Rhiana Gunn-Wright knows Black life in America is fragile — by design. The idea of “home” has constantly been threatened: Slavery and segregation legally dictated where Black Americans could live for centuries, and the residual effects of those racist institutions continue to guide where they plant their roots. When you think about it, Gunn-Wright says, […]
Environmental Justice
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice
These Maps Show the Risks of the New Great Migration
When the coronavirus began its deadly sweep through the streets of New York City, Pilar Johnson knew she needed an escape route. The convergence of rising living costs, growing segregation, and a tight job market had already pushed out more than 200,000 Black residents since 2000. The pandemic was the last straw for Johnson. Once […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Water Quality
Eight Years Later, Flint’s Water Crisis Rages On
The United States’ simmering water crisis boiled over in Flint, Michigan, in 2014. Eight years later, roughly 2,000 homes in the majority-Black city still don’t have clean drinking water. A recent internal audit by the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s watchdog found that the government agency, which is tasked with containing toxic contamination and pollution, hasn’t […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice
Black Advocates Say Biden Is Overpromising and Underdelivering on Climate
A whirlwind of issues has defined Joe Biden’s first 14 months in office: the constant rise and fall of COVID-19 cases and deaths, wavering levels of support for police and prison reform, a generation-defining battle over reproductive rights, and America’s tumultuous role in conflicts in Afghanistan, Palestinian territories, and Ukraine. The administration and media’s focus […]
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice
How Low-Emission Vehicles are Perpetuating ‘Systemic Environmental Racism’ in Detroit
When automaker Stellantis announced plans for a $1.6 billion auto production site in Detroit — the city’s first new vehicle assembly plant in three decades — local leaders welcomed the investment with open arms. The project was framed as a boon for the city’s struggling economy, bringing thousands of jobs and promising to revitalize the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Two Black Women Now Lead the White House’s Main Environmental Policy Council
The Biden administration announced Thursday that Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome — a climate and racial justice advocate from Detroit — will become the White House’s top environmental justice official, filling a position vacated nearly three months ago amid concerns about delays in Biden’s climate justice agenda. With White-Newsome’s appointment, the Council on Environmental Quality — the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Concentration of Oil and Gas Drilling in Black Neighborhoods Is Deliberate, Study Suggests
For decades, state governments and private companies have asserted that oil production sites were chosen solely by natural factors: where oil was most abundant, easiest to drill, and cheapest to procure. But a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley identifies more pernicious motivations, suggesting that social factors — namely race — […]