I have yet to officially start and I have already gotten a taste of what an incredible learning experience this summer will be. My supervisor invited me to come to a meeting, of crawfishermen concerned about climate change and the environment after school on a Tuesday. I had no idea that this field trip would take me to Catahoula, LA, a town on the other side of the levee on the Atchafalaya, to a hunting camp where patois french was spoken casually, and where fresh caught crawfish bisque is what’s for dinner.
The environmental issues
that affect residents of Louisiana vary enormously even within the state! The functions and logistics of the Clean Water Act seem straight forward to people living in Urban Areas, which includes almost every politician, but have some pretty dangerous unforeseen consequences on crawfishermen of western Louisiana. The Law Clinic represents their cases and protects their right to fish and frog sustainably. This is a section of environmentalism that seems so far removed from our daily lives, but this is the work of grassroots organizers! They are working so hard for environmental justice that so many in urban New Orleans, and so many at Tulane, do not even know exists.
This summer is gearing up to be a good one. Working with the Community Outreach Director at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic has alreaddy shown me a part of the world I have never seen– and it was just two hours away from where I live! This summer, I hope to learn community engagement and organizing, policy evaluation, strategic social planning, professional political communication and event planning. I think that viewing politics on a very local and case-based-basis will bring important perspective to the world of public policy and legislation. I am looking forward to seeing what else I can learn too. All I know is that I cannot wait!