To wrap up our series on Environmental Racism, we’ve compiled a list of examples of current/ongoing events aside from COVID-19 that exemplify the deeply troubling effects of environmental racism on BIPOC communities. The events that have unfolded over the last several years in Flint, Michigan, North Dakota and across generations in Louisiana, just skim the surface of how widespread this issue remains. It’s easy to feel hopeless as these situations continue with seemingly little to no recognition, but there are actions you can personally take. Refer to the end of this blog post for a list of environmental justice organizations to support!
Flint Water Crisis
The Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan has been occurring since April of 2014 after the state began sourcing the city's water supply from the Flint River in an attempt to save money. This action left Flint residents without access to clean and safe drinking water. Nearly 57% of the population in Flint is Black, the majority of which live in poverty. Beginning tests showed that there was coliform bacteria in the water but even after, “levels of one chemical compound in Flint water exceeded federally allowable levels,” then Republican Governor Rick Snyder continued to state that this crisis and the people it was affecting was “not a top health concern.”’ As a result of the blatant environmental racism in Flint and the refusal to provide resources, residents have been denied the basic right to clean water and suffer the severe consequences of sickness, hair loss and rashes. It wasn’t until a few days ago that the state of Michigan reached a $600 million dollar settlement for the victims of the Flint Water Crisis. As Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated, "What happened in Flint should have never happened, and financial compensation with this settlement is just one of the many ways we can continue to show our support for the city of Flint and its families."
Dakota Access Pipeline
In April of 2016, protests for the construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline were well underway, with The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe front and center. Native protesters, among others, were assaulted, beaten, arrested and harassed by police for exercising their right to protest against this illegal disruption of their land. The pipeline was originally planned to travel through Bismark, ND but since the population there is 92% White and affluent, it was rerouted through ‘Tribal Nations.’ The US Army Corps of Engineers added 11 extra miles to reroute this pipeline because they claimed Bismarck was a “high consequence area” and was within “proximity to a wellhead source water-protection area.” Essentially, the US Army Corps of Engineers didn’t want to risk contaminating the water of the affluent, White residents of Bismark, but had no trouble spending more money to reroute the pipeline 11 miles through tribal land and putting their water source at risk - a clear act of environmental racism. The consequences of this pipeline include, but are not limited to, contaminated water, tribe displacement, and violation of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act. As of July 2020, the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled the pipeline must “shut down pending an environmental review and be emptied of oil by Aug. 5.”
Cancer Alley, Louisiana
“Descendants of enslaved Americans who, against all odds, made lives for themselves along the Mississippi have found themselves next door to refineries, chemical plants, and waste dumps in one of the most heavily polluted areas of the country.”
Cancer Alley in Louisiana, along the Mississippi River has the highest rates of cancer in the US, hence its name. In one section of the region called ‘The Reserve,’ the rate of cancer diagnoses is as high as 50 times the national average. Every family that lives in this area surrounding the multinational petrochemical plant, Denka PE, has had at least one family member die of cancer, or currently have cancer. Most of the families in these regions are Black Americans and many live in poverty. Denka PE released a statement claiming that they operate “within all permits written by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality” and have done nothing to change and/or compensate the victims' families. Because so many people are immunocompromised in this area, it is not surprising to learn that the COVID death rate in this area is 5 times higher than the national average. For more information, check out citizen testimonies on “Cancer Town: ‘People are dying horrible deaths’” a YouTube by The Guardian.
What Can You Do?
If you’re troubled by anything we’ve talked about this past week, know that there are things YOU can do to help. Here is a list (compiled by Katherine Gallagher from InHabitat) of a few nonprofit organizations to consider donating to:
WE ACT - https://www.weact.org/
Environmental & Climate Justice Program - https://www.naacp.org/environmental-climate-justice-about/
Green For All - https://www.thedreamcorps.org/our-programs/green-for-all/
Power Shift Network - https://www.powershift.org/
EarthJustice - https://earthjustice.org/
Indigenous Environmental Network - https://www.ienearth.org/
Cultural Survival - https://www.culturalsurvival.org/
The National Black Farmers Association - https://www.nationalblackfarmersassociation.org/
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/20/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis-settlement-reports/index.html
https://talkpoverty.org/2020/01/09/environmental-racism-black-communities-louisiana/
https://oberlinreview.org/12010/opinions/dakota-access-pipeline-latest-case-of environmental-racism/
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/a-question-of-environmental-racism-in-flint.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/racist-roots-of-flints-water-crisis_n_56b12953e4b04f9b57d7b118
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/us/dakota-access-pipeline.html
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