Nature as Community

Unfortunately, in the United States there have been several environmental issues over the years, some of them even taking place in our own backyard. Communities of color and low-income households are facing environmental injustices on a daily-basis, yet lack any protection under the law. Many would argue that we live in the “land of the free”and that all Americans have access to a healthy environment, but this is not the case. Thankfully, there are some who have recognized these problems and are trying to put an end to this unequal treatment. Environmental Justice activists promote the fair treatment of all people regardless of their background with respect to environmental laws, policies, and regulations. Here within the Capital Region, environmental justice activists have taken a stand against those who are trying to silence the disadvantaged communities who are dealing with several serious environmental hazards. In an article from 2018, "Two Black Communities in Albany Fight for Answers Amid Official Apathy" by Keith Rushing, it discusses the great fight for cleaner air in Albany, New York's designated environmental justice communities. Rushing states,"In Albany’s predominantly black South End, residents of the Ezra Prentice Homes have been fighting the expansion of Global Companies’ crude oil terminal just yards away from their public housing complex for years"(3). This happens to be a major source of air pollution, which continues to be a major threat for the neighborhoods nearby. When an expansion of the company was in the works, environmental activist and attorney, Chris Amato jumped in to fight against the pollution. Unfortunately, government officials and even the Department of Environmental Conservation continued to ignore these types of problems as they felt it is not a threat. Bebe White, president of the Ezra Prentice Tenants Association, also has a brother who is working to reduce pollution and he stated, “It’s been going on so long and widely ignored because it’s a minority, underserved, underprivileged community”(8). This proves that environmental racism is very much alive and well within the United States. Despite the fact that there has been a major push for these inhumane projects, there are still people who are willing to take action against them. Rushing writes " Earthjustice is continuing to work with members of the community to learn about the actual levels of pollution that are likely and to push the state to address environmental concerns from the current gas plant" (11). Based just on this one article, this shows that there is environmental justice in the Capital Region. For example, in "Principles of Environmental Justice" by Giovanna Di Chiro, the preamble states "Environmental justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice, for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias"(307). This is just one statement from the preamble that is used here within the Capital Region for the Environmental Justice Movement.

Work Cited:

https://earthjustice.org/blog/2018-march/two-black-communities-in-albany-fight-for-answers-amid-official-apathy