WALLACE, Louisiana — Residents of a historical black community in Louisiana, who have fought for years against the construction of a large grain export company on the site where their enslaved ancestors lived, appear to have finally stopped the project.
A representative for the company, Greenfield Louisiana LLC, announced at a public hearing Monday night that the company is “suspending all plans” to build a grain export facility in the middle of the town of Wallace in St. John the Baptist Parish.
After a while, opponents of the project began to cheer, clap and hug each other.
“I still can’t believe it — I can’t believe this is happening, but I’m overjoyed and all credit to the ancestors,” said Joy Banner, a Wallace resident and one of the project’s most outspoken opponents. She and her sister Jo founded The Descendants Project to preserve the community’s heritage.
The company’s announcement marked a rare victory for a community in a heavily industrialized stretch of the Mississippi River known as “Cancer Alley” because of its high levels of pollution. Wallace is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New Orleans.
“I think all of the fighting comes from the love and passion for our communities that we have here along the river, and to show the world that we can and we should fight,” Banner said. “We recognize that we do have power — that power comes from the love that we have for our community.”
Earlier this year, the Banner sisters’ nonprofit purchased a plantation that was the site of one of the largest slave uprisings in American history, the German Coast Uprising of 1811. They plan to transform it into an educational space.
The Army Corps of Engineers had already identified the 90-acre complex, which could negatively impact cultural heritage in Wallace, and was tasked with reviewing Greenfield’s application.
Army Corps representative Brad LaBorde said his agency was not notified in advance of the company’s unexpected decision to cancel plans for the facility.
“We don’t know exactly what that means,” LaBorde said. “We still have an active permit application, so if Greenfield’s intention is to no longer pursue the project, then we are asking them to formally file a withdrawal with us so we can complete the review.”
Lynda Van Davis, Greenfield’s attorney and chief external affairs officer, said the long delay in getting government approval for the project has been “an expensive ordeal.” She added that she had no answer as to when the company would file a formal withdrawal with the Army Corps.
“This has been a tough ride this whole time, we didn’t wake up yesterday and say we’re done,” Van Davis said. “We said we were going to stay in this fight for a little while longer because we’ve become friends with this community. Unfortunately, how long do we have to stay in this fight?”
The Army Corps had discovered that the project could affect historic properties in Wallace, including the Evergreen, Oak Alley and Whitney plantations. There also remained the possibility that the area contained burial grounds for the ancestral black community.
Some community members supported the project because they believed it would bring jobs to their city. However, opponents of the project said that heritage tourism was already a thriving sector that deserved more investment.
“I was looking forward to economic development in my community: jobs, new businesses, just a better life for my community,” said Nicole Dumas, 48, a Wallace resident who supported the project.
But the evening became a celebration for others. Angelica Mitchell, 53, held back tears as she heard the company’s announcement. Mitchell is still recovering from treatment for a rare form of cancer that had damaged her pancreas, but she chose to attend the public hearing despite her health concerns. The facility would be built a few hundred feet from her home.
“When I heard they were pulling out, I was so happy, my prayers were answered because I’ve been praying for this for the last three years,” Mitchell said. “I asked God, just don’t let this plant come into our community. I don’t want this for our children.”
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Jack Brook is a staff member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.