Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor [Hardcover]

"Diamond" by Steve Lerner is a compelling account of a community's struggle for environmental justice. This highly-readable work skillfully examines the subject of toxics pollution and the petrochemical industry's tendency to disproportionately harm people of color. In particular, the book is noteworthy for the care and compassion with which Mr. Lerner has profiled and documented the remarkable individuals who successfully led a grassroots campaign for justice in Diamond, Louisiana. In so doing, the author has alerted us to the potential for the environmental and racial justice movements to collaborate and work for change.

The first section recounts the unique history of Diamond. The tight-knit African-American community had endured centuries of slavery and segregation only to find itself on a collision course with Big Oil due to Diamond's location near the Gulf of Mexico. Over many years, the massive amounts of pollution released by Shell's refineries and chemical plants located adjacent to Diamond had caused ill health among the local population and spurred the citizens into organized action.

The second section discusses Shell and its relations with its neighbors. Through numerous interviews and visits to Diamond and the adjacent community of Norco, Mr. Lerner uncovered a startling difference in how the two ethnically stratified towns perceived reality. The mostly white residents of Norco, many of whom were employed by Shell, seemed unwilling to acknowledge the ill effects of the pollution and openly questioned the motivations of the black residents of Diamond, most of whom did not benefit economically from the plant and consequently did not shrink from vocalizing their discontent. In my view, the author's mature treatment of this particular aspect of the story provides insight into the deep-rooted racial divide in America and helps us understand how we might heal the relationship.

The third and fourth sections document the increasing tension as hard evidence of toxic releases exposed Shell's non-compliance with EPA regulations and elevated the level of distrust in the community. Greenpeace and other organizations joined with the local residents in highlighting the injustice and brought increased media scrutiny on the situation.

The fifth section shows how victory was achieved through the linking of the struggle in Diamond with the well-known case of the Ogoni people and their victimization by Shell's operations in Nigeria. The threat of negative publicity prior to a prominent international conference proved to be decisive, moving Shell management to strike a deal with Diamond residents.

In the final section, Mr. Lerner discusses the lessons learned. The author recommends buffer zones around plants, better monitoring of air and the phase-out of toxic chemicals.

In the Conclusion, Mr. Lerner credits Shell with doing the right thing but discusses the human costs of relocating the residents, a strategy that took people out of harm's way but divided neighbors who had lived near one another for generations. But in winning this David-versus-Goliath struggle, the author praises Diamond resident Margie Richards for her faith, intelligence and perseverance in leading the struggle to fruition. Ms. Richards is compared with Rosa Parks as a role model and an inspiration to all who are struggling for environmental justice.

I highly recommend this pathbreaking and important book to everyone.

This is an exceptional book. Hard hitting, informative, life affirming and full of the pulls and pushes of the real challenges people face. That said, I could not help but think what a great movie this would make. I could see this book. The images are so vivid. The stories so real. The wins so bittersweet. Mr. Lerner is a gifted writer with a warm heart and brillant mind. Thank you for writing this story. Hopefully it will inspire other real life stories.

mr. lerner does an excellent job of reporting exactly what happened to the diamond subdivision of norco, louisiana. he interviews many residents of diamond and neighboring norco and gives invaluable perspective to the struggles of both: one, a community smushed between two toxic-spewing behemoths and the other, a largely white, largely shell-employed suburb trying to "protect" their company and town. basically, the white residents are being paid to suffer the health and environmental consequences of living next to chemical and petrochemical refineries, whereas the black community, diamond, was not only suffering the brunt of the chemical emissions but not even hired by shell--i think the rate was 3% in diamond. the history of this particular part of louisiana was fascinating and well researched. the racial divides in this part of louisiana are historically intense (as they were in southeastern texas, where i grew up); the environmental racism perpetuated by shell is obvious and appalling. that it took as much time as it did for shell to relocate this community, then to do it in stages that decimated generations of family ties, is proof of their utter lack of concern for the human cost of their operations. i tried to feel a little good for shell in the giving credit where credit is due part of the book, but i still am appalled by their utter lack of concern for the health of the community, and when they did care it was only because they were threatened with bad publicity. the suggestions made by the author at the end of the book for change were excellent, and i loved margie richard's statement to the chemical companies that they should be doing this cleaner, cheaper and healthier. theirs was not a total victory, but a big one nonetheless. i look forward to any new books written by mr. lerner and i am really looking forward to seeing what happens to the current and former residents of diamond, who i hope bring forth a massive suit against shell for the damage done to their health.

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