Linda Lee at the 2023 Annual Florida Brownfields Confrence

 

        Linda Lee continues to use her talent of storytelling to educate others on environmental justice! Miss Lee spoke at this year's Florida Brownfields Conference in Orlando! One of her main goals in speaking was to spread awareness about the state of Lake Apopka and the surrounding communities; this area has still not recovered from the years of pesticide use on the farms, and is now suffering from other kinds of environmental injustice and racism (for example: landfills and medical waste incinerators in Apopka neighborhoods of predominantly people of color). When discussing brownfield sites, it's important to remember that it's not enough to simply pave over poisoned Earth. Proper evaluation of the sites, appropriate and thorough clean-up, and ensuring that the waste from the cleanups aren't simply dumped in another neighborhood are critical to making meaningful changes in community and environmental health. The surrounding communities of Lake Apopka have been widely developed over, yet the environmental health risks still remain and people- mostly people of color- are suffering as a result. Lee tells her story in hopes that these mistakes will not be made again, and that brownfield cleanups are done with justice in mind.

         She spoke at the Annual Environmental Justice and Equity Community Caucus and Listening Session, and used her time to recount her experience as a Lake Apopka farmworker and the environmental racism she and her community faced and continue to face today. Additionally, we set up educational materials at the conference's tabling room. At our table, we included the red Lake Apopka Farmworker Memorial Quilt and a tri-fold board with copies of newspapers, studies, and first hand accounts of the injustices suffered in Lake Apopka farms. We also brought copies of "Fed Up: The High Costs of Cheap Food" by Dale Slongwhite which features Lake Apopka farmworker stories (check it out HERE), along with some other literature about the Farmworker Association. We also had the privilege of listening in for the Regional Planning Council as Environmental Justice Advocates: Tailoring Public Engagement Strategies to Implement Successful Brownfield Redevelopment. In this panel, county leaders from around the state presented the brownfields projects in their areas and their processes for community involvement. We feel deeply privileged and grateful for this experience and for the opportunity to allow Linda Lee to tell her critically important story.

by Finn Spencer