Change Your World Week Fall 2021 (Archived)

Environmental racism, a term coined by Benjamin Chavis, is a serious and sometimes deadly form of racial discrimination. Discrimination that targets people of color by allowing toxic waste facilities, heavy pollution, and other environmental hazards to set up shop in minority residential neighborhoods. (Pena-Parr, Victoria. 2020) Injustices like this are made possible through laws and government policies that allow it, making it completely legal to poison the air, soil, and drinking water of minority communities around the world.

African Americans are three times more likely than any other race to die from complications due to pollution exposure. Complications such as, but not limited to, a higher rate of infant mortality, asthma, cancer, lung disease, and heart disease. Native Americans and Hispanics are also disproportionately more affected by environmental racism than their white counterparts. (Bell, Jasmine. 2016)  And because they lack political power and the financial means necessary to stand up for themselves, there is currently no end in sight for them.  

Works Cited

Bell, Jasmine.  "5 Things to Know About Communities of Color and Environmental Justice - Center for American Progress" Apr. 25, 2015. 

Environmental Racism is all around us. It is an injustice that is not exclusive to one country in particular, but rather a worldwide epidemic, caused by pollution and unjust government policies. The city of Flint, Michigan is a tragic and deadly example of this and the information I obtained in a Sociology of Family class about it, will stay with me forever…

In April of 2014 the city of Flint, a city that is predominantly African American, was in a serious state of financial crisis. Due to this, the government decided to step in to “help” save the city from financial ruin. They proposed a plan that would save the city money by switching the city’s water supply from the Detroit River over to the Flint River. (Moore, Stephanie. 2021) This new water supply was proposed as temporary, only to be used until a new pipeline could be built. It was presented to citizens as safe, and effective in saving the city millions of dollars. (Flints Deadly Water, 2019) Of course, this was less of a proposal, and more of a paternalistic decision made by the government. A decision that was made with no regard for the safety and wellbeing of the people of Flint. Though they were told that the water supply change was completely safe, and that it would help Flint prosper once again, this was not the case at all.

The water supply switch proved fatal, it was rushed, lacked proper sanitation and basic water quality standards. In fact, it was never even tested for impurities or toxins. Soon after the switch, legionnaires disease started to spread. Which according to the Mayo Clinic is a painful form of pneumonia caused by (legionella) contaminated water. (Mayo, Clinic. 2014.) Soon after this discovery, lead poisoning cases also began to soar, breaking record highs. Citizens were sick, afraid, and outraged as they knew the drinking water was to blame. Telling anyone who would listen, desperately reaching out for help. The Government responded to their cries by reassuring them that the water was perfectly safe for human consumption and that it met water quality standards. Still, sickness and disease continued to spread throughout the community.  The people of Flint were being poisoned from their own drinking water. The Doctors, health officials, community members, and anyone who tried to speak up about this, were brushed off and swept under the rug. Sadly, this led to countless cases of lead poisoning, legionnaires, pneumonia, and even death. Innocent people, gone for simply drinking water. Water that they paid for. Water they were repeatedly told was safe. I would give you the numbers and statistics, but due to government cover-ups, we don’t have a reliable source of data at this time. (PBS, Frontline. Sept, 2019.) But I will say this, one life lost is too many. One child poisoned, and left with long term disabilities, is too many.

Unclean drinking water causing disease and fatality is something most Americans would view as a third world problem, not something happening in their own backyards. But this was the reality for Flint, Michigan. With the evidence presented, I can’t help but believe that the Government allowed it to happen because they simply thought they could. It seems they thought no one would care about a low income, high crime, minority-based city. They have no money and lack social power, so what are they going to do about it?

The answer to this question has not been answered loud and clear enough. But together, we can do something about it. Please, take a second to sign the petition below.

Environmental Justice Foundation | Sign a petition (ejfoundation.org)

Works Cited-

Beech, Peter.  "What is Environmental Racism And How Can We Fight It? | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)" Jul. 31, 2020.

PBS, Frontline.  "We Found Dozens of Uncounted Deaths During the Flint Water Crisis. Here’s How. | FRONTLINE | PBS" Sept. 2019

Pena-Parr, Victoria. "The complicated history of environmental racism: UNM Newsroom" Aug. 04, 2020.

Moore, Stephanie. Delta College Sept, 2021. 

Photography Credit 

Canadian Labour Congress "Why Canada’s unions are highlighting environmental racism during Black History Month | Canadian Labour Congress" Feb. 06, 2019

Patagonia Action Works Environmental Justice Is Racial Justice - Patagonia Action Works 

United Nations Childrens Fund Akash Environmental Racism and Climate Justice: The Racialized Climate Catastrophe – Georgetown Security Studies Review

Robinson, Kevin. Pensacola News Journal Part of $3.4M grant will address 'environmental racism' in Wedgewood (pnj.com) Aug. 01, 2017.

Shutterstock Barrett, Thomas. Advancing Racial Justice Means Ending Fossil Fuel Reliance | Dame Magazine 

Some of the health risks that come with being located in an area where there is no access to quality health care is the amount of complications that come with child birth. I review published in the "Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health" in 2016 found that racial discrimination, including environmental and housing conditions, is a significant risk factor for adverse health outcomes, such as premature birth, low birth rate, and infant mortality. (Gillespie) Without the access to proper medical facilities there is a much greater risk of new born infants being delivered with complications to their health, already setting them a few steps back from communities and areas where healthcare is much more easily available. Another health issue associated with environmental racism is the increased risk of cancer. A higher risk of cancer exists in Reserve Louisiana compared to the neighboring white communities due to the dense concentration of petrochemical plants in the area, as explained in a 2012 study published in the "International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health", the researchers found that the cancer risk was 12-16% higher in Black communities than in white communities. (Gillespie)

Work Cited.

Gillespie, Claire. "Environmental Racism Is a Health Issue - How Experts Are Addressing It". Health.com. Nov. 30, 2020.