Burwell is a lifelong, dedicated community activist in Warren County, North Carolina. In 1978, she worked with Debra and Ken Ferruccio to inform the community about the potential dumping of PCB-contaminated soil in the predominantly Black and poorest counties. Burwell rallied her respective communities to resist, drawing on her faith and the church's influential leaders to amplify the movement. She served on the board of directors for the Southern Christan Leadership Conference and continued seeing the need for increased church participation in community organizing. When the first shipment of toxic waste came to the community, she and others gathered at Coley Springs Baptist Church to march to the dump site. Burwell was among the few arrested, including Reverend Leon White and her ten-year-old daughter. The protests continued to grow and lasted for six weeks.

Her family played a crucial role in her role as an activist. Her mother always told her to do justice and stand up for what she believed in, something that her daughter, Kimberly, learned from her. On the first day of the march, Kimberly, eight years old, insisted on attending the march alongside her mother. She witnessed her mother's arrest and was later arrested and detained as well. However, her mother's dedication and passion for her community, faith, and environmental justice are known for their contribution to the start of the environmental justice movement that endures today. Burwell continues to advocate for environmental justice and civil rights today.