Sharon Lavigne, a retired special education teacher, is a dedicated environmental justice activist from Louisiana. Her primary focus is the resistance against petrochemical complexes in an area known as Cancer Alley. Lavigne has played a crucial role as a plaintiff in the environmental justice case White Hat v. Landry, which centers around changes in Louisiana Oil and Gas law. Furthermore, she plays an active part in the Coalition Against Death Alley, a regional environmental justice group, displaying her commitment to protecting her community from harmful industrial pollution.

Lavigne's efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2021, she was honored with the Goldman Environmental Prize, and in 2022, she received the Laetare Medal, the highest honor for American Catholics. Besides her activism, Lavigne runs a faith-based organization named RISE St. James. This organization's mission is to prevent the expansion and worsening of petrochemical plant pollution in the area, further emphasizing Lavigne's commitment to environmental justice.

One of Lavigne's significant accomplishments was her leadership in organizing the community against a proposed factory by Formosa Plastics Corp. This factory posed a threat as it would have disrupted a slave grave in the community, an action that would devastate the cultural heritage of the African American community. Her efforts have also helped stall similar projects from Wanhua Chemical Group and South Louisiana Methanol. As a Black Catholic and a parishioner at St. James Catholic Church in St. James, Louisiana, Lavigne's work is not only a testament to her faith but also to her dedication to preserving the cultural history of her community.

Environment, Environmental Policy, Environmental Activism, Sustainability, Pollution, Black Heritage, Women, Influential Women, Catholicism, Christian, African-American Women, Social Activism, Social Justice, TIME 100,