Attention and opposition to controversial oil pipelines in Minnesota and Tennessee are growing. The dangers posed by, and the opposition to, the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota and the proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline in Memphis, Tenn., are felt and led by Native American tribes and Black residents, respectively. “We are here to preserve our water, we are here to preserve our land, we are here to save our communities and we are here to honor our forefathers,” Linda Hayes, a resident of the historically Black Boxtown community in Memphis, said at a rally against the pipeline which would cross through predominantly Black communities in South Memphis. Former Vice President Al Gore, who represented Tennessee in both the House and Senate, also called the proposed pipeline “a reckless, racist rip-off.”

In Minnesota, opposition is also mounting to the replacement of Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline, and more than 130 people have been arrested in the last few months. “They seem to think that it’s going to deter us from protecting the land. They are fundamentally missing the point of what water protectors are doing, which is willing to put ourselves our freedom, our bodies, our personal comfort on the line for something greater than ourselves,” tribal attorney Tara Kouska told CNN. (Byhalia Connection: Commercial Appeal; Line 3: CNN)