Proven Results
Our Impact
Measurable Change for Frontline Communities
Six years of organizing. One mountain moved. A coalition of 150+. And the work is not done.
By the Numbers
The Scale of Our Work
These numbers represent real communities, real victories, and real change.
Shingles removed from a Black neighborhood
Allied organizations in our coalition
Years of frontline community organizing
Educated through EJ Tours
Reached through international delegation work
Moved by community power
Landmark Victory
The Shingle Mountain Story
It began with a mountain. It ended with a movement.
In 2019, the Floral Farms neighborhood in South Dallas became the site of one of the most blatant acts of environmental racism in recent Texas history. A company illegally dumped over 200,000 tons of construction shingles — a 30-foot mountain of toxic debris — directly adjacent to a Black residential neighborhood.
Residents reported burning eyes, difficulty breathing, and fear for their children’s health. Regulatory agencies moved slowly. The city deferred action. The mountain kept growing.
Dr. Marsha Jackson and her neighbors organized. They documented conditions, filed complaints, held press conferences, built a coalition, and took their fight to every level of government. They did not give up. They did not accept excuses. They demanded justice.
In 2022 — after three years of relentless community organizing, legal battles, national media coverage, and sustained political pressure — the last loads of shingles were removed. The site was remediated. The mountain was moved.
It was the first victory of its kind in Texas. Proof that frontline communities, when organized and supported, can force accountability from institutions that have long ignored them.
Now, Southern Sector Rising is advocating for the site to become a public park — a permanent testament to what community power can accomplish.
Timeline
Illegal Dump Discovered
A 30-foot mountain of toxic construction shingles appears in the Floral Farms neighborhood of South Dallas, next to Black residential homes. Residents report health impacts immediately.
Southern Sector Rising Founded
Dr. Marsha Jackson and neighbors begin organizing. Southern Sector Rising is formally established as the campaign grows beyond a single neighborhood issue.
Campaign Goes National
Media coverage expands. Dr. Jackson receives the Sierra Club Environmentalist Award and SMU Women in Profiles Award. The Shingle Mountain story reaches national audiences.
Legal Battles & Escalation
SSR pursues legal action, files complaints with TCEQ and the City of Dallas, and builds a 150+ organization coalition. Pressure mounts on regulators to act.
Shingle Mountain Removed
After three years of relentless organizing, legal action, and national attention, all 200,000+ tons of shingles are removed from Floral Farms. A landmark environmental justice victory in Texas.
Park for Floral Farms
With Shingle Mountain gone, SSR advocates for the remediated site to become a public park — green space for a community that has waited decades for investment.
Global Expansion
SSR represents frontline communities at international climate negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya and Rome, Italy, bringing the South Dallas story to the world stage.
What We've Accomplished
Featured Wins
Each win represents years of organizing, coalition-building, and frontline community leadership.
Shingle Mountain Removal
200,000+ tons of toxic shingles removed from the Floral Farms neighborhood — a three-year campaign and a first-of-its-kind environmental justice victory in Texas.
International Climate Representation
Southern Sector Rising delegates have represented frontline communities at UN climate negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya and Rome, Italy — bringing South Dallas to the global stage.
Sandbranch Clean Water Deliveries
Ongoing delivery of clean water to Sandbranch, an 87% Black freedmen's town in Dallas County still lacking proper municipal water infrastructure.
EJ Tours Program Launched
A monthly Environmental Justice Tour program that has educated hundreds of students, faith leaders, policymakers, and community members on environmental racism in Dallas.
150+ Ally Coalition Built
Built a coalition of over 150 allied organizations across environmental justice, labor, food sovereignty, and civil rights movements — a network that amplifies frontline voices.
"Marsha Jackson Day" Proclaimed
Dallas County officially proclaimed "Marsha Jackson Day" — recognition of Dr. Jackson's extraordinary leadership and lasting impact on the region.
In Action
Environmental Justice Symposium 2022
Watch Southern Sector Rising in action — community voices, frontline leadership, and the organizing work that drives real change in South Dallas.
BIPOC-led organizations like Southern Sector Rising are at the forefront of the climate justice movement.— Tides Foundation
Recognition
Awards & Media
Our work has been recognized by environmental organizations, universities, community foundations, and national media.
Environmentalist Award
Women in Profiles Award
Humanitarian Award
Disrupt & Dismantle Documentary
"Marsha Jackson Day" Proclamation
Featured on BET’s “Disrupt & Dismantle”
Southern Sector Rising and Dr. Marsha Jackson were featured in BET’s groundbreaking documentary series examining environmental racism and the communities fighting back. The feature brought national attention to the Shingle Mountain story and the broader struggle for environmental justice in South Dallas.
The documentary remains one of the most powerful records of our movement — a testament to what community-led organizing looks like in action.
Keep the Momentum Going
The Work Is Not Done
Shingle Mountain was removed. Sandbranch still needs water. Floral Farms deserves its park. And frontline communities around Dallas need organizing support, legal help, and allies who will not look away.
Your support — financial, physical, or political — makes this work possible.