“Immersed in Oil’’ was a professional development event held on Sept.10, in the San Rafael Building. It was a free event that was open to the public with over 30 people attending, attendees ranged from students and faculty to alumni.
Dr. Tara Pixley, a queer, Jamaican-American photojournalist and assistant professor of journalism at Temple University, organized this lecture regarding humanities/social sciences. Her photography, which presents race, gender, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities through a liberating perspective, has been featured in various media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NPR, Newsweek, Allure, ProPublica, and ESPN. She arrived at GCC to discuss the intersection of big oil and environmental injustice in Los Angeles.
Immersed in Oil is a project that received funding and support from the D.C.-based Pulitzer Center. Pixley became intrigued by environmental justice and delved deeper into the connections between migration, racial justice, racial politics, and climate change within the environment. She went to a lecture given by a professor who studies green monitoring. She mentioned that Los Angeles is not only the biggest urban oil field in the country but also the biggest in the world. Across the globe, oil infrastructure is often far removed from populated areas where people reside, eat, and attend school. The presence of oil infrastructure is detrimental to the environment, and now it is increasingly posing a threat to our physical well-being, Pixley explained.
Pixley began her involvement with Emerson Oil in late 2020 while on a six-month EarthJustice news assignment covering Kern County and LA County. Photographers discussed with them their experiences living near the oil rig and having oil in their backyard and she gained valuable insights from listening. Close to four million people in Los Angeles reside on oil fields housing three functioning wells. It is crucial because there are many more wells, but the active ones hold the oil, while orphan wells, left by oil companies, pose environmental risks despite being decommissioned.
Pixley became interested in capturing the effects on people, specifically. She carefully searched for many pictures showing oil infrastructures in southern California. However, despite her attempts, most of the outcomes she found were images displaying the natural scenery and impressive views of the area, instead of the industrial locations she pursued. She pointed out that it’s hard to identify who is affected by viewing landscape images, so she shared the story of Manuel Martinez who resided in a house with his family for 25 years, having an oil well located directly behind his backyard. While taking photos of his house, Pixley noticed the oil wells going off, causing the house to shake so violently that she had to step away from the wall to prevent blurry photos. The items and pictures on the wall shook so much that the family no longer kept the glass on the wall. Martinez’s little sister has suffered from nosebleeds and asthma since childhood, and only recently learned through community advocates about the harmful effects of oil in their backyard, making the connection to their health issues. The American Lung Association has shown that increased air pollution levels can have a detrimental impact on children’s lung and brain growth, and also raise the likelihood of premature birth and infant death.
Annmarie Gaerlan, a former GCC student, was intrigued by “Immersed in Oil” and opted to participate while making notes. She had previously taken a year off and is considering starting classes again in January. When asked about her motivation for attending the event, Gaerlan replied that she was curious about the effects on the environment and residents of Los Angeles.
Being immersed in oil, though crucial for modern civilization, poses various important obstacles that need to be dealt with to guarantee a lasting future. The negative consequences of environmental issues like oil spills and pollution greatly harm ecosystems and biodiversity, emphasizing the importance of implementing more ethical practices due to social consequences such as health risks and community displacement. In the future, it is crucial to implement thorough approaches that incorporate more firm environmental policies, funding for renewable energy sources, and innovative technologies to decrease the carbon footprint of oil extraction and usage. By promoting worldwide collaboration and putting sustainability first, we can reduce the negative impacts of relying on oil and create a better environment and fairer society. The shift might be more complicated, but it is a vital step in ensuring a strong and lasting future.
Leslie Albarran can be reached at [email protected].