Some residents of the Boxtown neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee, didn’t know Elon Musk was building a huge data center nearby until they saw city and Chamber of Commerce officials hyping the deal. A historic Black neighborhood founded by freedmen after the Civil War, Boxtown is one recent example of an old pattern: corporations siting polluting, noisy facilities in Black or poor neighborhoods, which the corporations see as less likely to mount a resistance to their plans. We chronicle this history, finding useful context in the decades-long fight against trash incinerators. We also learn what Memphis is doing to fight back, from citizen journalism to liberation science. 

Guest voices + context:  

Dr. Sacoby Wilson: Director of The Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice Lab, and Professor in Global, Environmental and Occupational Health. Focuses on environmental health science, including water quality analysis and air pollution studies, and works closely with community-based organizations, such as those in Memphis. Collaborated with Representative Justin Pearson on work to advocate for Black Communities in the fight against data centers and environmental racism. 

Andrew Chow: TIME technology correspondent who has extensively covered AI and data centers at the intersection of race over the past few years. 

Jennifer Kunze: Maryland Organizing Director at Clean Water Action, who took Danny on a tour of the Baltimore Incinerator. 

Brenda Platt: Director of ILSR’s Composting for Community Initiative 

Amber Sherman: Local policy organizer in Memphis 

Learn More: 

Data Center Watch Briefing

Inside Memphis' Battle Against Elon Musk’s xAI Data Center -Andrew Chow, Time

How the AI Boom Sparked a Housing Crisis in One Texas City -Andrew Chow, Time

From Neighborhood Streets to City Hall with Zac Blanchard - Building Local Power

Memphis Community Against Pollution 

We Went to the Town Elon Musk Is Poisoning - More Perfect Union