A Tribute to Sallie
Our story begins with Sallie Smith, from Baldwin County, who was alarmed that nothing was being done to move the toxic coal ash from the Tensaw Delta and believed informed citizens could make a difference. She called on two good friends to organize a group of concerned people and led the group until her death from cancer on October 27, 2023.
The Committee set up information tents at events, gave numerous talks to large and small groups, testified at an in-person and virtual EPA hearings and had an email subscription list of over 1,300 people who had signed petitions. Sallie had great joy in her last months from the renewed interest in coal ash and its effect on her beloved Bay of Mobile.
Sallie’s spirit remains. After hearing about coal ash in an NPR interview with Sallie and her small committee, California documentary producer Daniel Junge, Louisiana filmmaker Brennan Robideaux, and Allison Bohl DeHart began filming a documentary on her quest to get the coal ash moved.
When Sallie passed, a friend, Cliff McCollum wrote “Sallie Smith was an absolute treasure and the very definition of what a true pillar of a community should be. Her passion was infectious, her kindness a healing balm, and her willingness to speak truth to power was awe-inspiring... In everything she did, she sought to make this world a better place through teaching, through listening, through meaningful conversation and through true empathy and understanding. She also founded Read Aloud Baldwin. Hope Community. Coal Ash Action Group. And Lord knows how many more groups of a similar sort. Thankfully, her legacy will live on for generations to come.”