US Toxics and Human Rights

An extraordinary event kicks off in New Orleans this morning. Representatives of the International Indian Treaty Council, including representatives of Alaskan peoples affected by oil pipelines, and Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, are convening a US Toxics Policies and Human Rights Forum. They will gather in New Orleans, travel to Mossville to tour the community with Mossville Environmental Action Now leaders Dorothy Felix, Delmar Bennett and Van Johnson, and then return to New Orleans for further discussions. The meeting announcement provided by the Gulf Coast Fund states, "A gathering of diverse organizations to share, learn, and strategize about current US policy reform initiatives, community organizing, and advocacy to protect reproductive health, prevent toxic exposures, and defend our basic human rights."