Maryland Matters, April 13, 2022, Here’s the Antidote to the Toxicity in the Curtis Bay Community
The toxic chemical industry has engulfed entire residential areas of Baltimore. But in the long-suffering neighborhood of Curtis Bay, the local community is fighting back.
Recently, I heard Dr. Nicole Fabricant, Professor of Anthropology at Towson University, discuss the environmental injustices experienced by residents of the Curtis Bay community in South Baltimore.
Fabricant elevated what a group of young activists is doing to turn things around. Fabricant leads students from Benjamin Franklin High School and Towson University in a participatory action research project where young people ask qualitative questions about environmental injustices, conduct research, and disseminate their findings.
“In Curtis Bay, young people are creating solutions,” Fabricant said. “Young people are building out alternative green industries such as [the art collective] Broken Glass and a 64-acre compost site. Young people are developing unionized jobs for Black and Brown youth and community members in Curtis Bay.”
