Environmental racism in Arizona, fueled by the presence of military bases

As a global phenomenon, environmental racism occurs when communities of color are disproportionately impacted by toxic exposure because of the neighborhoods they live in. Due to factors such as the inaccessibility of affordable rent or land, historical racism, and lack of power to fight corporations, Black, Latino and Indigenous peopleContinue Reading

Environmental Racism Explained and What the US Is Doing About It

“Cancer Alley” is an 85-mile stretch of land in Louisiana containing 150 petrochemical facilities situated near mostly Black, low-income residents who suffer from abnormally high cancer rates. It’s one of the starkest examples of environmental racism, or the disproportionate impact that pollution has had on minorities, particularly Black Americans. WhileContinue Reading

These Moms Are Leading the Fight Against Environmental Racism

On an evening in 1969, a mother carefully prepares dinner in the kitchen. Six siblings drape themselves over schoolwork downstairs, and a grandmother tends to her garden next door. The mother cries out, “¡La cena está lista!” (dinner is ready). In minutes, 18-year-old Jesse Marquez and his five younger siblingsContinue Reading

NAACP climate director explains why now is the time to fight environmental racism | WFAE 90.7

For over a century, the NAACP, one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations, has worked to combat racial discrimination and segregation. Through litigation, get-out-the-vote efforts and policy work, the organization has fought for fair housing, voting rights, education and criminal justice reform, among other initiatives. In more recent years,Continue Reading

EPA Calls Out Environmental Racism in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

Louisiana must examine how polluters imperil the health of Black residents, the Environmental Protection Agency said in a letter it sent last week to state regulators in response to civil rights complaints about air pollution in the region known as Cancer Alley. Black residents in southeastern Louisiana bear a disproportionateContinue Reading