CARENCRO, La. — As Women’s History Month draws to a close, KATC is highlighting one more woman whose legacy and efforts made a remarkable difference in communities all over the state of Louisiana.
Clara Baudoin is a Carencro resident who dedicated her life to advocating for her family and her community.
“I decided I needed to take action,” Baudoin said.
Baudoin served in the Louisiana State House of Representatives from 1996 to 2008, completing three full terms. However, she never imagined that politics would become part of her story.
“I never dreamed in my life I would do that,” she tells KATC.
Baudoin’s journey into politics began in the 1980s when she noticed something troubling in her own neighborhood that affected her loved ones.
“We had a landfill that opened up adjacent to our property, and my mother was elderly by then. She loved to sit on her porch, and I would get back from work, and she had been ill and was sick.”
The fumes from the North Dugas Landfill raised concerns about the safety of their homes, properties, and families. Baudoin knew she needed to act.
After securing an attorney, she sued the city of Lafayette, won the case, and successfully halted the landfill's expansion.
“Finally, we did get the facility closed," said Baudoin.
But her commitment didn’t end there.
Baudoin became a powerful voice for environmental protection, taking on hazardous waste dumps, medical waste sites, oilfield waste, and groundwater contamination all over the state. She even helped revise Louisiana’s solid waste regulations, advocating for cleaner, safer communities across the state and in several parishes.
“I always cared about the environment because I think it’s important that we protect our natural resources. A lot of people use it like we don’t have to worry about future generations, and it’s so wrong. In the meantime, you destroy communities by certain activities that go on,” she explained.
Baudoin’s life’s work has been about confronting issues head-on, no matter how overwhelming they may seem.
“You can do more than you realize you can do," Baudoin said. "When you see issues in your neighborhood, in your state, even on the national level. Pick an issue and don’t be afraid, it’s important that you get involved. That’s the only way things are going to change."
For women passionate about making the world a better place, Baudoin has a message.
“Take that first step, no matter how scared you are. You can do it. I never dreamed I could, but I did. If I can, you can too,” she says.
After years of advocacy, Baudoin now enjoys quilting and researching genealogy.
To learn more about Baudoin’s legacy, click here and here.
To read some of our other stories about this month, click here and here.
