choices create sacrifice zones in the United States. It is now a neighborhood with no water, sanitation, or city services, despite being within city limits.

Kibri shares how this desolate community still bears the scars of contamination, land loss, and disinvestment, and why she purchased a parcel of land there to transform it into a test site for community science and grassroots advocacy. Together, we explore how pollution, policy, and poverty intersect, and how data, organizing, and courage can shift the fight from environmental injustice to environmental and economic liberation.

This is not just a story about Rock Hill, South Carolina or even the plight of Black communities in the South. It’s about the structures that allow entire communities to be written off, and the movements rising to reclaim land, dignity, and a livable future.

Connect with Kibri Everett
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kibri-hutchison-everett-646b051b3/
Instagram: @the.enviro.vegan and @key.environmental.consulting
Websites: www.keyenvi.com & www.palmettofutures.org

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