New film showcases historic Ironton Community
11th July 2022 · 0 Comments
By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer
A new documentary produced with help from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities examines the crushing effects of institutional bigotry and the specter of environmental racism on a historic, largely Black community in Plaquemines Parish.
“Iron Sharpens Iron,” directed by independent filmmaker John Richie, reveals the history of Ironton, a small, unincorporated community about 30 miles south of New Orleans. Founded by freed slaves in the aftermath of the Civil War, Ironton was systematically isolated by corporate and government neglect and racism that for decades denied the town such basic amenities as running water.
Ironton was created outside of the primary regional levee system, rendering the tiny, African-American community virtually helpless against hurricanes. The community was ravaged by Katrina in 2005, and 16 years later it was equally devastated by Ida.
In addition, the threat of petrochemical pollution was a continuous cloud hovering over Ironton, including an attempt to construct a massive complex that would have included a chemical tank and a pipeline.
The proposed project was a joint venture of Tallgrass Energy and Drexel Hamilton Infrastructure Partners, who dubbed it the Plaquemines Liquids Terminal. Despite heavy opposition by residents – the $20-million facility would have upended Ironton’s community burial ground and destroyed other historically vital parts of the town – plans for the PLT went ahead until Hurricane Ida, after which the companies abandoned the proposal.
Richie came away from the filmmaking project with a deep admiration and respect for the people of Ironton and their courage and determination to survive for decades while preserving their shared history.
“I believe their resilience to the racism they have been up against is built into their DNA, meaning there hasn’t been a moment in the community’s existence where they have not faced some issue involving systemic racism,” Richie said.
Ironton’s hardiness is embodied by the fact that it was the last community in the state to receive running water, which didn’t occur until the 1980s.
“I believe instances like this have made them not take anything for granted or at face value,” Richie said. “They have had to advocate for themselves in ways most people would not understand. I believe this comes out of necessity for their survival as a community.”
“Iron Sharpens Iron” was initially greenlighted as part of the LEH’s WaterWays series of films focusing on Louisiana’s disappearing coastal communities and the work being done to preserve them, Richie said. In addition to the disruption caused by Ida, he added, the filmmakers were hampered by the limitations arising from the pandemic.
However, he said, the production crew and the Ironton community persevered and got it done.
“The film definitely had its hurdles we had to clear,” Richie said. “The most obvious was the Pandemic which made us start and stop the process a few times. This obstacle actually ended up benefiting the final film. It allowed us to dig in deeper into our research and allowed us to switch gears to ensure we were telling the most important story we could.”
Erin Greenwald, LEH’s vice president of public programs and editor of 64 Parishes magazine, said the LEH and the magazine have for the last five years focused on telling stories of environmental humanities in the state, including articles in 64 Parishes, environment-related entries on the magazine’s corresponding online Encyclopedia of Louisiana, and extended statewide reading and discussion projects.
That focus also includes the WaterWays film series, which has now produced five films since the series was launched in 2017.
Greenwald said “Iron Sharpens Iron” reflects Ironton as an example of the challenges faced by the more than 300,000 people of color freed from slavery in 1865. She said these emancipated people survived by a variety of ways, including taking up a new vocation, leaving plantation life for urban cities, or forming communities like Ironton near the plantations where they were held.
Such villages are often dubbed “descendant communities,” which then, over the decades, found themselves near the state’s growing industrial facilities, a perilous situation that often exposes such predominantly Black descendant communities to toxic pollution and environmental racism. That pollution was often accompanied by or even abetted by Louisiana’s oppressive system of Jim Crow laws and racist customs, a powerlessness that plagued the state’s African-American communities – a powerlessness that didn’t begin to be rectified until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Greenwald such was the case in rural Plaquemines, where rigid segregation was enforced by law and installed by virulent racist white politicians.
“This was particularly true in Plaquemines Parish,” she said, “where the legacy of avowed white supremacist, dedicated segregationist, and political boss Leander Perez cast a long shadow that made access to resources like schools, housing, job opportunities, political representation, and in the case of Ironton, running water (Ironton had no municipal water access until the 1980s), exceedingly difficult for Black residents.”
However, she added, such often brutal challenges molded Ironton into a very tight-knit, fiercely proud community of people who to this day refuse to give up what their ancestors created after 1865.
“Despite all of the obstacles though, the people of Ironton have long fought to maintain their community and access the same rights and resources afforded neighboring communities,” Greenwald said.
“Iron Sharpens Iron” was produced by the LEH, with additional production efforts by Weenta Girmay, an Eritrea-born producer who now is based in New Orleans.
The 27-minute documentary premiered last month at the Broad Theatre in New Orleans. The screening was accompanied by a panel discussion moderated by Girmay and included Richie and environmental activist Sharon Lavigne.
Two screenings are also scheduled in Plaquemines Parish: July 26 at 6 p.m. at Belle Chasse High School and Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Port Sulphur YMCA. Both screenings are sponsored by the Office of District 7 Plaquemines Parish Council Representative Carlton LaFrance.
Looking back on the experience of getting to know the people and legacy of Ironton, Richie said he remains amazed at the community’s steely resiliency.
“Ironton, and other communities that are similar, have experienced racism and marginalization that I can only relate to enough to know I would not like it if these things happened to my community or family,” Richie said. “Because of this, they feel underrepresented, they suspect that when the plans for large developments are created their well being was never part of the consideration and no one cares about the needs of their community.”
This article originally published in the July 11, 2022 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
