Reverend Roy Malveaux: Baptist minister crusading against toxic terrorism
by Vicki Wolf, July 2008
Reverend Roy Malveaux is pastor of the Shining Star Missionary Baptist Church in Beaumont, Texas. His demeanor is peaceful and thoughtful, and his voice is calm. But he doesn’t mince words when he talks about toxic pollution from petrochemical facilities and the dangers people who live near them face every day.
Malveaux is executive director of People Against a Contaminated Environment (PACE). In May, he testified along with other residents and activists from the Texas Gulf Coast and Houston Ship Channel at an Environmental Justice Hearing, sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center, at the Munger Place United Methodist Church in Dallas. During his testimony, Malveaux called the pollution from Exxon Mobil and other refineries “toxic terrorism.”
“Children are affected by the toxins they breathe,” Malveau said. “The process of learning has been impeded by these chemicals. Children are not getting a fair shake, and there are 200,000 children living near the Ship Channel.”
Malveaux’s introduction to environmental issues came through an experience with his own children. “When we lived in the Hillcrest neighborhood, in Corpus Christi, my children who were in 2nd and 3rd grade came home excited, and my son said that a refinery blew up, and the children were told to get under their desks,” Malveaux recalls. “The public was not informed, and there were more explosions during the night.”
People living in the Hillcrest neighborhood decided to have a meeting at the St. Matthews Baptist Church and formed a group to investigate the explosions. Malveaux was selected to lead the group. “It was the first time people felt they had some control over their destiny,” Malveaux remembers. “Regulations were not being enforced. The city was in disbelief and didn’t monitor the refineries, so the citizens started monitoring and videotaping explosions and flares. The community efforts gained national attention. CNN brought a news crew to Corpus Christi, did a survey and reported on the number of explosions that had occurred at the refineries near the neighborhood since 1985.
Malveaux says PACE has called for the Hillcrest neighborhood to be relocated. He advocates a mile-and-a-half “bumper zone” around refineries and chemical plants because chemicals do not stay within the fenceline of these facilities. Since moving to Beaumont, Malveaux has been active in challenging permits and calling for enforcement of regulations for refineries and chemical plants in this area. After attending the environmental justice hearing in Dallas, Malveaux and Hilton Kelly, environmental activist from Port Arthur, took a tour of the Exxon Mobil facility in Baytown. They are now working to get support for the people who live near the refinery. “We are talking to the city about it and trying to form a good neighborhood policy,” Malveaux says.
The work is continuous and exhausting. Malveaux says sometimes he has to withdraw and take a break. “I believe God gave us dominion over the earth, and as stewards we must take care of water, air and soil,” Malveaux says. “When we can’t breathe the air, we can’t go anywhere. It’s wrong to dangerously pollute the air for profit -- somebody has got to be on watch” Malveaux continues. “It is an honor to work on this level, and that God can have you do these things. It energizes me. And when I get tired, I just rest.”
Malveaux says he wishes more clergy would get involved. He is disappointed that people don’t understand that children cannot protect themselves from the pollution. He would like to see laws against endangerment to children enforced when companies expose children to toxic pollution.
“I’m sad to see that in 2008 we are still fighting a fight that began 25 years ago -- trying to protect children, women and elderly,” Malveaux says. “We can’t allow children to be sacrificed for the sake of money.” Malveaux lives in Beaumont with his wife, Kaffie Loraine. They have a son, Roy Jr., 24, and a daughter, Sharee, 22. One son died from pancreatic cancer. Malveaux says he has no way of knowing if his son’s death was related to exposure to toxic pollution.
To relax, Malveaux says he likes to play the trombone and the guitar.
