Reverend Benjamin Chaves, the Executive Director of the Commission for Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ during the Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States report in 1987 and a well recognized environmental justice (EJ) advocate, refers to “environmental racism” as racial discrimination in:
• Environmental policymaking
• Enforcement of environmental laws and procedures
• Targeting of communities for the sitting of waste disposal and polluting industries
• Excluding people of color from decision making boards
Some people consider racism an important aspect of the Environmental Justice Movement (EJM) because it illustrates a foundation in the Civil Rights Movement.
The Civil Rights movement gave headway for