In the midst of various funding cuts to climate programs and agencies, and the passage of legislation that prioritizes economic opportunities over equity, environmental and infrastructure programming at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 54th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) (Sept. 24-28) focused on empowering and protecting Black communities.
From reflecting on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the trauma and tragedy those affected still carry, to discussing the intersection of transportation equity and social infrastructure, speakers at ALC were determined to continue the fight for progress toward a just future.
“The determination inspires us to build safer, stronger and more equitable communities,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “That means some policies, smart investments, science — not politics — must guide us forward.”
Aside from recognizing past shortcomings and applying them to current circumstances to spark change, other speakers at the conference also focused on acknowledging who is in decision-making spaces and ensuring that members of marginalized communities know they have agency and authority over the infrastructure and planning in their neighborhoods.
“The more we participate in the decision-making process, the better it will be,” said Delbert Foster, associate director of 1890 Research and Extension at South Carolina State University. “And when you have… engineers that look like you, architects that look like you, planners that look like us, we don’t need to put them on the chopping block, but we need information.”
Learning from Katrina’s Unheeded Warnings
Carter was joined by journalist Norman Robinosn, Gen. Russel Honoré and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) to discuss how and why Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and its surrounding areas with such severity.
They used their personal accounts to highlight what President Donald Trump and his administration are doing that will further harm communities prone to harsh weather.
After entering office for a second term, Trump signed an executive order in which he wrote that state and local governments need to “play a more active and significant role” in national disaster preparedness, and has since spoken about eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“When they tell you that the response to disasters should be a local response, you need to get away from them. That’s someone who’s feeding you up to the elements,” Clyburn said. “There must be a national coordinated response to events like this. It must be centralized.”
The disaster assistance agency has recently paused giving states preparedness grant money, ordering them to recalculate their populations to receive the funding necessary for helping communities prepare for natural disasters and train emergency management staff.
Honoré, who has gained widespread praise for his leadership of the Joint Task Force Katrina in the storm’s aftermath, criticizes Trump’s interpretation of what happens after such devastating weather.
“One of the things … you don’t understand, is when you have a disaster,” Honoré said, “it overwhelms that local response because [responders] are survivors too.”
He described the elected officials, officers and media personnel who were all required to complete their jobs while Katrina ravaged their neighborhoods, many unsure of their families’ whereabouts or the condition of their homes.
“On any given day, Mother Nature can build or break anything made by man,” Honoré continued. “So whoever you are, you are subject to disaster.”
Reclaiming Space in Black Neighborhoods
Environmental advocates note that the current level of unpredictability requires states and local communities to be equipped with the funding and resources necessary to accurately prepare for and manage the effects of inclement weather.
It also calls for a reliable infrastructure and transportation that can protect vulnerable communities not only in the wake of unprecedented disasters, but in their day-to-day lives.
In a conversation about reclaiming a sense of belonging in Black spaces through advocating for infrastructure planning that doesn’t harm communities’ homes and recreational spaces, speakers emphasized the importance of people having the ability to independently live in and move through their neighborhoods and surrounding areas.
“I will say, the engineering profession has really done a lot of damage to our communities that is very well documented,” said Veronica Davis, the discussion’s moderator and National Practice director of planning and environment at Atkins Realis.
Davis told the story of her mother, whose childhood home was one of more than 400 that were torn down in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for Louisiana’s Interstate 10. Because of this shared experience across Black communities of residential or transportational developments uprooting their homes, Davis hopes future planning will be mindful of these occurrences.
Foster emphasized that as the planning and construction of future transportation and infrastructure emerge, officials should work to hear the voices of affected community members and respect their spaces.
“[A reimagined transportation network] looks like something that you see will benefit you and your community — whatever that looks like to you,” Foster said. “Reimagine that you have an opportunity to impact and demand the change that you and your community decide you all need.”
