Clearing the Air: Talking about Environmental Justice in South Philly

Hosted by the Coalition for Anti-racist Literacy at Bryn Mawr’s working group on Climate Justice, staff, students and faculty are invited to join this teach-in to learn more about local environmental activism: On June 21, 2019, Bilal Motley, a worker at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery in South Philly, went to work for what he expected to be a normal night shift. Across the fence of the refinery, neighbors in the Gray’s Ferry section of the city grappled with changes in their life due to diagnosis of respiratory illness, cancer, and the deaths of loved ones from these illnesses. Little did anyone know that night that everyone’s lives would change as the oldest and largest oil refinery on the East Coast was about to explode. Join us as we watch two short documentaries, Bilal Motley’s “Midnight Oil” and Philly Thrive’s “On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air,” to examine what happened that night from the perspective of both parties. Both documentaries are about 30 minutes long. We will watch both and then at the end have a facilitated group conversation about the social and environmental impacts of the refinery, as well as examine our place in the story as Bryn Mawr College community members. Please register using the event registration form. https://forms.office.com/r/EtbLP9SL9x Registration form includes links to suggested readings to read before this event. Both videos will be shown with captions and a hybrid option is available. Bryn Mawr College welcomes the full participation of all individuals in all aspects of campus life. Should you wish to request a disability-related accommodation for this event, please contact the event sponsor/coordinator. Requests should be made as early as possible.