As corporations race to build massive data centers for AI and cryptocurrency, Black and fenceline communities are disproportionately affected. These centers consume vast energy and water resources while emitting pollution. Boxtown, on the south side of Memphis, is a stark example.
Founded by formerly enslaved people, Boxtown has long borne the brunt of industrial pollution, hosting 18 facilities that release toxins into the air and water. Its cancer rate is four times the national average, and it ranks second nationally for asthma-related ER visits. Last year, Elon Musk’s xAI built “the largest AI data center on the planet” nearby, bringing methane-fueled turbines without proper permits. Peak nitrogen dioxide levels jumped 79% near the facility.
Living near pollution sources is linked to higher rates of asthma, respiratory disease, and other chronic conditions. Structural racism ensures that Black Americans are 75% more likely to live near hazardous facilities. Children in these areas face missed school days and long-term economic and health consequences.
“Last year, Elon Musk’s xAI built “the largest AI data center on the planet” nearby, bringing methane-fueled turbines without proper permits.”
The people of Boxtown are fighting back. Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP), in partnership with the Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health INpowering Communities (CEEJH INC), monitors local air quality and uses the data to challenge xAI’s operations. Some turbines have been removed, and part of the facility shifted to grid power, but more work remains.
Environmental justice activists have long fought similar harms from landfills, sewage plants, and industrial facilities. Their lessons are clear for communities facing data center threats:
- Find out if your neighborhood is next. Relaxed regulations under the federal AI Action Plan are accelerating data center construction, with Black communities in Bessemer, Alabama, and Prince George’s County, Maryland, targeted.
- Don’t take the bribe. Local governments may chase tax revenue at the expense of public health. Residents must hold elected officials accountable.
- Do your own research. Communities can monitor air quality themselves to gather reliable evidence, as MCAP and CEEJH have done.
- Contact elected officials. Know zoning laws, understand approval processes, and organize neighbors to ensure no polluting facility is built without community consent.
The fight in Boxtown illustrates the urgent need for vigilance. Data centers may promise economic growth, but they should not come at the cost of Black communities’ health, safety, and lives.
This commentary was originally published in Word in Black. It has been edited for length, but retains original language. For more information, visit www.wordinblack.com