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Recognition of the legacies of racial discrimination, removal of barriers to racial equality and the promotion of equity.
Racial justice is crucial for creating a future where it doesn’t matter which family you’re from or where you live; you can become whoever you want to be. We shouldn’t aim for a world where only a few people succeed. We all do better when everyone in our communities succeeds. Racial justice helps us acknowledge past wrongs, and through reparations and equity, we can work together to build a brighter future.
3 out of 5 Black and Hispanic Americans live in communities near uncontrolled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hazardous waste sites.
Racialized industrial facilities siting, which has subsequently led to a higher number of brownfields, can be attributed to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and toxic particulate pollution (PM2.5) “hazardous” and “declining” graded communities.
The average family of color earns half as much as the average white family and owns 15 to 20% as much net wealth.
Communities within 3 km of hazardous waste sites are 56% people of color, despite making up only 30% of the population nationally.
University at Buffalo
As police brutality and racial violence persist in the US, many seek ways to advocate for civil rights. This guide offers resources for learning and getting involved in the fight against systemic racism.
Dr. Robert D. Bullard, Dr. Paul Mohai, Dr. Robin Saha, and Dr. Beverly Wright
This report found race to be the most potent variable in predicting where hazardous waste facilities were located in the United States, even more powerful that household income. The environmental movement in the United States emerged with agendas that focused on such areas as wilderness and wildlife preservation, resource conservation, pollution abatement, and population control, and was supported primarily by wealthy white communities.
Erik Steiner, Matt Nowlin, Jeramy Townsley, Rebecca Nannery, Unai Miguel Andres and Sharon Kandris
Racial disparities are stark: Black children of families qualifying for programs like SNAP and Medicaid earn $9,000 less than White children by the age 35. But neighborhood disparities exist, as well. Children earn more as adults when their neighborhood has more families with above average incomes, even when their own parents’ income is below average. Children of segregated neighborhoods also earn less as adults.
Haley M. Lane, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Julian D. Marshall, and Joshua S. Apte
Communities of color in the United States are systematically exposed to higher levels of air pollution.
Energy bills are 3x higher in climate-impacted communities.
A movement to decentralize the energy system by centering communities.
The empirical and qualitative measurement of access to the energy system to prioritize the inclusion of climate-impacted communities.
Achieving just social and economic participation in the energy system, while remediating social, economic, and health burdens in climate-impacted communities.
A set of social, economic, and environmental principles established at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit.
A vision of quality, safe, and affordable housing combined with social programs to address houseless experiences to ensure everyone has a home, regardless of race, income, or citizenship status.