Sharon Lavigne (born May 1950) is an American environmental justice activist in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

focused on combating

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

complexes in

Cancer Alley Cancer Alley is the regional nickname given to an stretch of land along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in the River Parishes of Louisiana, which contains over 200 petrochemical plants and refineries. As of 2012, th ...

. She is the 2022 recipient of the

Laetare Medal The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society. The award is given to an American Catholic or group of Catholics "whose genius has ennobled the ar ...

, the highest honor for

American Catholics The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

, a 2021 recipient of the

Goldman Environmental Prize The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists. History Awardees are named from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, an ...

and was named to 2024's TIME 100 and 2023's TIME Climate 100.

Activism

Lavigne, who is from St. James Parish, Louisiana which is at the center of the alley, has testified before Congress, and runs a faith-based organization, RISE St. James, focused on preventing expansion and worsening petrochemical plant pollution in the area. Lavigne is also a collaborator on the Coalition Against Death Alley, a regional environmental justice group. She is also a plaintiff in '' White Hat v. Landry'', an environmental justice case, focused on changes in Louisiana Oil and Gas law. Lavigne is focused in part on defending the cultural heritage of the African American community. In 2019, she organized the community against a new

Formosa Plastics Corp Formosa Plastics Corporation () is a Taiwanese plastics company based in Taiwan (formerly called "Formosa") that primarily produces polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins and other intermediate plastic products. It is the corporation around which inf ...

factory that would have disrupted a slave grave in the community. In December 2020, the plant's process was stalled by court ruling. She had previously help stall similar projects from

Wanhua Chemical Group Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. known as Wanhua Chemical and formerly Yantai Wanhua Polyurethane or Yantai Wanhua Polyurethanes or Yantai Wanhua, is a Chinese listed company in chemical industry. History The listed company was incorporated in ...

and South Louisiana Methanol. Lavigne was awarded the

in 2021. She was named the 2022 recipient of the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

on March 27, 2022. The same year, RISE,

Earthjustice Earthjustice (originally Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) is a nonprofit public interest organization based in the United States dedicated to litigating environmental issues. Headquartered in San Francisco, they have an international program, a co ...

Louisiana Bucket Brigade The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is a 501(c)#501(c)(3), 501(c)(3) nonprofit natural environment, environmental health and justice organization based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 2000 by Anne Rolfes, the organization works with communities ne ...

, and other plaintiffs won a lawsuit against Formosa that argued the potential air pollution of the proposed plant would violate federal standards.

Personal life

Lavigne is a retired special education teacher. Her father was a sugarcane farmer in the area, and her mother a homemaker. Her family participated in civil rights actions in the area during the civil rights movement. She is also a Black Catholic, a parishioner at St. James Catholic Church in St. James, Louisiana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavigne, Sharon Environmental justice in the United States People from St. James Parish, Louisiana American climate activists African-American Catholics Living people Goldman Environmental Prize awardees Activists from Louisiana American women environmentalists American environmentalists 1950 births Roman Catholic activists 21st-century American women Laetare Medal recipients