Arguments Against Environmental Racism

It is no secret that in recent years we have begun to see the effects of our treatment of the planet. Many scientists are predicting that in the next 20-30 years, a major environmental or ecological catastrophe will take place if we stay on our current path. Various communities around the world have already had to face the repercussions of an environmental disaster. However, one pattern that is noticeable is that it is certain communities that seem to be facing the worst of these environmental misfortunes. When it comes to environmental regulation, communities that are disproportionately made up of people of color are not given the same treatment as others. This is referred to as “environmental racism” and it has justified environmental atrocities …show more content…
Due to our society's culture of mass consumption there is a enormous buildup of garbage. We’ve built up so much trash in America, that we now have to export it to other countries like China (Humes). With such a large consolidation of garbage and other waste, there is no avoiding the harsh reality that the environment and human health are being put at a heavy risk. Evidence shows that once again, communities of color are the ones facing the consequences of this practice. One example that comes to mind is the town of Emelle, Alabama. This community is 93.55% black and many of it’s residents live below the poverty level. This also just happens to be the home to one of the largest and most hazardous landfills in America (Humes). They also have installed giant incinerators in an attempt to reduce the trash build up, but as it has been scientifically proven, the use of incinerators makes the air toxic. Another example of this would once again be the Navajo community, specifically the one that resides within Dilkon, Arizona. A company known as Waste-Tech Services, Inc attempted to build a recycling facility in the area with the promise of offering jobs to the poverty stricken Navajo community. What the company forgot to mention was that they intended to incinerate extremely hazardous materials from other states and that the Navajo tribe would be …show more content…
One example of this would be the Chinese immigrant community of San Francisco during the nineteenth century. White people essentially tried to create a narrative that Chinese people were a filthy, germ ridden people who were carriers of diseases like smallpox and the bubonic plague (Shah). This history is accounted in Contagious Divides by Nayan Shah who describes how supposed evidence provided by doctors allowed White America to demonize this community and create a divide in public health policy. This also gave white people the incentive to enforce certain regulations upon the community with impunity (Shah). Another example of this is something that I have witnessed personally. When I volunteered on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation I noticed that there were piles and piles of junked up cars. I was informed by an elder from that community that these cars were used to store cultural artifacts among many other things and are also used to supply the necessary parts to people’s vehicles when needed due to the fact that transportation is essential to people's survival on the reservation. White people who drive through the reservation will often look at this and automatically assume that the people on that reservation are filthy. I was told that people from Rapid City look at the reservation with disgust by members of the community. Both these instances show how communities of

Show More

Ecosystem 101 Essay

Racism and World Racial Equilibrium Essay

Muslim Women In Canada

Chapter 13 Outline Essay

Stupid White Men Essay

Sociology: Crime and Official Crime Figures Essay

American Indian Environmental Issue Essay

The Mandela Effect: An Explanation Of Confabulation

Essay on Midterm Study Guide

Genetic: Eugenics Movement Essay