New Orleans, LA

Joseph Lopez (pseudonym) is a former University of New Orleans student, an educator, and a resident of “Cancer Alley,” a diverse Latin-American and African American community in rural south Louisiana. This audio narration of an email from Lopez was recorded using another student’s voice to protect the anonymity of Lopez’s family. In the email, Lopez reflects on environmental justice, his family history and how the pandemic has impacted them, the inability to gather as a family and travel to Louisiana due to COVID-19, and educating black and Latino students without internet during this time of online education.