Personal Experience: Environmental Justice and Environmental Racism

14. What are the goals of the environmental justice movement, and why are they relevant to sustainability?

The concept of social justice, and the environment have always been under great threat. However is it possible to mend the two, combine them together, in order to create an equal atmosphere and a sustainable society? The majority of the population have always wanted to prevent the minority in gaining their rights in fear of losing their power, and the nature conquerors have disregarded the wilderness’ needs in fear of losing their profit. Environmental activists and advocates have sought to bridge the gap between the complicated and divisive relationship between the natural world and the advancing technological world. Rebecca Solnit, Wendell Berry, and John Muir all recognize the explicit relationship between social justice and the respect for the natural world.

In addition to this class, I am taking a sociology class therefore, some of the information will be really helpful in writing my paper. I plan on using my sociology teacher as a resource for this paper. I will interview him for his opinion on what he thinks is the grassroots problem of environmental racism. I plan on completing this paper by spending at least 30 minutes every day on the paper starting on November 10th. I will work on the paper for extended amounts of time during thanksgiving break which is on November 24th to November 26th. I plan on having the finished version of my paper by December 2nd. I will then make an appointment with the writing center on December 5th. With my paper finished and edited, I will do some more revision and turn it

With the rapid development of the society, a large number of factories are built to meet the demand of the market. However, the problem of factory emission and processing system has been perplexing the residents of Flint. Flint water crisis’s crucial problem is based on environmental racism. Meanwhile, Flint is in uneven development situation and need to rebuild the infrastructure system.

Today we’re faced with multiple forms of inequalities and injustices. None of them are in no way, shape or form are okay or justifiable. While we as a people are striving to deal with the obvious forms of injustices, there is another form that is a real quiet one, but it can be heard throughout the world that we are living in and is a severe problem that needs to be addressed. The type of injustice that I’m speaking on is called: Environmental Racism. This has been a definite issue that not only affects the environment, but it also has effects on communities, individuals and it effects the economic system in the long run as well. Environmental Racism needs to be brought up in conversations within our communities as well as our local governments, so they will not forget their remains a problem.

One of the first influences on the deliberation on Environmental Justice was The Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. fought hard to ensure that social transformation and power be established for African Americans, especially those in the southern states as well as those in the northern inner-city parts. Activists like King altered the philosophy on Environmental Justice arguing that there was a lopsided effect that proved that environmental hazards were not accidental. What environmentalists advocated instead was that environmental dangers resulted from racial segregation that placed power plants, nuclear plants, and other potential ecological hazards in areas with a high concentration of minority and low income groups. Several activists defined this as “environmental racism.”

Those who argue that environmental racism is a serious problem in America and the whole world, and their number are growing, are correct in at least one of their assertions. Racism exists. environmental problems exist. these facts, however, do not reveal whether or not environmental racism has occurred in any given instance. this might be an unimportant distinction but for the fact that some argue that civil right laws be applied to pollution events and related regulatory violations.

By this time I had obtained courage to speak out against topics of that were controversial or even at the least uncomfortable for me. The class was structured around climate change and sustainable energy. There was harmonious agreement that water bottles were inefficient and not needed at the university. The opinion further spread to doing away with all water bottles because they were contributing to the decline of the environment. While I agreed water bottles were bad for the planet, I thought about times they were useful in third world countries,not only in third world countries but even in the United States. I was slightly upset because this was after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan had occurred. There was no mention of the importance of water bottles for those in crisis. I was also sensitive because I could recall a time where segregation forced people to drink from two separate fountains. Packages of water bottles were donated were being sent to families affected, I watched this story on the news. I watched this story because Flint, Michigan had a very high population of african-americans affected by this water contamination. Race in my mind, plays a valuable factor when it comes to climate change. The environmental justice movement had gone hand in hand with the civil rights movement. The environmental justice movement sought to stop the minority from paying the consequence of poor

“Environmental racism is real…so real that even having the facts, having the documentation and having the information has never been enough to provide equal protection for people of color and poor people” “It takes longer for the response and it takes longer for the recovery in communities of color and low-income communities.” (Bullard, 1994:36)

The Bronx, NY is home to over 1.3 million people- men, women and children alike. It is currently the poorest urban county in the United States with the majority of residents being people of color. For quite some time now the Bronx has been experiencing an influx of industrial activity. As it is a relatively cheaper area compared to the rest of the five boroughs, it is cheaper to buy property there. As a result, more and more companies are buying up the land and setting up shop in what is already a highly urbanized area. Not only is the Bronx bordered on all sides by busy highways, it is also home to a number of industrial buildings such as the country’s largest distribution center, waste transfer sites, power plants, and so much more. It is

The term “environmental racism” is not one that many people are familiar with, and it is difficult to infer its meaning only thinking about the term itself. “Environment” and “racism” are relatively simple to define separately, but when they are put together as one term, they develop a complex meaning and encompass a wide range of histories and elements. So what is environmental racism, and how does it affect the different populations of American society? In this paper I will argue that the non-white communities affected by environmental racism have been molded by historical vestiges of institutions created to subjugate them, that environmental racism has severely detrimental effects on non-white communities in particular, and finally that environmental racism often greatly benefits certain groups in society as it simultaneously impairs others.

Certain environmental justice frameworks attempt to turn the dominant environmental paradigm on its head and seek to prevent environmental threats before they occur. This paradigm is known as the Precautionary

Almost everyone has heard the famous hymn, “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” but not all understand the true meaning when it says, “Red, and yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” The moment sin entered into the world, perfection no longer existed. This loss of perfection changed the way humans viewed each other. It made one ethnicity view another ethnicity as inferior, and in doing so, created what people now know of as racism. For centuries, racism has been a part of society, shaping the way humans view each other, but with the aid of Young Women 's Christian Association (YWCA) - Stand Against Racism, racial discrimination and injustice can be eliminated.

As stated in the thesis, environmental injustice mostly affects minority communities. In a map presented by the Los Angeles Times, in Southeast LA there are 26 communities- which 83.9% of the inhabitants are of minority groups (Southeast, n.d.). Similarly, another map released by EPA from the 1990 U.S. Census illustrates that in places where there is 80 to 100% of people of color there is at least 2

Environmental sociology began to emerge in conjunction with the environmental justice movement. Environmental sociology can be defined as the study of how human societies interact with their environment. One important individual, Dr. Robert Bullard, acted as a key person throughout the environmental justice movement. He served as a technical advisor on civil right lawsuits and is now a professor at Texas Southern University. Because of his research dedicated to environmental issues pertaining the African American community, he is known as the father of environmental justice. Under the umbrella of environmental sociology it discusses concepts such as environmental justice and environmental inequalities. When racial and socially marginalized