Wilmington residents wear masks as a symbol against industrial air pollution (photo: Lauren Valdez)

Wilmington residents at the rally were largely concerned with how their health will continue to be negatively effected, should Prop 23 pass. With four oil refineries in Wilmington, and three more next door in Carson, residents continually make the link between air pollution and Wilmington’s high rate of asthma and cancer.

LA City Controller Wendy Greuel speaks in support of the Wilmington Community (photo: Lauren Valdez)

Wilmington residents speak with press at a rally against Prop 23 (photo: Lauren Valdez)

Wilmington resident Mary Cervantes in front of her home (photo: Lauren Valdez)

Just a few hundred feet from Mary’s home is the Tesoro Oil Refinery. Mary has lived in Wilmington her whole life and has seen her health and the health of her neighbors deteriorate over the years. She has been dealing with cancer for the past five years. When Mary first started experiencing terrible headaches and hot flashes, her doctors attributed her symptoms to menopause. That was until three years ago, when they discovered she had kidney cancer. One year after her kidney was removed, Mary was diagnosed with liver cancer. Mary has suffered a lot, experiencing periods where she can’t even leave her bed or eat any food.

Living so close to a refinery, Mary and her neighbors are used to the dirty smells of gasoline and terrible headaches. Mary described to me the feeling when the refinery is flaring: “You feel dizzy, nauseous. You feel terrible... you don’t even feel like doing anything.” Mary's neighborhood also experiences refinery explosions every few years. Officials tell the residents to stay indoors and keep the windows closed to avoid the toxic chemicals. Many of Mary’s neighbors have also experienced cancer, and a few have passed away. Every time Mary goes to the doctor at UCLA, she notices that all the cancer patients are from Wilmington, Carson and Long Beach. Hearing this, I couldn’t help but think about what my grandparents might have experienced if they hadn't moved.

Mary has been speaking publicly against Proposition 23 and has been featured on news and radio programs. Mary gets choked up as she says, “I felt the need to come out and talk for other people… I am fighting for my family and my neighbors, my community.” Mary describes her suffering as “dying alive,” and doesn’t want others to go through what she has experienced. She can taste the toxins in the air around her, and wants cleaner air for future generations in Wilmington.

Wilmington youth at a No on Prop 23 rally. The initiative was supported by two Wilmington refineries, Tesoro and Valero. (photo: Lilian Molina and Joaquin Sanchez)

Wilmington is affectionately called “Wilmas, Califas” by many of its residents, a term that many believe originated from the Pachuco movement of the 1930s and 40s. Along with the 55,000-plus people that call Wilmington home, there are industrial companies that have coexisted with the community for a long time. The community's relationship with the refineries has been very challenging at times, with many people not agreeing on how they feel about their industrial neighbors.

Like much of Los Angeles, Wilmington's population is a product of the Latin American diaspora. Chain migratory patterns are exemplified in the large Michoacán community that seems to have relocated itself to Wilmington (although it is not the only Latin American community present). I, like many of the people in Wilmington, am a daughter of migrants. This is a place where many people have transnational identities, a place where cultures mixing can be seen by the various Virgen de Guadalupe paintings on storefronts and the alternative styles of the youth.

Along with migrant identities comes the challenge that many low-income communities all over the country face: being disproportionately affected by toxic sources of pollution. I was recently asked, “What does your community need to be healthy?” For me there are many answers, but most importantly, the answer is clean air. I imagine what my community would look like if the air we breathe did not contain the toxins spewed out by the movement corridors that surround us.

This port city is very much the “Heart of the Harbor,” as it is centralized between two of the largest ports in the U.S.: the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Globalization has not only influenced the influx of people in Wilmington, but of goods as well. Wilmington has been identified as a toxic hotspot that has caused health problems for its residents. Because of the goods movement corridors, air pollution is a big problem in Wilmington. The asthma rate in Wilmington is higher than the national average.

But with each problem, there are efforts for change. Wilmington is part of the “Clean Up, Green Up” campaign, an initiative that attempts to help heavily polluted communities with clean up efforts. There are two environmental justice organizations that work in the community and on this campaign: Communities for a Better Environment and Coalition for a Safe Environment. Last year, these groups helped community members rally to urge people to vote no on Proposition 23, which would have suspended California's 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act (Prop 23 didn't pass).

This is a very tight-knit community with generations of families that feel there is no other place they would rather call home. This love for the community has also brought back many college educated individuals willing to give back to the community they grew up in. Wilmington residents are learning to deal with community problems themselves through grassroots organizing. Small community projects are giving new empowering energy to this neighborhood. There is so much pride for this community that could easily be mobilized; the challenge is finding the right tools to make lasting positive changes.