Sabiha Cimen
Title
Gloster, MS, Year
Dr. Krystal Nicole Martin, founder and CEO of KMartin Group stands with youth in Gloster.
Drax Group’s Amite BioEnergy wood-pellet plant. Dr. Martin says, “Go back and look at the slave states—they were all in the South: Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia. Drax is only in the slave states. It’s not a coincidence. Drax isn’t in New York or Chicago. Drax is only in the Southern slave states—and in every community, they are either Black or Indigenous people."
Holy Rosary Cemetery rises amid the ruins of New Orleans’ industrial district—a testament to faith and endurance in a once-thriving hub. Its ornate tombs honor Catholic immigrant families who built the city, even as nearby communities face new injustices.
Curtis Harris, 60, born in Chicago and a former English teacher, moved to Gloster four years ago to live with his mother. Since relocating, he has struggled with breathing issues, fatigue, and declining health. He now requires three different treatments each month, which have become increasingly difficult to afford.
Mary Harris, 85, mother of Curtis Harris, lies in bed on a breathing machine, barely able to move, struggling with severe respiratory illness.
Christie Harvey, 53, with her grandchildren—Leslie, 8 (left), Landon, 7 (middle), and Lacey, 6 (right)—face worsening respiratory issues since moving to Gloster four years ago. Christie uses a CPAP and breathing machine for asthma, and all three children have asthma and frequent sniffles. Leslie developed a respiratory disease at 7, and Landon manages ADHD and autism. Poor air quality and aging homes keep the family mostly indoors, with windows closed against dust and pollution.
Mavis Bragg, 58, born in Chicago and living in Gloster since 2005, has struggled with breathing problems, headaches, and back pain. She says, “It’s our fault—nobody’s taking accountability for what’s going on. My grandsons have food issues and constant colds and breathing problems here, but when they return to Minnesota, they don’t have these diseases."
Paul Harris, a lifelong resident of Gloster, suffers from asthma and allergies. He notes that many in his community experience the same pattern of illness, with lung disease and respiratory issues linked to pollution from nearby industrial operations.
Gloster, Mississippi, a small rural town near the Louisiana border, struggles with environmental and health challenges. The nearby Drax Amite BioEnergy Plant emits particulate matter and pollutants linked to rising rates of asthma, respiratory illness, and cancer, particularly among children and the elderly, while heavy truck traffic and noise further burden the community.
An abandoned building on Gloster’s Center Street, once a bustling shop, now stands empty—a quiet reminder of the town’s economic decline.
Carmella Causey’s collection of oxygen tanks stands as a stark, realistic sculpture of the region.
The Drax facility in Gloster, Mississippi, is harvesting trees from local pine and hardwood forests—including whole, living trees—to supply its pellet mill. While some logging is contracted locally, the demand for these trees threatens forest ecosystems, harms biodiversity, weakens landscape resilience, and contributes to climate change in rural Southern communities.
Juanita Jackson, 59, a former truck driver, has battled multiple illnesses since 2019, including dizziness, balance issues, and asthma. She says, “The atmosphere was clear enough for us to breathe before Drax started operating here. I don’t even want to come outside now—I don’t know what’s getting into our systems.” Unable to open her windows due to heavy dust, she watches neighbors from her wheelchair each morning for a brief moment of sunlight and fresh air, with her daughter caring for her.
Locals meeting with Environmental Justice activists.
Kwame Bonds shaves his friend on the balcony.
Naya Black, 25, a master’s student at LSU and Gulf South Organizer with the Dogwood Alliance, leads environmental education and contamination awareness activities in Louisiana. She teaches communities how local industries operate and fosters connections with nature. Speaking on Gloster, she notes that residents face mental health challenges, low literacy and math levels, and crumbling infrastructure, while companies like Drax situate operations in impoverished Black communities and offer superficial gestures—like free turkeys or fireworks—instead of addressing real needs.
Sisters Bertha Mae Reed and Mildred McKnight.
Angel Walker, 37, a Gloster resident, watches her children play in the pool.
Avery Norwood, 14, granddaughter of Dr. Martin, pictured in Gloster.
Flamingos at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Local church visitors Elaine Catling (standing), Fannie Davis (left), and Dorothy Pickett (right) chat about life in Gloster while waiting at the church entrance.
Dr Martin’s mother Jane Martin 76, singing at the Sweet Home Church.
Sheila Seeden sings at Sweet Home Church.
Big Plastic Globe event hosted by Drax Amite in Gloster, aiming to teach kids about the globe, geography and pollution.
Jimmy Brown, 63, a resident of Gloster, Mississippi, and outspoken critic of Drax’s pellet plant, calls for dialogue with executives and lawmakers about the constant dust, noise, odor, and truck traffic. He warns that PM2.5 from the facility—tiny particles from wood pellet processing and combustion—can enter the bloodstream, causing heart disease, stroke, asthma, cancer, and neurological damage. Brown also highlights other toxic byproducts, including acrolein, methanol, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide, which contribute to long-term respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological harm.
Carmella Causey has lived in Gloster, Mississippi, for more than 20 years. A former truck driver, she says her breathing improves whenever she leaves town—only to worsen again upon returning. Although Drax was fined $2.5 million for pollution violations, Carmella says the damage is already done. After losing friends to illness, she feels trapped and depressed. “I’m not the prettiest woman,” she says, “but I just want to live somewhere I can breathe."
Frank McCurley, 70, a resident of Gloster, Mississippi, has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
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KMartin Group, based in Gloster, Mississippi, is a grassroots nonprofit focused on youth development, health equity, and environmental justice. Founded in 2009, it provides mentoring, college support, and community programs, while leading the Greater Greener Gloster initiative to address pollution and health impacts from the Drax Biomass wood pellet plant. The organization hosts health fairs, distributes air filters, and facilitates community meetings, collaborating with groups like The Dogwood Foundation and agencies such as the EPA to amplify local voices and strengthen environmental justice efforts Sabiha Çimen is a self-taught photographer from Istanbul whose work focuses on women, Islamic culture, and portraiture. A Magnum Photos member since 2024, she is the award-winning author of Hafiz and has received honors from World Press Photo, the W. Eugene Smith Fund, and Paris Photo/Aperture.