Crash Course in Environmental Racism
What is environmental racism? Environmental racism is a term first coined by Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Director of the United Church of Christ’s Commission for Racial Justice, to refer to environmental injustice in racialized contexts, whether in policy or practice. Environmental racism manifests in BIPOC and low-income communities living closer to toxic waste dumps, chemical plants, and other harmful pollutants, which leads to higher rates of asthma and cancer. Let’s take a look at 10 examples of environmental racism across the United States.
Cancer Alley, Louisiana
Cancer Alley is an 85-mile strip of land along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Baton Rouge lined with oil refineries and chemical plants. It earned this title because its residents are 50 times more likely to develop cancer than the average American due to the pollution.
Pahokee, Florida
October in Pahokee, Florida brings “black snow,” a thick layer of soot covering the area when sugar cane farmers set their fields on fire before harvest. Residents of the Glades face higher rates of respiratory disease, especially those from its low income and Black communities.
Cheraw, South Carolina
Up until the 1970s, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a type of toxic chemical, were dumped in a creek in Cheraw, South Carolina by Burlington Industries. When Hurricane Florence hit, those chemicals washed up in people’s yards, homes, and a local playground.
Uniontown, Alabama
In 2008, over a billion tons of deadly coal ash spilled into the Emory River Channel in Tennessee. The workers that had to clean the site tragically developed chronic diseases, such as brain cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia. in 2010, the Tennessee Valley Authority transported 4 million cubic yards of coal ash from the spill to Uniontown, Alabama, home to a predominantly low-income, Black community.
The Bronx, New York
The Bronx is one of the most racially diverse parts of New York City and bears disproportionately high rates of air pollution. Close to 20% of children there have asthma, and the South Bronx earned the nickname “Asthma Alley” because there are five times more hospitalizations than the national average and 21 times more than other NYC neighborhoods.
Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan failed to properly treat its municipal water system, leading to mass lead poisoning from 2014 to 2015, despite repeated complaints from local residents, who were mostly low-income people of color.
Houston, Texas
The Harrisburg / Manchester neighborhood of Houston is 98% Hispanic and riddled with oil refineries, chemical plants, sewage treatment facilities, and hazardous waste sites. Up to 484,000 pounds of toxic chemicals are released there annually.
Detroit, Michigan
“Detroit’s most polluted zip code is 71% Black, and the air pollution is so bad it can make the sky look like a fiery orange glare.” The Marathon Oil Company Detroit Refinery has received over 15 violations of federal and state emission guidelines from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in the past seven years yet continues to expand.
References
Peña-Parr, Victoria. “The complicated history of environmental racism.” UNM Newsroom. 2020, http://news.unm.edu/news/the-complicated-history-of-environmental-racism
Colarossi, Natalie. “10 egregious examples of environmental racism in the US.” Insider, 2020, https://www.insider.com/environmental-racism-examples-united-states-2020-8
Ramirez, Ivana. “10 Examples of Environmental Racism and How It Works.” YES! Magazine. 2021, https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2021/04/22/environmental-racism-examples
“Environmental justice.” Avoice. http://www.avoiceonline.org/environmental/history.html
