MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Environmental justice groups from across the country joined in Memphis with the NAACP to create guidelines for tech companies building data centers in black and brown communities.
The NAACP hosted a press conference at Lemoyne-Owen College, where both local and national environmental advocates shared their concerns about how data centers are impacting the communities around them.
“Data centers are often situated in black neighborhoods already burdened by social economic advantages,” says LaTricea Adams, founder and CEO of Young, Gifted & Green. “And they contribute to rising levels of air pollution.
Since xAI opened its supercomputer facility in southwest Memphis, environmental groups such as Memphis Community Against Pollution have accused the company of spreading toxic emissions through the gas-powered turbines powering the facility, affecting the health of residents in nearby Boxtown.
“We are for progressive, ethical development,” says MCAP president KeShaun Pearson. “But we are vehemently against anything that exploits our community.
Representatives from Alternatives for Community and Environment in Massachusetts and No Desert Data Center Coalition in Arizona spoke at the press conference to share how their communities are also fighting to hold tech companies accountable for how they impact local communities.
Following the press conference, the NAACP and environmental advocates say they will release their Guiding Principles to Protect Frontline Communities, with demands to big tech companies and legislators on how these companies can take accountability when expanding their data centers.
“We are proofing a new framework that demands accountability and responsibility,” says Wisdom Cole, the NAACP senior national director of advocacy. “As they expand into our communities.”
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