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Examples Of Environmental Racism

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For the past 4 years, the residents of Flint, Michigan have been forced to bath and drink water poisoned with enough lead to be considered toxic waste. Chester, a town in southeast Pennsylvania, home to over 30,000 residents is also home to some of the country’s largest waste collection facilities. High violence and cancer rates have plagued Niger Delta, Nigeria since its oil-rich region was discovered by oil companies. Despite all these cases being in different areas of the United States and the world, they all have one attribute in common. All these communities are of low socio-economic status that who’s residents are predominantly people of color. The link between extreme pollution, toxic waste, lack of proper utilities such as clean water, and exclusion in the decision-making in regard to the use of natural resources and race make up environmental racism.
When researching a subject such as this, the primary points to analyze are the origins of the environmental racism, both domestic and international examples, and the intent behind the corporations that poison these specific communities. These points are of particular relevance because they provide context. Next, it shows that environmental racism is a global phenomenon. Lastly, and most importantly, exploring intent will give context to whether the use of the word racism is valid. …show more content…
While the term was coined in the 90s environmental racism has its roots in the environmental justice movement of the 1970s and 80s. The first report to link race, class, and exposure to pollution would be the Council of Environmental Quality’s “Annual Report to the President” in 1971. However, the movement began with the events that occurred in Warren County, North Carolina. It was the events that transpired here that would lead to the studies proving environmental racism and its effects on communities of

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