“The Duplin County NAACP Resilient Roots Environmental Justice Initiative”
A strategic initiative to confront environmental and public health disparities in Duplin County
Resilient Roots Initiative
Our branch was one of just 3 branches across the state to receive a $25,000 build grant from the NC NAACP. We chose to focus our grant efforts on environmental justice issues in our county. under what we call the Resilient Roots Initiative.
The Mission
The Duplin County NAACP Environmental Justice Initiative “Resilient Roots” works to protect the health, dignity, and future of every resident by confronting environmental harms, demanding accountability, and building community power.
Our Goal
The goal of the Resilient Roots Initiative is to advance clean water, clean air, and safe living conditions through education, advocacy, and direct action—ensuring that BIPOC and rural families, who have been historically ignored and disproportionately burdened by pollution, have the tools, voice, and data needed to hold institutions and industries accountable.
Did you know?
In Duplin County hogs outnumber people by approximately 40 to 1. In our county alone, there are 530 hog operations, making it one of the most highly concentrated areas in the world, and they produce the waste of 100 million humans, or twice the yearly waste of New York City, causing massive amounts of fecal matter in the area, which is not properly disposed of, and the air pollution from the waste is another story.
Source: “The Death Wolds of Duplin County.”
How We’ll Support You in This Fight
There are several things we plan to do to support our community in our fight for clean water and air, such as:
Provide clean water testing kits
Host a Water Rangers’ Training for the community
Host Film Screenings
Teach the community how to advocate for themselves through avenues such as: requesting public records, how to sign up for public comment, how to document environmental harms, and more
Advocate for Duplin County in public hearings, forums, and public speaking opportunities across the state
The Sick and Tired Black Maternal Health Tour
Our environmental justice team was onsite at The Sick and Tired Black Maternal Health and Community Baby Shower event on April 12th at KEMBA. The event was hosted by Shackle Free Community Outreach and Black Voters Matter. We had a booth where we educated the community about our Resilient Roots Initiative, the status of the quality of our natural water sources in Duplin County, and giving out goodies and free water testing kits.
Ecoblast at Cowan Museum
Our environmental justice team was on site at the Ecoblast event at Cowan Museum on April 11th. The event was all about saving and protecting the planet, so what better time to have our Resilient Roots team onsite educating the committee about how manufacturing affects our natural water sources.
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Where Environmental Justice Meets Health Equity
The NC Black Alliance hosted Two Sides of the Same Coin in Raleigh on March 26th. Two of our environmental justice committee members attended to represent our county.
Mary J. Hooper Health And Wellness Fair
Our Resilient Roots team joined our Duplin County NAACP Community Coordination team at the Mary J. Hooper Health and Wellness Fair on March 21st at the Mary J. Hooper Hope and Wellness Drop-In Center in Downtown Warsaw. We set up a booth and gave out information to the community about the grant, the quality of water in our county, and what they can do to join the fight for access to clean water and air. We had giveaways, and gave out free water testing kits. The event also featured several community partners and free health checks.
Resilient Roots Community Presentation
On February 15th, our Resilient Roots Environmental Justice Committee gave a presentation to the community about the Build Grant following the Souls to the Polls event hosted by New First Baptist Church of Kenansville. During the presentation, we explained the grant, the purpose, and the goals of the Resilient Roots Initiative, and distributed free water testing kits. People had lots of questions, and we held engaging conversations with the community during the dinner we hosted after the discussion.
The Smell of Money Film Screening
On November 20, 2025, we held a screening of The Smell of Money at the KEMBA Building in Warsaw. After the film, we had remarks by Cape Fear River Watch River Keeper Kemp Burdette and NC Disaster Response and Resilience Network Program Coordinator Lily Roth. and a Q&A in which several residents spoke up during that time about their thoughts on the film and their personal experiences living near farms.
Our Community Partners
-Cape Fear River Watch
-North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN)
-Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP)
-NC Conservation Network
-Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)
-NCDRRN
-Shackle Free Outreach Ministries
-Community Farmers