Gore calls for fight against environmental injustice
By Sierra Henry
Published in News on August 13, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Al Gore, former vice president of the United States, speaks during the Sunday morning service before more than 100 people at Greenleaf Christian Church Disciples of Christ on William Street.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
People were invited to hold hands during song as an outward sign of the unity that the Rev. Dr. William Barber II says is needed to make change happen.
Al Gore, former vice president of the United States, called on North Carolinians to take action and fight environmental injustice during the start of his Ecological Justice Organizing Tour Sunday at Greenleaf Christian Church Disciples of Christ.
Gore, joined by his daughter, Karenna Gore, director for the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, delivered the message during the morning service at the William Street church. The service was part of a two-day tour co-sponsored by the Poor People's Campaign, a national political activism group led by the Rev. Dr. William Barber II.
"We don't need coal ash anymore ...," Gore told the congregation of more than 100 people, including many who traveled from across North Carolina. "We need to move forward.
"Laws that stand in the way of people shifting to a more responsible and moral way of getting electricity ... We need to change these laws."
The service, which included many people from across North Carolina, began with a prayer by the Rev. Dr. Louis Threatt and songs of praise by Greenleaf's praise team.
A litany titled "Litany of an Environmental Confession" was led by Karenna Gore, which was followed by two people from Wayne County who spoke out against the dangers of coal ash and other environmental issues that have affected North Carolina and its residents.
During the service, Al Gore focused on encouraging the audience to vote for policies that would fight for environmental regulation and protection.
"We need to reject the advice of those who want to set one against another and create these false divisions," Gore said. "When we do come together, we can have a clear vision of what need to do together, to thrive together."
Gore and Barber made several religious connections between the Bible and environmental justice issues, citing passages of the Bible discussing the creation of the earth.
Jacqueline Fennell, minister for Greenleaf Christian Church, said she supported the message of protecting the environment and fighting those injustices 100 percent.
"It's a much-needed message that needs to get out," Fennell said. "It's definitely in-line with the word of God -- some people struggle with that, but it's the word of God being made of alive."
Trey Walk and Gino Nuzzolillo traveled to Goldsboro from Durham to hear Gore speak. Walk, who grew up attending church, said the message that Gore was preaching was a really powerful call on people to act on environmental injustices. Nuzzolillo agreed.
"The connection to the policies, the structural issues, that these are people in government, politicians, who exacerbate the issues we see in our environment that make people sick, that cause people to die young of cancer," Nuzzolillo said. "I think that whole view of the situation is really important to me, so every time I listen to it, it's invigorating."
Walk said people can answer Gore and Barber's call to action by seeking out information about local environmental issues.
"I think education is a really big piece of this," Walk said. "I think there's a lot of misinformation or misconceptions about what's going on with environmental justice issues.
"I think just being active about seeking out education about these things is really important, and talking to people about it."
Nuzzolillo also said that getting involved in local community organizations and political groups is a great place to start if they want to fight policies that can potentially threaten the environment.
"The way that I look at it is, to try and find who are the local people already doing the work, and then where can I slide in and be of support and bring something that's hopefully helpful to other people," Nuzzolillo said. "It's Google searching. It's finding people you know. It's being a part of the community and just talking to people and learning who's doing the work."
The Sunday service -- A Spiritual Call to Address Ecological Devastation, is part of the two-day tour that continues today in Greensboro. The event -- An Ecological Justice Moral Monday -- will be at 6 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church. The Gores and Barber are leading the tour in North Carolina.
Gore, inaugurated as the 45th Vice President of the United States in 1993, is the founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit committed to addressing climate issues.