For nearly a decade, Tammy Murphy has been on the front lines of the fight to protect families from the adverse environmental and health effects of fossil fuel extraction.
Tammy is the public policy and advocacy manager for Make the Road Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that builds power for justice in Latinx, immigrant, and working-class communities of color, with a key focus on climate and environmental justice.
Host and Endowments President Chris DeCardy met Tammy at a convening of environmental funders last year when she was the advocacy director at Physicians for a Social Responsibility Pennsylvania. She spoke movingly about her personal experience in helping amplify the voices of those experiencing serious health issues related to fracking.
“It’s hard to talk about families who are losing their children, their spouses, or who have kids doing homework in hospitals because their parent is dying,” Tammy said.
Tammy is fearless in speaking truth in corridors of power – evident when she led a demonstration inside the state capitol building with parents whose children had been impacted by fracking-induced health issues. Two days later, then-Governor Wolf announced Pennsylvania fracking health dangers would be investigated and funded.
“Fossil fuel extraction companies find the product that they want to go after, and then they find the path of least resistance,” Tammy tells Chris. “They go into the communities that they find the most vulnerable and try to extract from there in a way that doesn't disturb the people with the most power. Because they know those with power would resist.”
Be inspired by Tammy and the stories of the communities and families she had helped uplift in this episode of “We Can Be.”
“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy, and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Chris DeCardy photo: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at sroller@heinz.org.
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