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As a student, it’s been incredibly meaningful being able to work with communities in North Carolina to both tell their stories and help hold institutions and policymakers accountable.

North Carolina is the second-largest pig-producing state in the country. The hog industry is concentrated primarily in Black and Indigenous communities, and the waste often results in air and water pollution that has been linked to elevated rates of asthma, respiratory illness, and death. These are areas that have also experienced historically racially-motivated industry and government-facilitated land loss. They are often contending with the cumulative health impacts of industry development: not just pigs but poultry, wood pellets, landfills, slaughterhouses, and processing plants. 

This past year, we reported on the environmental harms and racism that exists in North Carolina’s massive hog industry. We not only broke down the industry’s contentious policy history but provided a platform for residents, hog farmers, and advocates to share their concerns with an industry that has dominated the floodplain region of the state for decades. In collaboration with community organizers, we developed a pamphlet that explains the scale and scope of industrial pollution in eastern North Carolina. 

This reporting has not only provided critical coverage and resources to communities that have otherwise been left out of mainstream media discussions but served as an educational building block for other students at colleges across the region. I’m immensely proud of the stories we’ve been able to share, the hypocrisy we’ve been able to uncover, and the solutions we’ve been able to promote with this reporting. 

I would not have been able to do this work – to tell these stories – without the support of committed and engaged individuals like you, people committed to Southerly’s mission. If you donate today, NewsMatch will match your donation up to $1,000 or match your monthly donation for a year! 

Communities facing environmental injustices need outlets like Southerly to ensure their concerns are consistently covered. Every dollar is a step closer to making sure justice is served.

Will you support us? 

Yes, let's do more journalism like this.

With gratitude,

Cameron Oglesby
Southerly contributer

Southerly is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. Most importantly, it makes our work possible. Thank you!
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