David Baker (activist)

David A. Baker is an activist, former union organiser and the president of an organisation that fights and protests against pollution. He is also a member of other organisations.

Background

Baker is from West Annistion, Alabama the town where he grew up.^[1] As children, he and his younger brother Terry would throw rocks and shoot bow and arrows around the ditches and surrounding trees. They would play in ditches and cross the water in the ditches that were used for the Monsanto plant run-off.

In 1970 ^[2] his brother died of brain and lung cancer at the age of 17. He believes that this was caused by PCBs in the environment.^[3] The death of his 17-year-old brother Terry made him promise his mother he would find out what happened to him. Since then he has been instrumental in getting powerful lawyers to represent the people who appear to be the victims of PCB poisoning.^[4]

In 1995 he was working for an environmental company. By accident he discovered that the presence of PCB's had been covered up for 50 years.^[5]

Recent & current

He is the president of the organisation Community Against Pollution ^[6] He is also the founder and Executive Director of the organisation.^[7]

He has also been active in the organisation of a team of workers going to help in the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.^[8]

Organisation membership

• Community Against Pollution (Founder / Director)
• Environmental Working Group (Board of directors)
• Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (Member)
• Calhoun County Chapter of the NAACP (Vice-President) ^[9]

Video

• The GMWatch video collection ... (Contributor) ^[10]
• The World According to Monsanto ... (Himself) ^[11]

Awards

• EPA 1st Assistant Administrator's Environmental Justice Incentive Award 2003
• CARAT Team Award ^[12]

References