TO THE EDITOR:
Regarding the landfill demonstration at the Old Well on Monday held by the Campus Y committee SWEAT, it is time that we open our eyes and take a stand.
It is time to see the world for what it really is, which is broken, but to do something about it.
We can make a difference, even as students, and it is time to let our voices be heard.
We have neighbors in need and we can do something about it. The demonstration was not just to protest the extension on the landfill, but also to raise awareness about local environmental racism.
Racism still plagues Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Over the past 38 years, we’ve placed seven waste facilities in one low-income, African-American neighborhood: Rogers Road. They have carried that burden for too long.
Now is the time for us to stand up with the Rogers Road residents and tell the county commissioners that we will stand against racism.
Furthermore, many residents live on well water that has been contaminated from an unknown source. Four miles from UNC there are people who do not have access to safe drinking water, a basic human right.
The county commissioners continue to ignore the issue. So let us stand with our neighbors at the next two BOCC meetings (April 5 and 12 at 7 p.m.) and demand justice.
Allison Norman
Co-President
Campus Y
