As we begin to fight inequality, don’t forget about environmental racism as well

The Black Lives Matter and anti-racist movements sweeping the country are inspirational and a sign of white America’s recognition of systemic issues that have suppressed a critically large section of our country since 1776. Police brutality, economic handicapping, and voter suppression are evils that have persisted far too long in our society and the needed discussions about them are currently happening.

But we cannot ignore another injustice of our society, one that is growing more and more lethal every year: Environmental racism. Defined by Texas Southern University professor Robert Bullard, environmental racism is “any policy, practice, or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages (whether intended or unintended) individuals, groups, or communities based on race or color”. Or summed up, as decisions made by those in power that damages the environment in which a person of color exists for the benefit of white people.

This is so crucial to fight because as climate change worsens, becoming an ever greater threat to our globe, communities of color that have historically been marginalized, abused, and profited from, will share an ever larger, and disproportionate share of those grave consequences. An easy, understandable example of this is in South Texas. As fracking has gained popularity as a method of extracting fossil fuels, the tools required to perform this destructive action are being built in disadvantaged communities. The wastewater disposal sites are built in predominately Hispanic communities (over 80 percent of residents in certain communities were Hispanic). And the injection of wastewater into the ground in those communities pollutes the groundwater, which those communities depend on.

Here in Kentucky, where we as a state have a hard-learned knowledge about the price of environmental pillaging for well over a century, the crime of environmental racism is rampant. The history of coal production not only ravages Appalachia through water pollution and mountaintop removal but destroys the quality of air in Western Kentucky and Louisville. Louisville and Jefferson County are some of the worst places in America for air pollution, the byproduct of a willingness of leaders to build methane-producing power plants. These issues are particularly prevalent in West Louisville, in an area known as “Rubbertown”. Known for the rapid buildup of industrial facilities after World War II, the neighborhoods in and around Rubbertown have been shown to have extremely high rates of toxic pollutants. And the residents of those neighborhoods are predominately black, with roughly 61 percent of those within 1 mile of Rubbertown being black.

These disturbing statistics reflect a situation that has been created by years of systemic neglect and racism perpetuated by leaders of our communities. The pollutants that are entering these communities have been shown to lead to higher rates of cancer, breathing issues, and other long-term chronic health problems. This is just a small sample of why we need to demand change immediately to these systems that have worked to punish people simply for the color of their skin.

We as a country and a state have shown the ability to stand up to injustices and fight for those who cannot. To speak up for those who are unable to speak. To care for those who need help. As we fight against police violence and institutionalized racism, we need to keep our eyes open to all the problems that plague our communities and neighborhoods of color. Everyone in Kentucky should be able enjoy the beauty of this state, regardless of who they are or where they come from.

Mason Chamblee is a Greenspace Commissioner for the Lexington Fayette Urban County Greenspace Commission, and is actively fighting for a better environment and fairer world with several different organizations, including Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.