The process of gentrification of an urban area, or, in popular words, “bourgeoisness”, differs from environmental racism mainly because it targets a minority group that has already suffers from all kinds of social oppressions, such as blacks.
The problem centers on how neighborhoods populated by groups in very vulnerable socio-economic conditions are saddled with disproportionate numbers of toxic waste, garbage and other sources of environmental pollution, reducing the quality of life and, at the same time, putting it at risk with the possibilities of infections and diseases of different natures.
That is, according to the fight against climate change grows, minority communities suffer disproportionately.
The root of the problem
(Source: Atlantic Council/Reproduction)
Although not adopted by federal government agencies, the term “r environmental racism” was coined by Benhamin Chavis, former head of the United Church of Christ’s Commission on Racial Justice, during the 1982 protests against the plan to place a hazardous waste landfill in Warren, North Carolina, where there was a predominantly black community.
As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency took the initiative to investigate three similarly situated landfills in southern states of the country, finding that all were, conveniently or not. , housed in black or low-income areas. In 1987, a report was released by Chavis entitled “Toxic Waste and Race in the United States: A National Report on the Economic Characteristics of Communities with Hazardous Waste Sites”, unearthing all the prejudice that tried to bury minority communities by committing environmental crimes in the surroundings where they settled.
(Source: National Geographic/Reproduction)
Before the scandal that triggered a series of government actions in favor of environmental justice, then US President George Bush founded the Office of Environmental Justice at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bill Clinton then promoted a series of protections by signing an executive order that required federal agencies to address environmental justice in low-income and minority populations in all policies.
Congress, however, it never approved any project to make the measure, effectively, a law. And while even then-President Barack Obama’s office committed to fighting for environmental justice, no legislation was passed. During the administration of President Donald Trump, only nothing was done and the EPA budget was completely reversed, leaving the black communities that suffer from the problem even more vulnerable.
The voice as a tool
(Source: NRDC/Reproduction)
Combat The immense problem that environmental racism has become is complicated because there are many barriers to getting to the root of the issue, starting with the economic ones. This is because the industries that arrive in vulnerable areas inhabited by blacks and the very poor, offer jobs that pay well enough for them to survive in that reality, in “exchange” for polluting the environment in which they are.
So it’s kind of hard for them not to choose for the money, even though their family members are dying from diseases, usually cancers of all kinds, and because hunger always ends up coming first. Long-term health is never the first option for these people.
In the midst of this dead-end chaos, starting to practice self-education is a way to understand what is happening, That’s why university students have shown themselves to be increasingly active in minority communities that are targets of environmental racism, trying to make residents who do not have access to this type of information aware of the dangers they face, based on Chavis’ report.
(Source: PBS /Reproduction)
It is also possible to collaborate in amplifying the voices of defenders of social justice in these communities, creating platforms for minority populations to share their experiences of environmental racism. The internet has become an essential tool for this, being able to reach an expressive audience and attention. However, this virtual help must not fall into slacktivism: a new trend in which people limit their activism to their social media posts. Donating, if it is possible for your reality, or being an active volunteer is already a huge step.
Using the power of the boycott to be able to hold corporations that perpetuate environmental racism accountable in the process of developing their wares, is another way to bring justice to victims. Companies have become increasingly transparent about environmental practices, but they still find what happens in vulnerable communities to be common.
If this works, one option is to invest your money in the local economy, for example, buying groceries from small businesses. Meanwhile, people in positions of power need to be increasingly pressured to ban the leasing of hazardous waste in minority communities.
Voice is the only tool to combat the problem in moment, and it needs to be used.
