Activists Reflect on Exhibit Commemorating their Historic Environmental Justice Protest

November 10, 2023

Widely considered to be the beginning of the environmental justice movement, the Warren County PCB Protests in 1982 brought together citizens young and old, Black and white, to demonstrate against the state of North Carolina’s plan to dump cancer-causing chemicals near their homes.

Two key participants, Dollie Burwell and Wayne Moseley, are featured in several photographs in the ongoing exhibit “We Birthed a Movement: The Warren County PCB Protests, 1978-1982.” In one photo by Jerome Friar showing a group of protestors, Burwell holds her hand against her chest, appearing deep in thought, as Moseley stands nearby, carrying an American flag.

On October 15, Burwell and Moseley visited the Kenan-Keohane Gallery to view the exhibit and hold a discussion with members of the community about the historic protests. They were joined by Rev. William Kearney, Director of the Warren County Environmental Action Team, and Stephen Fletcher, a photographic archivist at UNC-Chapel and a co-curator of the exhibit. Tyler Davis reported on the conversation in the Henderson Daily Dispatch.

A poster reading "Dump Hunt" displayed on the wall of the gallery. — Protest posters and personal artifacts are among the items included in the exhibit. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A older man points at a picture of himself from the 1980s — Wayne Moseley points to a picture of himself being arrested during the 1982 protests. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A group of speakers stand at the front of an audience. — David Toole (center), Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics, introduces guests (from left to right) Rev. Kearney, Wayne Moseley, Dollie Burton, and Stephen Fletcher. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A woman standing by the seated guests laughs. — Kay Jowers laughs during the event. Jowers coordinated the installation of the exhibit as a way to teach students about the Warren County protests. Jowers directs the program Just Environments, a partnership between Kenan and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A woman in a red shirt and a black hat speaks to an audience. — Burwell speaks about her experiences to the listening audience. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A man sits in a chair and holds a sculpture of a bird — Rev. William Kearney, Director of the Warren County Environmental Action Team, holds a bird statue to illustrate the concept of "Sankofa," or looking to the past. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A man talks to another man in the exhibit — Stephen Fletcher, co-curator of the exhibit, talks with David Toole. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

Audience members peruse the exhibit following the discussion. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A man crouches in the Kenan-Keohane Gallery as he looks at the wall — Audience members linger to take a closer look at exhibit materials. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A man stands in front of the exhibit wall, looking pensive. — Audience members linger to take a closer look at exhibit materials. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

A group of five smiling, well-dressed people. — Rev. Kearney poses with his sisters. From left to right, Angelena Kearney-Dunlap, Delbera J. Kearney, Rev. Bill Kearney, Regina Kearney-Wright, and Arconstar Kearney-Powell. Photo credit: Anna Wheless.

Burwell and Moseley reflected on their role in the historic protests, which culminated in direct action when hundreds of protesters laid down in the road to block incoming dump trucks carrying PCB-laden soil.

Burwell recalled how she began organizing after finding out about the planned landfill for toxic waste in her community. “Although we were not trying to start a movement, not trying to work a movement,” she said, “the movement found us.”

Moseley recounted how after his arrest, he and other protestors were taken to Warren County Jail, which had neither the space nor food for all of them. After they were turned out into the exercise yard, a group of supporters brought them fried chicken. Since the guards wouldn’t let them bring it inside, Moseley said, they ended up throwing it over the fence to the protestors. “It was a meal never to be forgotten,” he said.

Rev. Kearney said that he founded the Warren County Environmental Action Team to preserve the legacy of the protests for younger and future generations. He used the concept of “Sankofa,” or looking to the past, to describe the importance of history in the present day.

Read Tyler Davis’s coverage of the event, “Duke displays exhibit on PCB Protests,” in the Henderson Daily Dispatch here. While it is behind a paywall, the story can also be accessed via Newsbank here.