Environmental Injustice Examples
Even though racism is and has always been an issue, we don’t often think about all the ways it can affect people of color. One example of this is environmental justice and racism, this is where corporations dump environmentally hazardous or degraded elements, such as toxic waste, pollution and urban decay near low-income or minority communities (Environmental Racism 2012, 1). It’s another unjust way African Americans have been and still continue to be treated. Many families have grown up in danger of being affected by these harmful substances and haven’t had a fair say when it comes to the accumulation of waste proximal to their area. From the early 1920s-1978, more than 80% of Houston's garbage landfills and incinerators have been located
in black neighborhoods (Bullard 2007, 22). That is one city alone, and in it only 25% of the population was African American (Bullard 2007, 22). We know this is a real issue due to the endless data accumulated and protest movements in black neighborhoods trying to prevent environmental racism. Back in 1982, controversy arose when a North Carolina court decided to dump 60,000 tons of highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls soil in Warren Landfill (Bullard 2007, 22-24). This was the trigger for mass mobilization against environmental injustice (Bullard 2007, 24). After two decades of multiple protests and arrests, the state and federal sources spent 17.1 million to detoxify the soil, giving victory to the predominantly black community if Warren country (Bullard 2007, 24). This led to vast amounts of data being collected involving these occurrences, 40 out of 44 states with hazardous waste facilities were placed predominantly in colored neighborhoods (Bullard 2007, 24). Not only has hazardous waste been dumped in black neighborhoods, but also the incarceration of waste that expels fumes happen near these communities as well (Bullard 2007, 24).. There has also been cases of water contamination being neglected by the companies responsible, but the ones deprived of decontamination has been black families. In 1980 the Roberson’s water was contaminated by oil by the Texas Railroad through drilling. The family complained to the railroad in 1987 and didn’t receive response until 1996, even then the railroad claimed there was no contamination. Then in 2003 they retested and found many elements that exceed drinking standards. No government action took place for a clean up and the families in the black community remained unsafe. They reported a speedy clean up in a white-suburban neighborhood, but were clearly not given the same treatment since their clean up process was moving along slowly. Many reports of this has occurred and multiple generations of African American families have been poisoned by wells they were told were safe (Bullard 2007, 24-25).This is still a fresh issue, many environmentalists, civil rights or social justice activists have just began to look over it. (Bullard 2007, 22). To fight back against these injustices and reduce the social problem of toxic racism in the U.S., we have to consider both social movements and environmental acts in place that protect all races/classes equally. In 1992 the Environmental Protection Agency published Environmental equity: Reducing Risks for All Communities, it refers to rules and regulations of fairness, spacial configurations, sociological factors that make this system unfair (Bullard 2008). They have set up and fought for policies that creates equality for the dumping of hazardous waste. They have a leg in the legal system and can better create social equity than let's say a social movement. Though social movements can be just as powerful, it doesn’t have the same resources as the EPA. This particular issue is a reformative movement since it is used to improve society and impact everyone. Many social movements involve a large group of people who come together to to create change usually through protests, resources, alliances and mass media attention. These are ways we can reduce the social problem of toxic racism.
in black neighborhoods (Bullard 2007, 22). That is one city alone, and in it only 25% of the population was African American (Bullard 2007, 22). We know this is a real issue due to the endless data accumulated and protest movements in black neighborhoods trying to prevent environmental racism. Back in 1982, controversy arose when a North Carolina court decided to dump 60,000 tons of highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls soil in Warren Landfill (Bullard 2007, 22-24). This was the trigger for mass mobilization against environmental injustice (Bullard 2007, 24). After two decades of multiple protests and arrests, the state and federal sources spent 17.1 million to detoxify the soil, giving victory to the predominantly black community if Warren country (Bullard 2007, 24). This led to vast amounts of data being collected involving these occurrences, 40 out of 44 states with hazardous waste facilities were placed predominantly in colored neighborhoods (Bullard 2007, 24). Not only has hazardous waste been dumped in black neighborhoods, but also the incarceration of waste that expels fumes happen near these communities as well (Bullard 2007, 24).. There has also been cases of water contamination being neglected by the companies responsible, but the ones deprived of decontamination has been black families. In 1980 the Roberson’s water was contaminated by oil by the Texas Railroad through drilling. The family complained to the railroad in 1987 and didn’t receive response until 1996, even then the railroad claimed there was no contamination. Then in 2003 they retested and found many elements that exceed drinking standards. No government action took place for a clean up and the families in the black community remained unsafe. They reported a speedy clean up in a white-suburban neighborhood, but were clearly not given the same treatment since their clean up process was moving along slowly. Many reports of this has occurred and multiple generations of African American families have been poisoned by wells they were told were safe (Bullard 2007, 24-25).This is still a fresh issue, many environmentalists, civil rights or social justice activists have just began to look over it. (Bullard 2007, 22). To fight back against these injustices and reduce the social problem of toxic racism in the U.S., we have to consider both social movements and environmental acts in place that protect all races/classes equally. In 1992 the Environmental Protection Agency published Environmental equity: Reducing Risks for All Communities, it refers to rules and regulations of fairness, spacial configurations, sociological factors that make this system unfair (Bullard 2008). They have set up and fought for policies that creates equality for the dumping of hazardous waste. They have a leg in the legal system and can better create social equity than let's say a social movement. Though social movements can be just as powerful, it doesn’t have the same resources as the EPA. This particular issue is a reformative movement since it is used to improve society and impact everyone. Many social movements involve a large group of people who come together to to create change usually through protests, resources, alliances and mass media attention. These are ways we can reduce the social problem of toxic racism.