Environmental Racism and its Complicated History
What is Environmental Racism, and how can you Help Fight Against It?
There is monumental evidence of historical racism and economic inequality being the primary motivators of placing toxic waste facilities. To segregate POC communities, the federal government utilized practices such as redlining and yellow-lining. The government would offer home loan insurance and refinancing to everyone outside of “redlined” or “yellow-lined” neighborhoods. You can probably assume these areas have high populations of people of color. This policy and practice made it nearly impossible for those in low-income communities to leave and find better housing and opportunities. Further, toxic waste facilities were generally placed in red areas with high populations of POC. The terminology for this practice is “environmental racism.”
The History of “Environmental Racism”
This term was developed throughout the 1970s and 1980s during the environmental justice movement and is used to describe environmental injustice that occurs within a racialized context in both practice and policy. We are talking about the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards placed on POC.
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, an African American civil rights leader and past assistant to Martin Luther King Jr., initially coined the term “environmental racism.” However, a comprehensive definition comes from Robert Bullard’s book Dumping in Dixie.
Dumping in Dixie is a 1990 book by Robert Bullard, an American professor, author, activist, and environmental sociologist. Bullard brings light to the quintessence of the economic, social, and psychological consequences induced by the siting of toxic waste facilities within the African American community. He provides evidence that shows that black Americans’ struggle for social justice has been and continues to be rooted in white racism.
It is Racially Motivated
Environmental racism is very real despite its lack of recognition within certain privileged communities. Objective evidence exists to back up this statement.
In metropolitan Chicago, for example, Black communities were dyed red on Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps, deeming them as mortgage and security risks. These neighborhoods were starved of credit and investment for decades following this and robbed of opportunities to build wealth. Without establishing credit, these low-income minority groups were forced to live in unsuitable and unsafe areas. Redlining also took place in Oakland, California, contributing to health issues of individuals in the red areas.
Further, a study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that minority and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by air pollution. African Americans faced the highest impact, with a 54 percent higher health burden. As a result of living in close proximity to major polluters, POC are exposed to more harmful pollutants compared to white, wealthy communities. Therefore, they are also subject to greater rates of severe health problems.
Toxic air pollutants pose different risks to health depending on the specific contaminant, including cancer, harm to the nervous system and brain, congenital disabilities, impaired lung function, and coughing and wheezing. Individuals being exposed to these pollutants is quite frankly unacceptable because living in a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right.
In North Carolina
According to the EPA, 80,000 North Carolina residents live within two miles of a coal ash dump, and 20,000 of these residents are POC. Coal ash is the waste that is left after coal is combusted; therefore, it comes mostly from coal-fired electric power plants. It typically contains heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, and aluminum, leading to serious health problems if eaten, drunk, or inhaled. Therefore, living next to a coal ash disposal site can increase your risk of coming in contact with these toxicants and developing various health issues.
As the statistics reported by the EPA prove, POC are disproportionally exposed and affected by toxicants. In Warren County, NC, specifically, protestors, including Dr. Benjamin Chavis, protested against the siting of a hazardous waste landfill in a predominately African American community. While the Warren County protest failed to prevent the siting of this landfill, it was effective in providing a national start to the environmental justice movement. The siting of this toxic landfill is a prime example of environmental racism that has taken place in North Carolina, and minority groups continue to be disproportionally exposed to toxicants from coal ash and waste.
Our Moral Responsibility
The environmental justice movement is essentially the fight for justice in itself. We must continue to raise awareness and end the inequalities that Black Americans and other POC face. Since the 1970s, the environmental justice movement has continued to grow, fighting against the siting of the North River Sewage Treatment Plant, forming networks for minorities to address environmental and economic justice issues through community, and putting an end to the urban oil fields in Los Angeles.
Fighting against environmental racism is doing what is morally right. As a movement, we should act to dismantle the systems and policies that subject POC disproportionally to environmental health hazards.
We should first practice self-education, educating ourselves on past or current inequitable environmental hazards and policymaking. Understanding the connection between structural racism and the disproportionate ecological risks found in underprivileged communities is essential. Knowledge is power. Therefore, we can use this education to elevate the voices of vulnerable communities and hold our representatives accountable.
What you can do Next
During this crucial time, when we are facing the real possibility that the climate crisis could wipe humanity off of the face of the planet, we need to take action. Holding our representatives accountable is key, which is why foundations like The Climate Reality Project exist. They are committed to mobilizing people to become influential activists by providing them with the skills and resources to do so. The Climate Reality Project has trained over 42,000 change-makers worldwide since 2006, resulting in a global network of activists leading the fight for climate solutions in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa.
In addition to Climate Reality, there are several other organizations that push for environmental action. Some of these organizations include the League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund, Climate Power, NRDC Action Fund, and National Wildlife Federation. These are some of the nation’s leading environmentally-focused organizations, while some other small organizations also exist. Making small contributions or donations, signing a few petitions, and subscribing to these newsletters are some of the small ways we can make a difference. Although they seem like small acts, these are more beneficial actions than the average human realizes. We need to start here.
Here is a link for a social media post on this issue!
