Fund the Earth Day Fight for Environmental Justice

We need your support to cover costs for the biggest city-wide environmental justice escalation in years. This includes a day-long Teach In on 4/20, a Rally across from one of the largest polluters in the City on 4/21 and support for many participating in civil disobedience on 4/22. More details below.

Press conference announcing the three-day action and demands from the city. 
Channel 11 coverage here.

Dear Friends of Environmental Justice,

We’re an alliance of Dallas neighborhood groups that are uniting with one other and other area community and environmental organizations to spotlight environmental racism in Dallas this upcoming Earth Day. We’d like you to join us.

We’re planning a series of three events for Earth Day weekend:

1. A citywide Teach-In on Environmental Justice at Friendship West Baptist Church on Saturday, April 20th
2. A rally At Fish Trap Lake Park across from GAF’s factory on Singleton Blvd on Sunday the 21st
3. Non-violent civil disobedience at GAF and/or TAMKO on Earth Day itself, Monday the 22nd

We’re focusing on the TAMKO asphalt shingle factory in Joppa and the GAF asphalt shingle factory in West Dallas for good reasons. Both are 80-years old. Both are operating in Black and Brown neighborhoods because of racist zoning. Both factories are among the city’s largest air polluters. Both factories have no modern scrubbers for controlling their Sulfur Dioxide pollution. Both factories are classified as “non- conforming” businesses, meaning they should be targeted for closure. Both have decades of public nuisance complaints against them. Both factories are owned by wealthy out-of-town white families profiting from the poisoning of Black and Brown Dallas residents. 

They’re Dallas’ Toxic Twins.

A recent Texas A&M health survey of Joppa residents found reported asthma rates two to three times the Dallas County and Texas state averages. West Dallas residents have conclusive evidence of asphalt routinely raining down on their property. Both GAF and TAMKO contribute to DFW’s poor air quality. Dallas County is violating a new EPA standard for Particulate Matter Air Pollution. Combined, these two factories were responsible for over 20% of the City’s industrial PM air pollution in 2022.

Forty years ago, the City of Dallas made an historic decision that dangerous lead smelters should no longer be allowed to operate in residential neighborhoods in West Dallas and East Oak Cliff.

In 2024 we’re seeking the same decision from the city council when it comes to these asphalt shingle factories. We’re inviting you to participate in one or more of our three planned events. There’s tabling available for your groups both at the teach-in and rally. We’re also asking for your endorsement of our four requests to the City of Dallas:

1. Close the GAF and TAMKO asphalt shingle factories ASAP. Use the tools of city government to put these non-conforming businesses OUT of business. 
2. Levy a city shingle production tax on all asphalt shingle factories. Direct the proceeds to benefit the neighborhoods they’ve been poisoning with their pollution for decades. 
3. Declare West Dallas and Joppa No Industry Zones in both the current Forward Dallas Masterplan and the subsequent change in the city zoning code . 
4. Prohibit the purchase and use of GAF and TAMKO products for any City of Dallas or City-supported facilities.

Please let us know if you’re interested in joining our historic effort by emailing us at info@dallasearthdayaction.com or by filling out the group sponsorship online at our website, dallasearthdayaction.com. A current list of sponsors is included below. 

In 2024, asphalt is the new lead. It’s time the City of Dallas close these 80-year-old monuments of environmental racism. This Earth Day please join us in being a force for environmental justice

in Dallas.

Thank you,

Dallas Earth Day Action Alliance

Brown Berets of Dallas, Dallas Neighbors for Housing, Downwinders at Risk, Friendship West Baptist Church, Justice for Joppa/Justicia para Joppa, Revitalize South Dallas, Singleton United/Unidos, Sierra Club- Beyond Coal, Southern Sector Rising, Sunrise Movement, Texas Organizing Project, Rayo Planning, West Dallas Environmental Justice Coalition