Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Edwards.
Hi Sandra, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It started when I was young. At 16, I knew something was wrong so I moved away in 2010 my dad got sick and I thought that was unusual for him to be that old and get cancer all the years he had been in that house but as he got older he decided to go outside and walk barefeated just to feel a little grass three years later he was dead so 2010 this became personal 2015 I joined in a group that was talking about the railroad and as time went on WE formed impact and that’s how I got started in my fight became more and more personal I got more and more involved and as I got more involved and I started reaching out to the community to realize a lot of people has died over there from the same thing the same exposure so I knew something had to be done and I feel you have to start somewhere so long star legal aid and a couple more people came in and assist us and that’s how my fight begin Im just one of those people I see something needs to be done and people not doing it I will take over in a New York minute as you can see I have done with impact and you see where it has gotten us in the publics eye and got the EPA working with us it’s been a long hard struggle and it’s a long way from over but I’m here for the Long haul and I will never stop until I am dead we have lost kids we have lost people that shouldn’t have never I have lost classmates at a young age this is heartbreaking and I don’t want to see it continue to happen it must stop and it must stop now.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been smooth at all it’s been one of the roughest rides that you can ever ride a bull doesn’t have anything on this because our state officials don’t have our backs they’ve been knowing about this way before we brought it to the public’s attention and they did nothing let me tell you what I think the railroad is in their pocket it’s no way you don’t see what we see but when it’s election time you quit to run over to my neighborhood and my community to get a vote and don’t see them anymore guess what all that’s about to change we are fighting back you will not come in our community and still a vote you will not come in our community unless you coming to help and when you drop the ball on not doing your job we decided to file charges on you that’s what the new 5th Ward is about.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart from others is that I care about my community and I care about humans’ well-being and I can’t sit back and see something needs to be done and it’s undone like I stayed official sit back and see what I see what makes me different and make me special is that I have no job I do this full-time as an activist in my community I’m broke but I’m rich at heart cuz I help anybody I can because they’re not helping us so we’ll be in self-sufficient helping each other.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Lamar Fleming Junior high playing basketball on the girl’s basketball team playing volleyball running track only time I had fun was at school didn’t have much fun at home.
Contact Info:
- Email: mzimpact5@gmail.com
Image Credits
Rodrigo Cantu
Lisa Glenn
Danielle
Reverend James Caldwell
Dr. Laura Hopkins
Dr. dena King
Dr. Grace Lewis
