Rice University Students Document Fifth Ward's Toxic Waste Impact

Documenting Fifth Ward's Environmental History

• 💡 Two Rice University students, Katherine Cook and Sheay Olifa, are creating a toxic waste archive to document environmental issues in Houston's Fifth Ward.
• 🎯 Their work involves touring sites to understand how pollution and historical changes have impacted the community over time.

Community Impact and Historical Changes

• 🏘️ Students are learning about the vibrant history of Fifth Ward and how contamination, highways, and displacement have affected its size and community.
• 묘사 The Evergreen Cemetery, one of Houston's oldest African American cemeteries, is a site where historical changes, including the relocation of bodies due to construction like Lockwood Drive, are evident.

The Toxic Waste Archive Project

• 📚 The archive aims to collect documents dating back to the 1970s to tell the story of Fifth Ward's past, both positive and negative.
• 🏛️ This archive will be housed at Rice University through the Fondren Fellows program.
• 🤝 With the help of residents and community activists, the students intend to create a comprehensive record and explore ways to improve the community's future outcomes.