{"id":1813,"date":"2016-06-14T19:17:40","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T19:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontosociology-waymaker\/?post_type=chapter&p=1813"},"modified":"2016-07-20T15:01:15","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T15:01:15","slug":"reading-environmental-racism","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-introsociology-1\/chapter\/reading-environmental-racism\/","title":{"raw":"Reading: Environmental Racism","rendered":"Reading: Environmental Racism"},"content":{"raw":"

Environmental Racism<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
Environmental racism<\/strong> refers to the way in which minority group neighborhoods (populated primarily by people of color and members of low socioeconomic groups) are burdened with a disproportionate number of hazards, including toxic waste facilities, garbage dumps, and other sources of environmental pollution and foul odors that lower the quality of life. All around the globe, members of minority groups bear a greater burden of the health problems that result from higher exposure to waste and pollution. This can occur due to unsafe or unhealthy work conditions where no regulations exist (or are enforced) for poor workers, or in neighborhoods that are uncomfortably close to toxic materials.<\/section>
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<\/h2>\r\n<\/section>
The statistics on environmental racism are shocking. Research shows that it pervades all aspects of African Americans' lives: environmentally unsound housing, schools with asbestos problems, facilities and playgrounds with lead paint. A twenty-year comparative study led by sociologist Robert Bullard determined \u201crace to be more important than socioeconomic status in predicting the location of the nation\u2019s commercial hazardous waste facilities\u201d (Bullard et al. 2007). His research found, for example, that African American children are five times more likely to have lead poisoning (the leading environmental health threat for children) than their Caucasian counterparts, and that a disproportionate number of people of color reside in areas with hazardous waste facilities (Bullard et al. 2007). Sociologists with the project are examining how environmental racism is addressed in the long-term cleanup of the environmental disasters caused by Hurricane Katrina.<\/section>
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Video: Examples of Environmental Racism<\/h2>\r\nWatch this video from Sociology Live! to understand more examples of environmental racism.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OPB5RzReiIY\r\n\r\n
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American Indian Tribes and Environmental Racism<\/h3>\r\nNative Americans are unquestionably victims of environmental racism. The Commission for Racial Justice found that about 50 percent of all American Indians live in communities with uncontrolled hazardous waste sites (Asian Pacific Environmental Network 2002). There\u2019s no question that, worldwide, indigenous populations are suffering from similar fates.\r\n\r\nFor Native American tribes, the issues can be complicated\u2014and their solutions hard to attain\u2014because of the complicated governmental issues arising from a history of institutionalized disenfranchisement. Unlike other racial minorities in the United States, Native American tribes are sovereign nations. However, much of their land is held in \u201ctrust,\u201d meaning that \u201cthe federal government holds title to the land in trust on behalf of the tribe\u201d (Bureau of Indian Affairs 2012). Some instances of environmental damage arise from this crossover, where the U.S. government\u2019s title has meant it acts without approval of the tribal government. Other significant contributors to environmental racism as experienced by tribes are forcible removal and burdensome red tape to receive the same reparation benefits afforded to non-Indians.\r\n\r\nTo better understand how this happens, let\u2019s consider a few example cases. The home of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians was targeted as the site for a high-level nuclear waste dumping ground, amid allegations of a payoff of as high as $200 million (Kamps 2001). Keith Lewis, an indigenous advocate for Indian rights, commented on this buyout, after his people endured decades of uranium contamination, saying that \u201cthere is nothing moral about tempting a starving man with money\u201d (Kamps 2001). In another example, the Western Shoshone\u2019s Yucca Mountain area has been pursued by mining companies for its rich uranium stores, a threat that adds to the existing radiation exposure this area suffers from U.S. and British nuclear bomb testing (Environmental Justice Case Studies 2004). In the \u201cfour corners\u201d area where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet, a group of Hopi and Navajo families have been forcibly removed from their homes so the land could be mined by the Peabody Mining Company for coal valued at $10 billion (American Indian Cultural Support 2006). Years of uranium mining on the lands of the Navajo of New Mexico have led to serious health consequences, and reparations have been difficult to secure; in addition to the loss of life, people\u2019s homes and other facilities have been contaminated (Frosch 2009). In yet another case, members of the Chippewa near White Pine, Michigan, were unable to stop the transport of hazardous sulfuric acid across reservation lands, but their activism helped bring an end to the mining project that used the acid (Environmental Justice Case Studies 2004).\r\n\r\nThese examples are only a few of the hundreds of incidents that American Indian tribes have faced and continue to battle against. Sadly, the mistreatment of the land\u2019s original inhabitants continues via this institution of environmental racism. How might the work of sociologists help draw attention to\u2014and eventually mitigate\u2014this social problem?\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>Why does environmental racism exist? The reason is simple. Those with resources can raise awareness, money, and public attention to ensure that their communities are unsullied. This has led to an inequitable distribution of environmental burdens. Another method of keeping this inequity alive is NIMBY protests. Chemical plants, airports, landfills, and other municipal or corporate projects are often the subject of NIMBY demonstrations. And equally often, the NIMBYists win, and the objectionable project is moved closer to those who have fewer resources to fight it.\r\n\r\nWhy does environmental racism exist? The reason is simple. Those with resources can raise awareness, money, and public attention to ensure that their communities are unsullied. This has led to an inequitable distribution of environmental burdens. Another method of keeping this inequity alive is NIMBY protests. Chemical plants, airports, landfills, and other municipal or corporate projects are often the subject of NIMBY demonstrations. And equally often, the NIMBYists win, and the objectionable project is moved closer to those who have fewer resources to fight it.\r\n

Video: Environmental Racism Across the United States<\/h2>\r\nRacism isn't just about police brutality or the criminal justice system. It's in the air and water. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan is a textbook case of environmental racism. This video explains how it's playing out across the country.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TrbeuJRPM0o\r\n\r\n<\/section>
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Think It Over<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\n\r\nNIMBY protests occur when concerned citizens band together to speak up against something that will impact them negatively. Is this a positive or negative trend? Give an example of a NIMBY protest and whether you support it or not.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>
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Practice<\/h3>\r\n
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\u00a01.\u00a0Which is an example of environmental racism?<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n
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    \r\n \t
  1. The fact that a disproportionate percentage of people of color live in environmentally hazardous areas<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Greenpeace protests<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. The prevalence of asbestos in formerly \u201cwhites only\u201d schools<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Prejudice similar to racism against people with different environmental views than one\u2019s own<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
    \r\n
    [reveal-answer q=\"162058\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"162058\"]a[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n
    \r\n
    <\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n
    \r\n
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    2. What types of municipal projects often result in environmental racism?<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      \r\n \t
    1. Toxic dumps or other objectionable projects<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. The location of schools, libraries, and other cultural institutions<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Hospitals and other health and safety sites<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. Public transportation options<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n
      [reveal-answer q=\"745454\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"745454\"]a[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

      [reveal-answer q=\"364544\"]Show Glossary[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"364544\"]<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      \r\n \t
      environmental racism:<\/dt>\r\n \t
      the burdening of economically and socially disadvantaged communities with a disproportionate share of environmental hazards<\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n
      \r\n \t
      NIMBY:<\/dt>\r\n \t
      \u201cNot In My Back Yard,\u201d the tendency of people to protest poor environmental practices when those practices will affect them directly<\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n

      [\/hidden-answer]<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section>","rendered":"

      Environmental Racism<\/span><\/h2>\n
      Environmental racism<\/strong> refers to the way in which minority group neighborhoods (populated primarily by people of color and members of low socioeconomic groups) are burdened with a disproportionate number of hazards, including toxic waste facilities, garbage dumps, and other sources of environmental pollution and foul odors that lower the quality of life. All around the globe, members of minority groups bear a greater burden of the health problems that result from higher exposure to waste and pollution. This can occur due to unsafe or unhealthy work conditions where no regulations exist (or are enforced) for poor workers, or in neighborhoods that are uncomfortably close to toxic materials.<\/section>\n
      \n

      <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
      The statistics on environmental racism are shocking. Research shows that it pervades all aspects of African Americans’ lives: environmentally unsound housing, schools with asbestos problems, facilities and playgrounds with lead paint. A twenty-year comparative study led by sociologist Robert Bullard determined \u201crace to be more important than socioeconomic status in predicting the location of the nation\u2019s commercial hazardous waste facilities\u201d (Bullard et al. 2007). His research found, for example, that African American children are five times more likely to have lead poisoning (the leading environmental health threat for children) than their Caucasian counterparts, and that a disproportionate number of people of color reside in areas with hazardous waste facilities (Bullard et al. 2007). Sociologists with the project are examining how environmental racism is addressed in the long-term cleanup of the environmental disasters caused by Hurricane Katrina.<\/section>\n
      \n

      Video: Examples of Environmental Racism<\/h2>\n

      Watch this video from Sociology Live! to understand more examples of environmental racism.<\/p>\n