Justice First Goes Global in London

The Justice First movement has held meetings and actions across the United States in 31 states. On February 6, 2023, Justice First arrived in London, England in order to lift up the concerns and destruction that is being heaped upon the residents of environmental justice communities in both rural forested communities as well as fenceline communities.

These communities located in the south eastern part of the United States of America, specifically North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, are predominantly black. The Justice First representatives were Reverend Leo Woodberry, Executive Director of New Alpha Community Development Corporation, Varis Woodberry representing Kingdom Living Temple Church in Florence, South Carolina, and Loretta Slater, Executive Director of the Whitney M. Slater Foundation, headquartered in Florence, South Carolina.

Upon arriving in London, England Reverend Leo Woodberry was interviewed by Real News.

The interviewer wanted to know what was the purpose of the Reverend and his colleagues visit to London. Reverend Woodberry stated that they had come to London as a participant of the US Embassy's Black History program and also to lift up the many concerns that Drax and the biomass wood pellet industry was having on black communities in the United States of America. He likened the biomass wood pellet industry to The Royal African company and which products were brought out of the United States of America, specifically tobacco and cotton, in order to create wealth in England at the expense of African slaves’ health, lives, and suffering.

On February 7, Reverend Woodberry and his colleagues traveled to Yorkshire to observe Drax’s facility. It’s the largest utility that uses biomass wood pellets in England and is the largest carbon emitter in the United Kingdom and the world. Rev. Woodberry participated in four interviews and afterwards they met with the Stop Burning Trees Coalition and other organizations that oppose Drax and the biomass wood pellet industry during a luncheon meeting in Yorkshire.

The group enjoyed a brief visit to St.Michael's L E. Belfrey Church, which was constructed and completed in 1537, then after that visit the Justice First delegation returned to London, England. On February 8. Loretta Slater, Varis Woodberry, and Reverend Woodberry joined as participants at the Mayors’ Transatlantic Panel Discussion on a Just Transition to Net-Zero Economies at the Embassy of the United States of America. During the reception, the group had a brief but spirited discussion with Mayor Frank Simms of Greenville, Mississippi who is also a member of the World Conference of Mayors to which New Alpha Community Development Cooperation and Reverend Woodberry is an honorary member.

On February 7, there was a demonstration at the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy. That demonstration included organizations and speakers from Shelby Green Party, Hull Friends of the Earth, the Stop Burning Trees Coalition, Biofuelwatch, and Drax. There the cry went out to stop burning trees and instead use renewable energy and there was a spirited of demands for the British government to stop providing subsidies for Drax’s wood pellet industry. The south eastern US is the source of the trees needed to create biomass wood pellets and is known as the wood product basket of the world even before the biomass industry entered that region. The south eastern portion of the US was being logged at four times the rate of the Amazon forest. Scientists across the United States and around the world have already stated that the biomass wood pellet industry is a green washing solution and absolutely no solution to the climate change crisis.

After the demonstration, the Justice First Delegation, joined Christian Climate Action and numerous other organizations at a prayer service located at Westminster Cathedral, which is the largest Catholic Church in the UK and can well be equated with the National Cathedral in Washington DC. The historic Westminster Cathedral was completed in 1903.

The prayer service led by Reverend Leo Woodberry, pastor of Kingdom Living Temple Church in Florence, South Carolina. A prayer was also rendered and speeches made by members of the Christian Climate Action. Once the prayer service was completed, the Justice First group had a brief tour of Westminster Cathedral. The last event was a visit to parliament to meet with Lord Randall of The House of Lords. Randall has been a member of Parliament since 1997. He has served as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs since 2001. He is a member of the House of Lords, where he has served since 2003. He also serves on the Internal Affairs Committee and is a member of the Conservative Party. Lord Randall has been a member of the House of Commons since 2009 representing the constituency of South Hampton. He has served as the Minister of Justice and Law Reform, Minister of Defense, and Minister for Transport in various governments since then. Randall has also been the Chief Whip for the Conservative Party since 2010. He has been serving in parliament since 2015, and prior to his election, Lord Randall was a lawyer in London who specialized in corporate law. He also served as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.

The three members of Justice First along with Satyen Sinha, a member of the National N R D C traveled together to meet Lord Randall. The meeting was to inform Lord Randall on the impacts of the biomass industry, on the impacts of the biomass industry on black forested environmental justice communities and predominantly black frontline communities where wood pellets are produced in the United States of America. The lively discussion was followed by an agreement to continue the talks and to look at ways in which Lord Randall and possibly other members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons might be able to look further in to the issues and information shared by Reverend Leo Woodberry, Loretta Slater, and Varis Woodberry. On February 10, the Justice First delegation left London, England with agreements and plans to return to the United Kingdom later in 2023 to advance further actions, and concerns.