Before There Was Erin, There Was Wilma

Wilma Subra, chemist and environmentalist

Can a 66-year-old grandmother from Louisiana have any impact on the big issues plaguing communities suffering from  the chemical effects of industry?  The answer is yes, if you are talking about Wilma Subra. She is fearless (was the presumed target of a drive-by shooting- the bullet lodged in a brick a few feet from where she was sitting) and tireless (she travels all over the country to talk with people worried about pollution).  Even people who disagree with everything she stands for often come to her when their loved ones fall ill.  They want to know what the prospects are, what might have caused the illness.  Suddenly the issue of chemical contamination becomes personal.  Subra is ready to help.  She carries about 30 active cases at a time.  Some take years to be settled.  She never gives up.  Asked if she is like a modern-day Erin Brockovich, she laughs.  "I've been doing this since way before Erin was doing it."

Read this inspiring article about Wilma Subra here.