Darian Wigfall, a long-time activist, has joined the fight against environmental racism. Wigfall, a former music label executive, is executive director of St. Paul Episcopal Church in the Carondelet neighborhood. He is a part of the Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) AirWatch STL program.
“The difference between a 30-year smoker’s lungs and someone who does not smoke but lives in the city is very minimal.”
The program is a St. Louis community-based air quality monitoring program. AirWatchSTL has partnered with WashU Turner Lab and multiple congregations throughout the community to help fill the air quality data gap by equitably, scientifically, and strategically placing air quality monitors at various congregations in the St. Louis region. The community-led campaign and actions address air quality concerns to public health.
The air monitor measures matter that float in the air, capturing data on floating pollutants. St. Paul Episcopal Church is next to a metal finishing plant that produces excess metal shavings which, according to Wigfall, are inhaled by residents and worshippers in that neighborhood.
“The metal can obstruct your lung passages, create more mucus and asthma,” said Wigfall. “The difference between a 30-year smoker’s lungs and someone who does not smoke but lives in the city is very minimal. Environmental racism and environmental justice are something that impacts us all.”
Lead Environmental Organizer, Beth Gutzler at MCU said the 2019 Environmental Racism In St.Louis Report by WashU said the report gave the organization the launch point to start the work in monitoring the air.
Congregations with which MCU has partnered have registered concerns about air quality, asthma, chronic breathing issues, and illegal dumping. Neighborhoods that are impacted the most, according to Gutzler, are north St. Louis, north St. Louis County, and parts of south St. Louis.
The report shows Black children in St. Louis make roughly 10 times more emergency room visits for asthma each year than white children.
Black children make more than 42 emergency room visits per 1,000 children, compared to less than 4 visits per 1,000 children for their white counterparts. Also, most of the City’s air pollution sources are in neighborhoods of color, and more building demolitions – which create harmful dust that may contain asbestos and lead – occur in majority-Black neighborhoods.
Gutzler says areas that experience more traffic, and less greenery are more likely to be paralleled with the health statistics of residents impacted by low air quality.
MCU board member Barbara Johnson helped get her church, Our Lady of Holy Cross in the Baden neighborhood, get an air monitor placed on her church. Johnson believes worshippers and residents of the Baden neighborhood suffer from the impact of low air quality.
“Everywhere we are is our environment and it should be the healthiest it can be,” she said.
“Our voices and presences need to be louder.”
Johnson added that environmentalists need to be firmer when fighting for environmental justice work.
The 2019report shows that a large number of Black neighborhoods experience most of the city’s illegal trash dumping. Other data include that Black children in the City of St. Louis are 2.4 times more likely than white children to test positive for lead in their blood and account for more than 70% of children suffering from lead poisoning.
But all is not lost. The annual MCU community resourcereport for 2023-2024 shows that the organization raised $150,000 last year for the AirWatch STL program, collecting 326 signatures for the Air Permit Reform Petition, and 100 signatures for the Air Monitoring Network Plan. Over 100 surveys were collected for clean-up days.
Wigfall recommends more communities should become more vocal neighbors by going to the plants and speaking to those in charge. Ask about the chemicals/products and ways to make them safer for the environment.
“Show them data, tell them stories of those who have been impacted by the factory,” he said.
If they still won’t listen, “Boycott them if they’re not compromising.”
Wigfall said he plans to get more people involved in environmental justice.
Board member Johnson plans to connect with more clergy members, and survey pastors about the concerns of the communities they serve. MCU participated in this year’s annual Earth Day Festival, MCU congregations collected signatures for the ‘Get Out The Lead’ petition. The statewide petition is to help get kids in grades K-12 tested for lead poisoning and remediated.
“Environmental Justice is a great opportunity for people of different backgrounds to come together,” said Gutzler.
Ashley Winters is aReport for America reporter for the St. Louis American.
