Sharon Lavigne

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Sharon Lavigne

Sharon Lavigne (born May 1950) is an American environmental justice activist in Louisiana focused on combating petrochemical complexes in Cancer Alley.[1][2] She is the 2022 recipient of the Laetare Medal, the highest honor for American Catholics, and a 2021 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

Activism[edit]

Lavigne, who is from St. James Parish, Louisiana which is at the center of the alley, has testified before Congress, and runs a faith-based organization, RISE St. James, focused on preventing expansion and worsening petrochemical plant pollution in the area.[1][2][3][4][5]

Lavigne is also a collaborator on the Coalition Against Death Alley, a regional environmental justice group.[3] She is also a plaintiff in White Hat v. Landry, an environmental justice case, focused on changes in Louisiana Oil and Gas law.[6]

Lavigne is focused in part on defending the cultural heritage of the African American community.[2] In 2019, she organized the community against a new Formosa Plastics Corp factory that would have disrupted a slave grave in the community.[2][3][4] In December 2020, the plant's process was stalled by court ruling.[7] She had previously help stall similar projects from Wanhua Chemical Group and South Louisiana Methanol.

Lavigne was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2021.[8][9] She was named the 2022 recipient of the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal on March 27, 2022.[10] The same year, RISE, Earthjustice, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and other plaintiffs won a lawsuit against Formosa that argued the potential air pollution of the proposed plant would violate federal standards.[11]

Personal life[edit]

Lavigne is a retired special education teacher.[3] Her father was a sugarcane farmer in the area, and her mother a homemaker.[3] Her family participated in civil rights actions in the area during the civil rights movement.[3]

She is also a Black Catholic, a parishioner at St. James Catholic Church in St. James, Louisiana.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "The Fight for Life in Death Alley: Testimony from Sharon Lavigne, St. James, Louisiana". Kairos. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  2. ^ a b c d "Sharon Lavigne's fighting faith on the bayou". National Catholic Reporter. 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "The Plastics Giant and the Making of an Environmental Justice Warrior". DeSmog. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  4. ^ a b "One Woman's Fight for Clean Air in Louisiana's Cancer Alley". Sierra Club. 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  5. ^ "Cancer Alley Rises Up". Earthjustice. 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  6. ^ "Sharon Lavigne". Center for Constitutional Rights. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  7. ^ "Court rulings stall controversial plastics factory in Louisiana". National Catholic Reporter. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  8. ^ "Introducing the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners". Goldman Environmental Prize. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  9. ^ Lakhani, Nina (June 15, 2021). "Cancer Alley campaigner wins Goldman prize for environmental defenders". The Guardian. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Gates, Carrie (27 March 2022). "Environmental activist Sharon Lavigne to receive Notre Dame's 2022 Laetare Medal". Notre Dame News. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  11. ^ "Louisiana Court Vacates Air Permits for Formosa's Massive Petrochemical Complex in Cancer Alley". Earthjustice. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
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