TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacismonLowIncomeMinoritiesinAmerica
AneliNavarro
e3CivicHigh

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
2

Abstract
Thepurposeofthispaperistoinformitsreadersofthemeaningofenvironmentalracism,
possiblesolutions,limitations,anditseffectsonthecommunitywithanemphasisoflowincome
andminoritycommunities.Iwrotethispaperwiththemeanstoeducateonthehazardsofliving
inanenvironmentallyunsafeorenvironmentallyracistcommunity,howtodetectasmuch,and
actionsthatcanbetakeninordertosurpasssuchaposition.Solutionswillincludemanageable
actionsthatcanbetakenbythepublicandcommunityleaders.Limitationswillincludeobstacles
whenapproachingsolutionsthatcancertainlybeovercomewithdeterminationandinformation.
Finally,myrecommendationonhowthegeneralpublicshouldapproachtheissue.

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
3

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacismonLowIncomeMinoritiesinAmerica
Inrecentdiscussionsofenvironmentalracism,acontroversialissuehasbeenwhether
environmentalinjusticeisbasedonrace.Fromthisperspective,wecanseethatthedemographic
groupwhichisplaguedbyenvironmentalracismareminorities.Ontheotherhand,however,
othersarguethatincomeandemploymentareindisputablefactorsleadingthisissue.Inthe
wordsofJ.TomBoerfromtheGeorgeWashingtonUniversitySchoolofLaw,...the
environmentaljusticeconceptassertsthatdemographycanbeusedtopredictthelocationof
environmentalhazards,withnonminority,affluentresidentslivinginareasfarfromthese
potentialthreats.(Boer,p.794).Accordingtothisview,environmentalracismcanindeedbe
pinpointedbasedondemographicgroupwithupperclassAmericanslivinginbetter
environmentalconditions.Insum,theissueiswhetherenvironmentaljusticeisaboutraceor
economicstance.
Myincentivetowriteaboutthisenvironmentalissueisthatitisobscureonapoliticaland
sociallevel.Althoughthereisanorganizationrunbythegovernmenttopreventenvironmental
racism,therearecitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesreportingandfightingenvironmentalracism
suchasFlint,MI,ThousandsofFlintsresidents,blackandwhite,havebeenexposedtoleadin
theirdrinkingwater.Andthelongtermhealtheffectsofthatpoisoningmaynotbefully

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
4

understoodforyears.(Eligon,2016).Standardviewsonthistopicsuggestthatpeoplewhoare
notdirectlyaffectedorcurrentlysufferingfromthisissueareunawareoftheeffectsithasonthe
communityandthenationasawhole.Ithasnotbeenawidelyspreadandpopularsocialissue
suchaspolicebrutalityorclimatechange.Whiletheyrarelyadmitasmuch,socioeconomically
affluentcitizensoftentakeforgrantedtheirprivilegedlivingconditions.Theproblemisnot
oftenvisibletothenakedeye,asenvironmentalracismismanifestedthroughunnoticeable
mediumssuchasleadindrinkingwaterliketheFlint,Michigancase,orhousinginairpolluted
sites.Eventhoughthereisadifferenceofopiniononthefactorscontributingtoenvironmental
racism,itisimportanttorememberthatwhetheritberaceoranunluckyeconomicstatus,the
livesthisissueaffectsarehumanlivesthataremorallyandethicallyerroneoustobeneglectedor
deemedunworthyofhealthyenvironmentalconditions.
Fromthemilestonesectionof
TheEnvironmentalJusticeMovement
bytheNatural
ResourcesDefenseCouncil,1982PrimarilyAfricanAmericancommunityinWarrenCounty,
NorthCarolina,risesagainstdumpingoftoxicPCBlacedsoilfirstnationallyrecognized
environmentalprotestbypeopleofcolor.Accordingtothisarticle,thiswastheearliest
recordingofoppressedminoritiesactivelybattlingenvironmentalracismintheircommunity.
DeborahFerruccio,aresidentofWarrenCounty,NorthCarolinabecameapioneer
environmentalactivistasaresultofthisevent,DeborahFerrucciowas24whensheandher
thenhusband,Ken,movedtoAftonin1977,leavingtheiracademicworldinOhioforalog
cabinintheNorthCarolinawoods.Ayearlater,afterencounteringyellowsignswarning
Caution,PCBChemicalsonHighwayShoulders,itbecametheirlifesworktofightfor
environmentaljustice,apursuitshecontinuestoday.(Katz,2012,pt.9)Inthisquote,Deborah

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
5

Ferrucciosinterviewerstatesthebeginningofherbattleagainstthisissuewhichplagues
communitiesthroughouttheUnitedStatestoday.Environmentalracismhasbeenan
inconspicuousprobleminU.S.communitiesforlongerthantherecordedhistory,however,
accordingtomyresearch,thesehavebeentheearliestfindingsofactiveengagementagainstit.
Knowledgeofenvironmentalracismissubstantialtothecommoncitizenbecauseofthe
considerableprobabilitytheymayhavesufferedit,aresufferingit,orwillsufferfromitinthe
future.FromtheEnvironmentalJusticeandHealthAllianceforChemicalPolicyReformrelease,
WhosinDanger?Race,Poverty,andChemicalDisasters,
Morethan134millionAmericans
liveinthedangerzonesaround3,433facilitiesinseveralcommonindustriesthatstoreoruse
highlyhazardouschemicals.Millionsmorepeoplework,play,shop,andworshipintheseareas.
(2014,p.8).Althoughthisissuemayseemofsmallconcerntoasmallgroupofcitizens,it
shouldinfactconcernanyonewhocaresabouttheirmedicalhealthandtheenvironment.This
mattercanbecomeofuttermosturgencyifitisnotidentifiedintimeduetothephysicalharms
someairpollution,waterpollution,orothercontaminationcanbearonthecommunity.
Solutions
EnvironmentalJusticeMovement
Beawareofyourrighttofulldisclosure.AccordingtothetheEnvironmentalJusticeand
HealthAllianceforChemicalPolicyReformrelease,ToxicWastesandRacehelpedcatalyzea
nationalmovementknownastheenvironmentaljusticemovementbymakingvisiblethe
adverseenvironmentalandhealthimpactstoworkersandvulnerablecommunitieslivingnearthe
fencelinesofchemicalfacilities.Thismovementassertsthatequalprotectionandahealthy
environmentarebasichumanrights,andpromotesprecautionandpreventionbydesignasa

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
6

primarystrategytoachievehealthandjusticeforall.(2014,p.12).Thisquotestatesthatthe
environmentaljusticemovementprotectscitizensbydisclosingallpossiblehealthriskslinkedto
environmentaljustice,however,citizenshavetobewillingtoeducatethemselvesonthehazards
oftheirlivingareaandpotentialfactorsthatcouldcontributetothedeteriorationoftheirhealth.
Ifexecutedcorrectly,thiscouldbenefitcitizensbypreventingthemfromlivingin
environmentallyhazardousareas.
Furthermore,inthewordsofRobertD.Bullard,Themovementredefinedenvironmental
protectionasabasicright.Italsoemphasisedpollutionprevention,wasteminimisationand
cleanerproductiontechniquesasstrategiestoachieveenvironmentaljusticeforallAmericans
regardlessofrace,colour,nationaloriginorincome.(2002,Bullard).Althoughenvironmental
protectionisabasicrightasBullardstatedinthequoteabove,itisnotalwaysenforced.Citizens
stillsuffertheeffectsofthistragicinjusticeandaneffectivewayofpreventionisbeinginformed
ontheirbasicrightaswellasresearchtheirlivingareaorbringinaprofessionaltotesttheir
livingconditions.Iftracesofhazardouswastearefoundinyourhomeafterprofessionaltesting,
researchwaysinwhichyoucanaddressthemayorofyourcityoracitysattorneytocombatthis
oppression.
AccordingtoAmyBraunin
GovernanceChallengesinPromotingEnvironmentalJustice
(2011),...environmentaljusticereferstotherighttoasafe,healthy,productive,and
sustainableenvironmentforall,whereenvironmentisconsideredinitstotalitytoincludethe
ecological(biological),physical(naturalandbuilt),social,political,aesthetic,andeconomic
environments.Knowingthemeaningtoyourrightandwhatyoushouldexpectasanindividual
meansenvironmentalsafetyandhealthinyourcommunity.Additionally,knowingwhetheryou

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
7

arelivingincontaminatedareasalsomeansknowingyourworkingconditions.Goingbackto
RobertD.Bullards
ConfrontingEnvironmentalRacismintheTwentyFirstCentury
,Having
industrialfacilitiesinonescommunitydoesnotautomaticallytranslateintojobsfornearby
residents.Manyindustrialplantsarelocatedatthefencelinewiththecommunities.Someareso
closethatlocalresidentscouldwalktowork.Moreoftenthannot,communitiesofcolourare
stuckwiththepollutionandpoverty,whileotherpeoplecommuteinfortheindustrialjobs.
Fromthisquotewegatherthatwhilewalkingtoworkmayseemconvenient,itisnotalways
worthyourhealthifyouchoosetolivenearyourworkplace.Moresowhenitisahazardous
wastesite,industrialplantorthelikes.
Vaccinations
Environmentaljusticefallsontheshouldersofthecommunityasawhole.Itisnotonly
yourgovernmentsjobtoprotectyou,butyourjobtoprotectyourselfaswell.Between1999
and2009,theNationalAcademyofScienceproducedfiveenvironmentaljusticereportsshowing
thatlowincomeandpeopleofcolorcommunitiesareexposedtohigherlevelsofpollutionthan
therestofthenation,andthatthesesamepopulationsexperiencecertaindiseasesingreater
numberthanmoreaffluentwhitecommunities.(Eligon,2016)Whileitistruethatin
environmentalracismminoritiesaretheonesaffectedunjustlybybeingexposedtohigher
levelsofpollutionthantherestofthenation,itisimportanttorememberthatvaccinationscan
alsohelppreventcatchingsuchillnesses.Environmentalracismalsotakesaheavytollamong
childrenofcolor.Forexample,inaU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesstudy
releasedin2011,ofthe7.8percentofthepopulationsufferingfromasthma,adisproportionate
areofcolor.(DeLaTorre,2013).Takingyourchildrentothedoctorforregularcheckupscan

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
8

alsohelppreventinstancesinwhichtheyfallsickfromfactorscontributingtoenvironmental
racism.
Althoughvaccinationscannotalwayspreventillnessesandarenotadefinitecureeither,
theyaredefinitetoguardagainstdeathbysuchpollutantsandhaveyourdoctorknowofyour
medicalcondition.Itcalledforimprovedmethodologiesforassessingandmitigatingimpacts
andhealtheffectsoncommunities,collectionofdataonlowincomeandminoritypopulations
whichmaybedisproportionatelyatrisk,andidentificationoftheimpactonsubsistence
populations.Itencouragesparticipationoftheimpactedcommunitiesinthevariousphases.
(CorreaBernier,1991,p.7).Fromthisquote,wegatherthattheenvironmentaljusticemovement
callsforparticipationofcitizensinordertocarryouttheirgoalofspreadingjusticeonthetopic.
Itisthesamewithgettingvaccinationstoguardoffillnessescausedbytheproblemactively
combatingtheinjusticeandprotectingyourself.
BecomeEcoFriendly
Airpollution,whichistheleadingfactorofasthmainLosAngeles,canbefoughtby
reducingeverydayairpollutants

suchascaremissionsandburningthingsoutside.Cumulative
impactsreferstothedenseconcentrationofpollutionsourcesinthesecommunities,combined
withsocioeconomicfactorssuchashighratesofpoverty,lackofaccesstoaffordablehealth
care,andothersocialstressors.(CommunitiesforaBetterEnvironment,2012).Thisquote
exhibitsfactorssupplyingthepollutionproblemwhichbecomesanenvironmentaljusticeissue
whenthemembersofthesecommunitiesareexposedtoitandobtainillnessesfromsuch.Efforts
bythisorganizationincludegatheringcitizenstouniteagainstairpollutantsbybecoming

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
9

walkingorcyclingcommutersascargassesandemissionarethebiggestcontributorstoair
pollution.
TheCUGUCampaignisanefforttoutilizeLosAngeleslanduseandplanning
authoritytopreventadditionalpollutionsourcesfrombeingbuiltinthesecommunities,toreduce
theexistingpollutionburden,andtobegingreeningthesecommunitiesbyexpandingparksand
othergreenspaces,anddevelopingatrulycleanandgreeneconomicinfrastructure.
(CommunitiesforaBetterEnvironment,2012).Intheabovequote,effortstakingplacetotake
actionagainsttheissueareexplained.Theireffortsseemtoneedmostlygovernmentaidand
confirmation,butwithenoughcitizensappealingtothecitycouncilandtheirgovernment,these
effortsbecomemorelikelytohappen.EPAestablishedaformalfederaladvisorycommitteeto
provideadviceonissuesrelatedtoenvironmentaljustice.The25membercouncilwaschaired
byRichardMoore(SouthwestNetworkforEnvironmentalandEconomicJustice)anditwas
composedofrepresentativesfromcommunitygroups,academia,industry,localandstate
governmentandnongovernmentalorganizations.(CorreaBernier,1991,p.7).Asexplained
above,communitycommitteescanbestartedineffortsagainsttheenvironmentalproblem.
Citizensareabletoappealtocommunityleadersandstartacommunitygroupthatiscapableof
betteringtheircommunityenvironmentthroughactionsmentionedinthepreviousquote.
Limitations
EnvironmentalJusticeMovement
Limitationswiththeenvironmentaljusticemovementmayincludeincapabilityof
enforcement.Somewillprobablydisputethebenefitsofthispossiblesolutionbysayingthat,
Racialandethnicinequalityisperpetuatedandreinforcedbylocalgovernmentsinconjunction

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
10

withurbanbasedcorporations.Racecontinuestobeapotentvariableinexplainingurbanland
use,streetandhighwayconfiguration,commercialandindustrialdevelopmentandindustrial
facilitysiting.Moreover,thequestionofwhogetswhat,whereandwhyoftenpitsone
communityagainstanother.(Bullard,2002).Fromthisperspective,weadmirethatdetermining
theenvironmentalplacementofcommunities,industries,andcitizensingeneralmaybecomea
limitationbyhavingcommunitiesfighteachother.
BecomeEcoFriendly
Limitationsinbecomingecofriendlyinclude:dearthofcommutebyecofriendlysources
likebicyclesandwalkingasdistancemaybeanobstacle.Whilesomeareashavewide
shouldersandbikelanes,driversfrequentlydisregardbicyclistsandareatfaultforcausing
cyclistinjuriesandevendeaths.(Crilly,2015).Theabovequoteexplainsamajorlimitation
withbicycleswhichmanypeoplemaybeafraidofbecauseofevendeaths.Anothermajor
limitationmaybedistancebetweenplacesforwalkingorbicyclingcommuters.Itiscommon
knowledgethattheuseforcarsoriginatesmainlyfromhavingtotravellongdistanceswhich
maynotbeabletobereachedwithbicyclesorwalking.
Recommendation
Fromindepthresearchandcomparing,arecommendationIhaveconcludedisjoining
theenvironmentaljusticemovementthroughyourcommunityandgovernment.Limitationsto
thisareminimumandinnocuouscomparedtotheotherlimitationsfortheothersolutions.The
firststeptofightingforyourcommunityagainstenvironmentalracismisresearchingpotentially
hazardousindustriesaroundyourcommunitytodeterminewhetheryouwillneedtoappealtothe
cityforlitigation.Theeffectsofdoingthiscanonlybepositiveasyouwillbeadvocatingfora

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
11

betterenvironmentforyourfamilyandcommunity.Theimpactonthepeopleandeffectwillbe
thatofabetterlife,healthierliving,andenvironmentalhappiness.
References
Braun,A.(2011,May1).GovernanceChallengesinPromotingEnvironmentalJustice|Beyond
Intractability.RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/environmentaljusticechallenges
Thisarticleisonthestrugglesofpromotingenvironmentaljustice.Itexplainsthegovernmental
factorsinplay.
Orum,Paul,Moore,Richard,Roberts,Michele,Sanchez,Joaquin(2014)WhosInDanger?
Race,Poverty,andChemicalDisasters.
RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://www.comingcleaninc.org/assets/media/images/Reports/Who's%20in%20Danger%20Repo
rt%20and%20Table%20FINAL.pdf
Thisarticleisonthefactorscontributingtothestruggleofenvironmentalracismonthelower
class.Itexplainshypothesesdoneonthesubjectandconclusionsbroughtfromindepthresearch
ofraceinenvironmentalplacement.
CommunitiesforaBetterEnvironment.(2012,April27).RetrievedMarch22,2016,from
http://www.cbecal.org/media/emailnewsletters/summer2012newsletter/cleanupgreenupcam
paignaninnovativesolutiontoenvironmentalracism/
ThisarticleisontheorganizationcreatedtofightairpollutioninLosAngeles.Itexplainsthe
city'spositiononenvironmentaldestructionandthehardshipsthecitizensfaceaswellaswhat
canbedoneaboutit.

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
12

DeLaTorre,M.(2013,August13).EnvironmentalracismafflictsUSminorities.Retrieved
March17,2016,from
https://baptistnews.com/2013/08/13/environmentalracismafflictsusminorities/
ThisarticleisonhowenvironmentalinjusticeaffectsUnitedStatesminorities.Itexplains
researchdoneandplacesafflicted.
Bullard,R.D.(2012,November).ConfrontingEnvironmentalRacismintheTwentyFirst
Century.RetrievedMarch22,2016,from
http://www.worlddialogue.org/content.php?id=179
ThisarticleisonhowenvironmentalracismaffectsblackandMexicanAmericansintheUnited
States.Italsostatesactionstakenbythegovernmenttopreventenvironmentaldisasterfrom
happeninginurbanandruralcommunities.
Katz,C.(2012,June20).Birthofthemovement:"Peoplehavetostandupforwhatisright."A
Q&Awithtwoenvironmentaljusticepioneers.RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/pollutionpovertypeopleofcolorday
9qawithenvironmentaljusticepioneers
Thissourceisaninterviewwithanenvironmentalhealthactivist.Itexplainsherstrugglesto
fightinherhometownandhowshestillfightstoday.
N.(n.d.).TheEnvironmentalJusticeMovement.RetrievedMarch20,2016,from
http://www.nrdc.org/ej/history/hej2.asp
ThisarticleisontheenvironmentaljusticemovementanditseffectsontheAmericanpeople.It
explainsthemovementanditscomponents.
Eligon,J.(2016).AQuestionofEnvironmentalRacisminFlint.RetrievedMarch22,2016,
from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/aquestionofenvironmentalracisminflint.html

TheEffectsofEnvironmentalRacism
13

ThisnewsarticleisontheenvironmentalcrisisinFlint,MI.Itexplainstheeventandthepeople
affected.