Ironbound, a 4-square mile section of New Jersey, is home to the Port of Newark, three power plants, the state’s largest garbage incinerator, and the longest superfund site in the country. As a resident of the Ironbound, Maria Lopez-Nuñez has firsthand experience as Deputy Director of Organizing & Advocacy for the Ironbound Community Corporation.
For the people at the Ironbound Community Corporation, the fight is seemingly never-ending, but also not without some hope. These courageous residents have fought off an Amazon hub and a garbage incinerator to name a few and are determined to reclaim and defend their neighborhood and their homes.
Chattel property. It’s how many of the residents of St. John and St. James Parish describe their existence. They live near a long and grimy road of toxic industry that stretches from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. A place where the residents face overwhelmingly high rates of cancer, asthma, and birth defects. This area is known as “Cancer Alley”.