ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Addressing Pollution in Communities
We work to protect and improve community health by fighting against contamination and addressing long-term pollution from landfills, as well as water and air pollution.
Polluting and natural resource extraction industries, like mines and quarries, are often placed in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
This creates overlapping environmental and economic injustices with detrimental health impacts.
How Redlining Impacts Community Health
Historical redlining (the discriminatory practice of color-coding neighborhoods to evaluate risk for home loans) and discriminatory land use policies have resulted in the concentration of polluting and extractive industries in economically and politically disadvantaged communities and communities of color.
As a result, already impoverished communities suffer compounding economic and environmental injustices and detrimental health impacts as harmful industries are concentrated over decades in the same communities.
SCSJ offers communications capabilities and support to community-based organizations to amplify impacted residents’ voices in protecting their communities from contamination and exploitation.
Community Health Resources
Sampson County Landfill Origins Explorer
This tool allows users to visualize all of the NC counties that have contributed to the Sampson County regional landfill since 2005.
Fact Sheet: Bingham Park Remediation
This fact sheet details the city of Greensboro's three proposed options for disposal of contaminated soil from Bingham Park.
Southern Gumption: The Toxic Tour
"Southern Gumption" season 1 episode 2 takes listeners on a journey down to Sampson County, NC, navigating its roads and histories on a 'toxic tour' of environmental injustice.
Community Health News
Judge Denies Companies’ Bid to Hide Cape Fear River Pollution
RALEIGH, N.C. (December 5, 2025) — A federal judge has blocked an attempt by Chemours and DuPont to hide documents related to the release of harmful substances into the Cape Fear River. Earlier this year, Chemours made the motion to seal documents as part of its lawsuit with local water utilities and governments in the…
Read More Judge Denies Companies’ Bid to Hide Cape Fear River Pollution
Pitt County Judge Rules Against Greenville Residents, Allows Gas Station to be Built
GREENVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 21, 2025) — A Pitt County Superior Court judge has cleared the way for a gas station to be built in the backyard of the Brookhaven community, represented by Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), and next to a middle school in Greenville. Resident Superior Court Judge Jeffery B. Foster released his decision…
Read More Pitt County Judge Rules Against Greenville Residents, Allows Gas Station to be Built