By Eloise Reid
Eloise Reid is the Gulf South Organizer with GreenFaith, based in New Orleans, LA.
I traveled from New Orleans to New York City with more than 70 faith and community leaders from across Louisiana and Texas. We went to speak truth to power — to raise our voices outside the homes and offices of Citibank, BlackRock, Chubb, and MUFG, the banks and insurance companies funding fossil fuel projects that are hurting our communities and God’s creation.
As a person of faith, I believe our presence was a form of sacred resistance. We didn’t just come to protest — we came with prayers, with stories, with love for our people and our home. We came to demand justice.
In the parishes where I live and organize — St. Charles, St. Rose, St. James, and St. John the Baptist — children are growing up with asthma. Our elders are getting sick. Families can’t safely drink their water or breathe their air. These aren’t accidents. They are the result of decisions made by powerful corporations far from here, but with consequences we feel every day.
One major project, the Plaquemines LNG gas terminal, is being built right in a hurricane zone. It’s already interfering with people’s clean water — and yet banks on Wall Street continue to pour money into it.
Meanwhile, some companies are promoting false solutions that sound green — like hydrogen or ammonia projects — but in reality, they still rely on dirty energy and pollute our land and water. They’re just the same old problem in new packaging.
Our delegation brought this truth to the places where those decisions are made. We wanted the CEOs and investors to hear directly from the communities they are harming. And we weren’t alone. Our movement is connected to struggles around the world. The same companies funding pollution in Louisiana and Texas are also financing war and violence abroad, including in Gaza. It’s all part of a global system that puts profit over people and the planet.
But I believe in something stronger. I believe in a Creator who calls us to care for one another and for the Earth. I believe that when we come together — when we speak out, pray, sing, and act — we can change things. I saw that this week in the streets of New York, in the courage of Gulf South elders and the fire of young people from the Bronx and Brooklyn. We shared meals. We shared stories. We shared faith.
We refuse to accept that our communities are disposable. We are not a sacrifice zone. We are sacred ground. And we are building a different future — one rooted in justice, healing, and hope. A future where no one is left behind. A future where clean air, clean water, and good jobs are not luxuries but basic rights.
This is what faith looks like in action. This is sacred resistance. And we are just getting started.
For more information on GreenFaith’s circles and organizing activities in the Gulf South, or to get involved please email Eloise Reid at eloise@greenfaith.org
