The Fishermen and The Dragon - Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast

The Fishermen and The Dragon
Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast

Recorded Tuesday, April 16, 2024
 1.0 Ethics CLE Credits | VOD_2024045

Co-sponsored with the AK Bar International Law Section 

Kirk Wallace Johnson takes us on a journey through the gripping narrative of the late 1970s Texas Gulf Coast. Through vivid storytelling, Johnson illuminates the struggles of fishermen amidst environmental degradation and racial tensions, where xenophobia and ecological disaster collide. Explore the courageous stand taken by a South Vietnamese colonel and his community against hatred and injustice, as Johnson unravels the intersection of corporate misconduct, environmental activism, and the rise of white supremacy. Don't miss this insightful event shedding light on one woman's relentless pursuit of environmental justice, drawing on untapped sources and personal testimonies to unveil a tale of resilience and resistance against all odds. 

About the Author: 

Kirk Wallace Johnson is an author and screenwriter.  His books include The Fishermen and the Dragon: Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, and To Be a Friend is Fatal: the Fight to Save the Iraqis America Left Behind.  He is the founder of the List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies, which resettled thousands Iraqi refugees who were imperiled as a result of working for the U.S. during the war. 

His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, This American Life, 60 Minutes, among other outlets. 

Prior to founding the List Project, Johnson served in Iraq with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Baghdad and then Fallujah as the Agency’s first coordinator for reconstruction in the war-torn city. 

He is a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, and the recipient of fellowships from the American Academy in Berlin, Yaddo, MacDowell, and the Wurlitzer Foundation.  Prior to his work in Iraq, he conducted research on political Islamism as a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt.  He received his BA from the University of Chicago in 2002. 

Born in West Chicago, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son, and daughter.