Environmental Racism is very real

I grew up with a family who all live in various parts of Michigan and one thing was always known - never drink the water. When I was younger, I never asked why we didn't drink the water. We just didn't. My family always had bottle water or pop (as those Northerners say.) When the world first started hearing about Flint and its lead contamination, I knew that was one of many reasons we didn't drink the water.

The words "Environmental Racism" have always been questioned. If you Google those two words and look at older articles, some similarities will come up: "Is Environmental Racism real?" "Do those who live in low-income or communities of color experience Environmental Racism?" I think we all know, thanks to the media, documentaries and our own experiences, that yes, Environmental Racism is absolutely real and is a huge issue for low-income communities, especially communities of color.

Communities near Detroit or as far out as Flint have a large black population. Michigan is also full of factories thanks to its rich history in industrialization and its water way access from its lakes. These factories also found it to be the best dumping grounds for its chemical contaminants and biohazard materials. These contaminants seep through to ground water and flow through its many lakes and streams. The factories who leak these materials tend to be in low-income areas with the thought process that these communities won't have the funds or the political leaders to stand up for them. The same can be said for small towns and areas just like this all across the United States, especially in areas where factory farming is prominent. They use their suppressed voice to get what they want.

So as much as we want to shout from the rooftops that climate change is real (which of course, please still do), the best place to start is by making sure people know about Environmental Racism and its impacts on the community. According to The Atlantic, "The National Center for Environmental Assessment - find that black people are exposed to about 1.5 times more particulate matter than white people. The study found that people in poverty had about 1.3 times more exposure than people above poverty. Interestingly, it also finds that for black people, the proportion of exposure is only partly explained by the disproportionate geographic burden of polluting facilities, meaning the magnitude of emissions from individual factories appears to be higher in minority neighborhoods." These hazards that affect their communities often lead to serious health risks such as asthma, diabetes, obesity and various cancers more commonly lung (from air pollutants) as well as heart disease, mental health and developmental problems in children and young adults.

How can we end Environmental Racism? There is no easy solution or end in current sight. From Robert D. Bullard's journal piece "Dismantling Environmental Racism in the USA", the solution lies in the realm of equal protection and rights for all individuals, groups and communities. Once we find social justice, once our communities are free of non-discriminatory results - only then can Environmental Racism final be put to rest.

Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash