Dollie B. Burwell Remembers (2022)

Dollie B. Burwell, often referred to as the “mother of the environmental justice movement,” was a central figure in protests against toxic waste dumping in North Carolina in 1982. Polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, are toxic chemical compounds once used in a variety of manufactured products. In 1978, a company started dumping industrial waste, which contained PCBs, along roads in North Carolina. Toxins in the waste leaked into the water supply of Warren County, a predominantly African American community. County residents, including Burwell, began to organize, demanding the state to stop the dumping. After the state agreed to allow the dumping of contaminated soil in one part of Warren, nearby residents physically blocked the trucks and sued to stop the state from using the land for dumping. Burwell, and many of the other hundreds of protestors, were inspired by traditions of the Black church and the philosophy of nonviolence, seeing the battle for environmental justice as a continuation of earlier civil rights movements.

I remember Warren County as a beautiful county with beautiful and caring people. It was once known for its remarkable natural springs and freely roaming wildlife of deer and wild turkeys. The county once consisted of more than 14,000 enslaved people, approximately 600 free Black people, and 4,000 White citizens. I remember that Warren County’s population has always been majority African American. I remember that many African American homeowners in the Afton community inherited their homes and land from their foreparents.

I remember how I felt in 1978 on the day when I learned that Ward Transformer of Raleigh had illegally dumped 30,000 gallons of toxic PCB-laced oil along more than 210 miles of North Carolina roadsides in 14 counties, including Warren County. I remember with great pain that under the leadership of Gov. Jim Hunt, the state of North Carolina was making plans to build a toxic waste landfill in the Afton community of Warren County. I also remember the emotions of Warren County citizens, especially those living in the Afton Community, that then ran rampant through the neighborhood. At that time, my emotions ran the gamut—from feeling powerless to anger and bitterness to experiencing a great deal of fear! But despite my sometimes conflicting feelings and sometimes with tears in my eyes, I could clearly see and profoundly understand why Warren County was chosen as the home for this toxic waste landfill.

First, Warren County and the Afton Community were predominantly African American communities. Secondly, the county consisted of poor and politically powerless people. Thirdly, the state of North Carolina assumed that because Warren County lacked economic and political power and resources, the citizens would not fight back. But the state grossly underestimated the spirit of the African American ancestors who continued to survive within the people of Warren County! I, for one, remembered to remember what my grandparents and parents taught me, and I felt like other Warren County citizens also remembered to remember what their parents had taught them—“When you are given lemons, don’t cry from the bitterness, but make lemonade.”

Some people made lemonade using the legal system; three lawsuits were filed against North Carolina. The courts dismissed cases. However, an agreement was reached with the state to deed back to the county 125 acres of the 150 acres of land the state had purchased. I believe that this agreement prevented Warren County from becoming a regional toxic waste dump. Some people made lemonade by registering people to vote, thus increasing the political power of African Americans.

As a community and social justice activist, I chose to make lemonade by organizing and engaging in civil disobedience. I knew that I had to sweeten the lemonade with all the tools, knowledge and skills that I had learned from my participation in the struggle for social and racial justice. I was a member of the Oak Level United Church of Christ, whose pastor was the Rev. Leon White. I was also a board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and of The United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice.

So, in the fall of 1982, the community organized protests every day for six weeks with hundreds gathering at the Coley Springs Baptist Church in Afton, marching to the site of the landfill and blocking the trucks filled with the PCB-laced soil. I called nationally known preachers, civil rights leaders, environmental leaders, students and everyday justice-loving people from across the state and nation to join Warren County citizens of every race and creed, every age and gender, in the movement for environmental justice in Warren County. The Washington Post dubbed the protest as the “Biggest Civil Rights Movement Since the 1960s.” I was arrested five times along with over 500 other activists arrested for civil disobedience charges, including impeding traffic. Together, we gave birth to the Warren County Environmental Justice Movement.

I remember all those who have passed away from Warren County and across the nation who helped make this lemonade and birth a movement for environmental justice. I remember all those who cooked meals and fed us, who paid bonds to get us out of jail, those who prayed every day for our safety, as well as those who marched and went to jail with us. Among those was my late daughter, Kimberly Burwell, who, through her demonstrated courage even though she was just a child, drew many to join in our movement. Regardless of what role you played, you were significant, and I will always remember to remember you and the sacrifices you made for racial and environmental justice.