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Outlook: The quiet Louisiana grandma who became an environmental warrior

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Sharon Lavigne wears a t-shirt with a Black Power fist reading 'RISE St James'

15/06/2021 GMT

The quiet Louisiana grandma who became an environmental warrior

BBC World Service - Outlook, The quiet Louisiana grandma who became an environmental warrior

Sharon Lavigne campaigned to stop a plastics factory being built in her riverside parish

69-year-old Sharon Lavigne went from never speaking out to leading a successful campaign to stop construction of a billion-dollar plastics manufacturing plant near her home.

69-year-old Sharon Lavigne has six children and 12 grandchildren and, by her own admission, has never been one for public speaking. She has lived in St James Parish in Louisiana her whole life. It's located along an 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge with the undesirable nickname 'cancer alley'. Sharon says she has seen a lot of illness in her community. There are around 150 chemical plants located along this stretch of the Mississippi River and when a giant plastics manufacturing company wanted to construct a plant near Sharon's home, she successfully led the campaign to stop it from being built. Sharon has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work.  

Kabelo Ramolahloane comes from the township of Botshabelo, in South Africa's Free State Province. Born with a rare genetic condition that affects his arms and legs, a chance encounter at school with a crack team of rugby players has introduced him to a sport which he excels at. Mpho Lakaje has been hearing his story. 

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Picture: Sharon Lavigne 
Credit: Goldman Environmental prize

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