Love Canal Hero Lois Gibbs banned at Marquette Senior High School to stop youth sulfide mine talk
Channel: WAVECleanWater
Date: 10/07/2011

Did Politics Have Anything To Do With Censorship at Northern Michigan High School?: Love Canal environmental warrior Lois Gibbs had an invite to speak at Marquette Senior High School revoked after administrators feared she may mention sulfide mine fight

Marquette Senior High school administrators demanded that visiting environmental legend not talk about sulfide mining in the Upper Peninsula during talk with students, so Lois Gibbs refused to speak calling the incident "really sad" because "it puts children in the middle" of adult fighting.

The controversy involving Marquette Area Public Schools officials shocked an 
audience later that day (Oct., 15, 2010) at Northern Michigan University (NMU) when "Mother of the Superfund" Lois Gibbs said the snub was something that she has dealt with in other communities.

At issue is the first of many sulfide "acid" mines is being built on state property in North Marquette County near Lake Superior.

"I was invited to speak at the high school -- and then when they told me I could not speak about the mine -- I refused to speak at the high school," said Gibbs whose comments were interrupted by applause at NMU. "I do not know all of the details."

"I was just really sad that the students weren't able to learn how to play in our democracy -- that part was very sad," Gibbs said. "Hopefully the school will come around but this is a company town."

"Even those the company (Kennecott Minerals) isn't sort of all the way here yet -- it is a company town and you have to understand that," Gibbs said.

"There was one brave, heroic, courageous teacher who put up a good struggle to try and get me there (at MSHS) and unfortunately it didn't happen," Gibbs said.

"It actually has happened to me a lot - people are afraid of me," Gibbs said. "I am opposed to things (that ruin the environment) that people are opposed to."

"They make other people outside fearful of speaking - that's how they control us -- and that's what we have to overcome," she said.

"I do not know who was in charge of saying I shouldn't talk about the mine at the high school," Gibbs said. "It puts the children in the middle."

"So if I did go and talk -- and one of the children did ask me a question about the mine -- How was I to answer that question? 'Sorry I am not allowed to speak' And then it's like the grownups are having a fight. I don't think that's helpful to the students."

"I have children to and I do not want my children put in that position at school," Gibbs said.

"Because the local group had arranged it -- or the teachers arranged it -- and then somehow" the invitation to speak was rescinded, she said.

"Waste management is one of my favorite groups in most schools -- they have lots of their propaganda there - and then when they hear I am coming they convince people that I have a radical speech," Gibbs said. "I am not privy to the conversations (between school officials and industries that pollute) so I don't know what they say."

"It's happened at other schools -- this is not unique," she said. "It's unique to you and maybe appalling to you, but your community is similar to other communities -- who have won by the way."

"You have a chance to win here," Gibbs continued. "Actually you have a better chance than some other communities because you are not as far along with this mine as some of the other communities -- especially the ones out west."
Gibbs compared the future of the Upper Peninsula to Love Canal disaster as both involve lethal chemicals.

It appears that officials involved in higher education in Marquette, MI were not thrilled by Gibbs talked that opposed the Kennecott Eagle Minerals nickel and copper and similar mines planned for the Yellow Dog Plains near Lake Superior.

Marquette Area Public Schools (MAPS)
www.mapsnet.org
http://mapsblog.posterous.com

Jon Hartwig, MAPS Superintendent 
906-225-5320 (supt. office)
MSHS Principal Bob Anthony
banthony@mapsnet.org
highschool@mapsnet.org
906-225-5353 (MSHS office)
MAPS School Board President Kellie Holmstrom
906-226-9024
drkellieholmstrom@msn.com
Board members:
www.mapsnet.org/SchoolBoard/SchoolBoardMembers.aspx

Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ)
Falls Church, VA
Lois Marie Gibbs, Executive Director
www.chej.org
703-237-2249

NMU Students for Sustainable Living
Melinda Otto
studentsforsustainableliving@gmail.com
269-484-4993

Cedar Tree Institute
www.CedarTreeInstitute.org
906-228-5494

Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve
www.yellowdogwatershed.org
906-361-5179

Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP)
www.savethewildup.org
906-228-4444
SWUP Facebook
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20079015072

Stand for the Land
www.standfortheland.com

Northwind story Lois Gibbs NMU visit by James Dyer, News Editor
www.thenorthwindonline.com/?p=3858500
news.northwind@gmail.com

Mining Journal article Lois Gibbs Marquette visit by Johanna Boyle
www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/554571.html
906-486-4401
jboyle@miningjournal.net

Greg Peterson 906-401-0109