From the newsroom of the Washington Post.

Hey, it's Ross Helderman from the Post calling.

How are you?

He there, it's Simon from the Post.

Hey, it's Dave Farron from the Post.

Have you got a second?

This is Post Reports.

I'm Martine Powers.

It's Friday, April 23rd.

Today, how a protest in a North Carolina town in the 1980s birthed a national movement

for environmental justice.

So, Darrell, how did you first get interested in this story?

While covering environmental issues, I learned about this big protest in North Carolina by people

of color who aren't really involved in the mainstream movement.

Darrell Fieres is a reporter for the Washington Post.

The people who have historically been the public face of the conservation movement are mostly

white, but the people harmed by pollution are disproportionately black and brown.

Starting in the late 70s and early 80s, communities of color begin fighting what's known as environmental racism.

It's this form of discrimination that puts stuff like coal-fired power plants and toxic waste dumps in black and brown neighborhoods.

For decades, black and brown people have sought to protect their neighborhoods, calling for environmental justice.

And that movement started with a protest in North Carolina.

And I learned about this figure at the center of this protest, Dali Burwell.

...