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M3.3 Environmental Justice Blog

M3.3 Environmental Justice Blog

Although President Clinton signed an Executive Order in 1994 requiring federal agencies to address disproportionately adverse environmental effects in minority and low-income populations, environmental racism remains a big issue. For example, The Flint Michigan Water Crisis in 2014 exemplified how an African American community faced health consequences when bacteria water that was passed through corroded pipes, led to elevated blood led levels. Many argued that this would not happen in surrounding areas that had predominately white populations. Another example that comes to mind is the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North and South Dakota, relies on Lake Oahe as their water source. The Dakota Access Pipeline that was meant to carry crude oil from North Carolina to Illinois, was set to run right next to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, including sacred land. This too, is an example of how environmental racism is still happening, regardless of laws that have been put in place to redress such issues. Of course, this is another example of why the Black Lives Matter campaign continues to grow and fight for equal rights for African Americans in our country, including environmental health. 

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