North Carolina Environmental Justice History

In Dr. Garcia Peacock's class, we have seen time and time again the incredible power of art.  Artwork makes visible the invisible.  It compels audiences to act, to consider, to question, to challenge.  It helps us reconceptualize old ideas.  Art can be activist, environmental, political, controversial...

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We've seen just how dynamic art can be and just how great of an impact it can make.  After analysis of hundreds of works from tens of artists, we felt it was only right to create art of our own.

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Creating a mural was the most accessible option and we felt prepared and inspired to do so after completing several mural case studies.  As students of a North Carolina institution, we felt a responsibility to portray a history we are all connected to and can see traces of.  We knew we wanted our mural to represent moments and themes from North Carolina environmental justice history, but one important question remained...

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What exactly should our mural portray? 

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Incidents of environmental justice in North Carolina are innumerable and to include them all was simply not feasible.  However, a few scenes emerged throughout our research process that we deemed most important and relevant to our intentions with the mural.

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These include: the history and pollution of Lake Norman, the history of asbestos and of cotton mills in Davidson, the environmental activism events at Warren County in 1982, the impact of hog farming in the state, and Native American history and environmental justice in North Carolina.

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We find it absolutely necessary to illustrate these events and educate our peers about them.  We hope that their inclusion in our mural raises awareness for issues that continue today, informs viewers of NC environmental justice history, and most importantly, encourages viewers to be curious and investigate these issues.  By inspiring others to care about the environmental justice history of North Carolina, we hope to bring justice to the lands, places, and people who have been harmed as a result of this history.

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