Willy Blackmore, Author at Word In Black

From Memphis to Alabama's Black Belt, data centers have become contentious local issues. The NAACP's new dashboard gives voters a way to examine proposed projects and see which candidates have answered questions about their environmental impact.

A New NAACP Voter Tool Puts Data Centers on the Ballot

by Willy Blackmore October 27, 2026October 27, 2026

As AI infrastructure expands across the country, Black communities are raising questions about pollution, energy demands and transparency. A new NAACP tool connects those concerns to the ballot box, allowing residents to examine nearby projects and candidate responses.

After months of organizing and hours of contentious debate, Memphis residents watched city leaders reject a lengthy pause on AI data centers — something that state Rep. Justin Pearson, center, called a betrayal of their communities. Pearson, who represents one of the majority-Black areas where Musk has built a massive data center, has made opposition to the projects a centerpiece of his campaign for Congress.

Environmental Justice

Memphis’ Data Center Vote Has Black Residents Feeling Betrayed

by Willy Blackmore October 26, 2026October 26, 2026

Lowndes County residents have spent decades fighting for safe sanitation. Now officials have approved a billion-dollar tax break for an energy-hungry AI data center, raising questions about environmental justice and whose needs take priority. The data center would be built near the Robert Gardner farm, pictured above, which served as Campsite 3 during the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Cheryl Gardner Davis, who lived in that house as a child, was photographed there in 2024.

Environmental Justice

A Billion-Dollar Data-Center Tax Break Along the Civil Rights Trail

by Willy Blackmore October 23, 2026October 27, 2026

A proposed $14.5 billion data center raised alarms over energy consumption, pollution and environmental damage in Bessemer, Alabama. Voters responded by electing a new mayor who promises to revisit the project's contracts.

Environmental Justice

A Massive Data Center Helped Topple a Mayor. What’s Next?

by Willy Blackmore October 20, 2026October 20, 2026

Frustration boiled over into anger at a Memphis City Council meeting when representatives postponed a vote on whether to block Elon Musk from building new data centers in the city for at least a year. Audience and council members shouted at one another, councilmembers traded insults and police cleared the room — only to see fights break out in the lobby between opposing sides of the issue. The vote has been rescheduled for later this month.

Environmental Justice

Chaos Ensues After Memphis Delays Vote on Musk’s Data Centers

by Willy Blackmore October 15, 2026October 15, 2026

A legal battle over $2.8 billion in environmental justice grants, funding projects like planting trees to ease the effect of "heat islands," has left projects serving Black and brown communities in limbo — and with the program’s spending deadline approaching, the clock is running out.

Climate Justice

$2.8 Billion for Climate Justice Is Stuck in Legal Limbo

by Willy Blackmore September 18, 2026September 18, 2026

Many historically Black communities, like this one in Statesboro, Georgia, after Tropical Storm Debby in 2024, face heightened exposure to climate change-intensified hazards. Now, rising insurance costs threaten to make protecting homes in those neighborhoods even more expensive.

Climate Justice

Redlining 2.0: The Hidden Cost of Owning a Home While Black

by Willy Blackmore September 17, 2026September 17, 2026

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was created to leverage private investment in cleaner energy, including in historically underserved communities. A court has now blocked EPA's attempt to terminate $20 billion in grants — but the legal victory hasn't ended the uncertainty surrounding the money.

Climate Justice

Trump Tried to Kill a $20B Green Fund. A Court Said ‘Not So Fast’

by Willy Blackmore September 14, 2026September 14, 2026

After Elon Musk’s Colossus project made Memphis ground zero for the environmental-justice fight over AI, Black residents demanded a timeout. The City Council may give them one — while considering rules that could make it disappear.

Climate Justice

Memphis May Pause Its AI Boom — Then Start It Right Back Up

by Willy Blackmore September 9, 2026September 9, 2026

Climate Justice

Could Climate Change Lead to Sweet Potato Pie Supremacy?

by Willy Blackmore September 3, 2026September 2, 2026