Ford Hall Forum presents
A Day of Environmental Justice, History, and Resistance

12:30 p.m. | Lecture
How did the legacy of plantation slavery shape today’s environmental crises? Dr. Joy Banner will trace the “plantation to pollution” through line—from sugarcane cultivation built on extractive enslaved labor to the modern fertilizer and pesticide industries that now pollute the land, air, and water of Black communities along Louisiana’s Mississippi River corridor, often called "Cancer Alley."

Drawing on the work of The Descendants Project, Dr. Banner will share how community-based advocacy, environmental litigation, and the collection of scientific data—including air monitoring and water testing—are being used to challenge environmental racism and defend community health and land rights.

6:00 p.m. | Screening
Modern Theatre | 525 Washington Street, Boston, MA
Harm in the Water, is an urgent documentary by filmmaker Kendall Moore that exposes how industrial pollution is poisoning water, air, and bodies in communities across the American South—communities that have long been forced to bear the costs of corporate profit and political inaction.

Following the screening, Kendall Moore will be in conversation with Dr. Joy Banner and local activists and experts working in the intersections of environment and community.

Together, these events illuminate how history, industry, and power shape environmental outcomes—and how communities are fighting back with data, law, and collective action.