Suggested reading from Chicago Review Press
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A Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA
By Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Foreword by Noam Chomsky, Afterword by Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy
POLITICAL SCIENCE
480 Pages, 6 x 9
Formats: Cloth, EPUB, Mobipocket, PDF
Cloth, $27.95 (US $27.95) (CA $30.95)
ISBN 9781556528187
Rights: WOR
Chicago Review Press (Sep 2011)
Lawrence Hill Books
Overview
Retracing the steps of the first civil rights and whistleblower act of the 21st century, this chronicle follows young, black, MIT-educated social scientist Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, shortly after she landed her dream job at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The account illustrates how the author attempted to convince the government to investigate allegations surrounding a multinational corporation, suspecting that they were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of South Africans who were mining vanadium—a vital strategic mineral. Documenting Coleman-Adebayo’s shocking discovery that the EPA itself was the first line of defense for the corporation in question, this record depicts how the agency stonewalled, prompting the author to expose them. The agency’s brutal retaliation is captured in detail, revealing their use of every racist and sexist trick in their playbook, costing the protagonist her career, endangering her family, and sacrificing more lives in the vanadium mines of South Africa. Finishing on a hopeful note, the recollection concludes with the upwelling of support the author received from others in the federal bureaucracy, detailing how her subsequent grassroots struggle to protect future whistleblowers ended in victory.
Reviews
"Intensely gripping. . . . Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo's story refuses to leave the reader's memory. She is a cool force of nature whose example teaches how to stand down fear and victoriously stand up for what is right. More will be right when others join her." —Ralph Nader
"A remarkable book: absolute must reading for anyone who cares about civil rights, whistleblowers, and justice." —Stephen M. Kohn, executive director, National Whistleblowers Center
"Marsha Coleman-Adebayo's account of cowardice and betrayal at the EPA demonstrates that heroines like herself are indeed necessary. . . . The same agency that facilitated the poisoning of miners and their families in South Africa allows its own citizens to sicken and die for the sake of corporate profits. Do not ask for whom the whistle blows—it blows for all of us." —Glen Ford, executive editor, Black Agenda Report
"Dr. Coleman-Adebayo presents the public a trenchant critique of how the US government too often not only turns a blind eye, but also enables the worst kinds of human rights practices by its multinational corporations abroad. Her unique insider position and her principled commitment were what made her dangerous to the federal bureaucracy. Thankfully, she did not give up. This book is a must-read if you’re concerned with government accountability and want a rare inside look at the toll willful government negligence can take on individuals, families, and communities." —Danielle Brian, president, Project on Government Oversight (POGO)
"Marsha's insider's account, told with startling clarity, is a call to action. Her courageous accomplishments, especially with the No FEAR legislation and Coalition, have helped to fortify and protect those who take up that call." —Dr. Willard R. Johnson, MIT professor emeritus of political science
"Marsha Coleman-Adebayo clearly and engagingly tells us Americans a truth that we might not want to hear but should." —Dal LaMagna, author of Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets It Right
Author Biography
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo is the founder and president of the No Fear Institute. She served as the executive secretary of the EPA’s Environment Working Group, working with their delegation to the Gore/Mbeki Binational Commission during the Clinton administration. Her victory in the Title VII complaint of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in Coleman-Adebayo vs. Carol Browner inspired the passage of the No Fear Act of 2002. She lives in New York City. Noam Chomsky is a world-renowned linguist and social critic considered by many to be the world’s foremost intellectual. He is the author of 120 books. He lives in Philadelphia. Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy is a former liaison to Congress and three former presidents for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He organized the “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall in 1963, was a cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus, and was the District of Columbia's sole congressman in the House of Representatives for 20 years. He lives in Washington, DC.