The ‘father of environmental justice,’ addresses sewer issues on Strain Road

ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) — Bobby Sledge took over his family’s property on Strain Road decades ago. He says the flooding after major rainfall has existed ever since.

“If it rains hard, you’re going to have to wade in water to get through the porch and it’s a mess. I mean really, it shouldn’t be,” Sledge explained.

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Homes like Sledges’ in the historically black community still run on a century-old well system, while just a few yards away from their neighborhood, construction for new homes and developments is underway.

“It’s a shame to say that you can have migrators come in here and live a lot better than the ones that built the place,” Sledge said.

Homeowners have taken their concerns to city leaders several times over the years, but they found that there may be another way to get their concerns heard. 

Community leaders called on Dr. Robert Bullard, a longtime environmental justice advocate and a member of the White House’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Bullard is an advocate for underserved communities as well.

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Bullard and his team examined the Strain Road neighborhood to help shine an even brighter light on how working together as a community group can get things done.

“If you have a government that somehow may not want to address some issues in certain areas, there’s money’s that will go directly to community organizations to bypass the city and in some cases bypass the state,” Bullard explained.

Known as the ‘father of environmental justice,’ Bullard shared with News 19 how he helped several rural communities, including his own community of Shilo, Alabama by creating a nonprofit. Through that, homeowners can apply for federal grants, and the funds will be used to fix the issues.

“There’s a lot of resources but it takes a willing city government and local government, and it takes a community that’s organized and has an organization,” said Bullard.

Bullard will be the guest speaker at the Urban Planning Conference at Alabama A&M University on Saturday to speak about the issues on Strain Road.

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