“This is Not a Drill” is a Call for Community Action
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In school you’re taught that our government has a series of checks and balances to protect the citizens of a nation. As we get older, the unfortunate reality sets in. These systems we’ve created only work if the people in power want to uphold them. In 2026, we’re seeing regulatory agencies gutted in favor of profit over people. What’s the answer in a democratic society when elected officials have turned their backs on their constituents? This Is Not a Drill argues that the answer to this question, to this mammoth, herculean task of standing up to Big Oil, is actually quite simple. The solution lies in community.
This Is Not a Drill introduces itself by stating, “This is the story of people in communities affected by climate change who are taking on Big Oil.” Three main subjects in different parts of the United States, each with their own battle, realize that these fights are all connected. Roishetta Ozane and her six children live in Lake Charles, Louisiana, an area known for violent storms that scientists believe are related to climate change caused by oil and gas infrastructure. Their home was destroyed by Hurricane Laura, which spurred Roishetta to become an activist. Across the border lives Sharon Wilson, a fifth-generation Texan who used to work for the oil industry. She was one of the first to speak up against fracking and continues to do so. Justin J. Pearson is from Memphis, Tennessee. When he learned that a pipeline was going to be built through his neighborhood, he found himself on the path to activism.
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“I started connecting dots they didn’t want connected,” Sharon says of her time in the oil industry. In many ways, Texans look at oil the same way Appalachians look at coal. Each is the economical backbone of its region. They bring both potential and suffering to these areas. This Is Not a Drill acknowledges the tough balance that has to exist in these communities, where jobs are scarce and some of the most reliable work is in the industry that’s actively harming the place these people live.
The task of going head-to-head with a Fortune 500 company is intimidating, and that’s what they are banking on. It would be great if these companies actually had the best of intentions, but history has proven otherwise. It’s up to ordinary people to push back, to hold companies accountable. While This Is Not a Drill paints an important picture of the state of climate change in the United States today, the arguably more important story it tells is how community organizing can save the places we love. Justin, Roishetta, and Sharon didn’t dream of a political career in their youth. All three of them essentially fell into a life of activism because they couldn’t stand to see their land used and abused in this manner.
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Justin and other Memphis residents were told that a pipeline would be built through their neighborhoods because it was “the path of least resistance.” That becomes a rallying cry. If Big Oil thinks Justin and his neighbors are going down without a fight, they’re in for a rude awakening. This Is Not a Drill recognizes the state of things, but instead of giving up, shows a means of resistance. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to do this. Corporate greed wouldn’t overrun the lives of humans, but our society is far from ideal. This Is Not a Drill offers proof that change is possible. Justin, Roishetta, and Sharon have all had wins, both great and small, and now they work together. There is hope and power in the stories of these activists who prove how interconnected we all are. They live in separate states and have different life experiences, but the problems plaguing one community have widespread ripple effects on us all. This Is Not a Drill is timely, urgent, and a reminder that we may have inherited these problems, but we can also find solutions.
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