By Vanessa Ramos
On Thursday, June 22nd, Dallas-Ft.Worth's air pollution issues and stories from residents fighting for cleaner air will be front and center at the Alamo Drafthouse in Cedars next week. The premiere of the film “From the Ashes,” which documents the nation’s shift from coal to clean energy and stories from Dallas, will be shown along with a trailer of a local short film, “The Air We Breathe Tomorrow,” which focuses on the impacts of coal-burning facilities that contribute to ozone and asthma rates among youth and elderly. Dallas is surrounded by five highly polluting coal-fired power plants, which contribute to the metro area’s severe ozone problems and impact DFW’s air quality.
Ozone season is already underway in Dallas and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by Scott Pruitt, has indicated that it won’t stand up for the stronger ozone standards put in place in 2015 to protect public health. Without national leadership, local advocates like Cherelle Blazer and Misti O’Quinn are lifting up Dallas stories to affect change in their community.
Misti O’Quinn is a mother to children who suffer from asthma. She speaks with other mothers and families about dealing with permanent respiratory damage and high medical costs associated with Dallas’ heavy pollution. Cherelle Blazer organizes in Dallas to give a voice to people like Misti and others in the community. Their work is about telling stories and being able to have a seat at the table in order to work with public officials to make a change for Dallas-Fort Worth. Misti and Cherelle have channeled those stories into action, securing clean air resolutions from the Dallas City Council and Dallas County Commissioners last year.
“From the Ashes” features the personal stories of Cherelle and Misti’s families and their organizing work in Dallas. These past months the film has premiered around the U.S. including this year's Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. On Thursday, June 22nd the film will be featured in Dallas. Watch the trailer:
See the full length film for the “Air We Breathe Tomorrow” here:
RSVP for your seat at Thursday’s premiere in Dallas here