Sierra Club Environmental Justice Organizer Receives Award at State-Wide Conference for Building Labor and Environmental Alliances

Baton Rouge, LA—Darryl Malek-Wiley, the Sierra Club’s newly hired Louisiana Environmental Justice organizer, received the Ramona Stevens Solidarity Award over the weekend at the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) conference. The award recognizes exceptional efforts to build alliances between labor and environmental groups. Malek-Wiley was honored for 30 years of activism working with communities along the Mississippi River, helping them fight the causes of toxic pollution in their areas.

"Darryl has been instrumental in empowering a lot of people over the years. We thought it was only fitting that he should be honored for his long career of service. He has never waivered in his commitment to protecting environmental resources and public health," said Mary Lee Orr, LEAN Executive Director.

The award is named after Ramona Stevens, the wife of a BASF worker who was locked out of his job in the BASF labor struggle. Ramona was spurred to fight environmental and social injustice, and went on to work for LEAN as a researcher of environmental permits and a community organizer. She devoted herself to these causes until she died of cancer at age 39.

"I am honored to receive this award, knowing how much Ramona devoted her life to efforts to build bridges between the labor and environmental movements in Louisiana," said Malek-Wiley. "She set a high standard for all of us working to protect our state's families and environment."

Malek-Wiley was hired by the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program in June 2004 to support the efforts of Louisiana environmental justice groups on issues including toxics, pollution and environmental health. He has been dedicated to protecting Louisiana’s environment and people throughout his career. He was a key organizer of the Great Toxics March from Baton Rouge to New Orleans in 1988. This march defined the problem of toxic emissions in the "cancer alley" and launched the campaign for improvement that continues today.

Malek-Wiley has worked for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Louisiana Environmental Action Network and the Gulf Coast Tenant Organization among others. He has served as the Chair of the New Orleans Group of the Sierra Club, President of the Mississippi River Basin Alliance, and a member of both the Sierra Club's Ethnic Diversity Task Force and Hazardous Material Committee. He has studied and educated people on toxics, air and water pollution, environmental health, and sociology at the local, state, regional, national and international level.

“As I look around the audience today I see many friends that I have worked with over the years to make Louisiana a better place to live," said Malek-Wiley. "We are struggling harder today to keep our families and our land safe in the face of the Bush administration’s ongoing assault on America’s environmental laws. It is now time to increase our efforts to protect our families' health and our lands by actively involving ourselves in the political process.”

FOR OUR FAMILIES, FOR OUR FUTURE!

Return to News page

The Sierra Club's members are 700,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

Up to Top