ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
“ It was huge . A lot of people describe it as like a Davidversus-Goliath type of thing because we were one really small neighborhood taking on a gas company . … So it just really felt right . It felt good .
It felt like our hard work paid off .”
NAILAH POPE-HARDEN Cofounder , Red , Black and Green Environmental Justice Coalition sioner noting that never before had they approved a gas-storage project in such a densely populated urban neighborhood .
“ It was huge ,” Pope-Harden says . “ A lot of people describe it as like a David-versus-Goliath type of thing because we were one really small neighborhood taking on a gas company . … So it just really felt right . It felt good . It felt like our hard work paid off .”
The battle was Pope-Harden ’ s introduction into organizing for environmental justice , which the Red , Black and Green Environmental Justice Coalition , a Sacramento group she cofounded with nine other activists , defines as “ the basic right of people to live , work , go to school , play , and pray in a safe , healthy , and clean environment .” Widespread efforts to achieve environmental justice in Sacramento have been gaining momentum , but proponents say the efforts will only be successful if they are inclusive and equitable , encouraging community members to speak for themselves , and elected officials , city planners and other decision-makers to actually listen .
While the environmental-justice movement emerged in the United States in the 1980s , it has taken on more urgency in recent years as the Earth ’ s average temperature has warmed about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 , with most of the increase happening since 1975 . A seemingly small amount of extra heat translates to large-scale shifts in global weather patterns , and scientists agree that the more extreme weather events caused by climate change — heat waves , droughts , heavy rainfall , wildfires , hurricanes — will exacerbate societal disparities , imperiling alreadyvulnerable populations the most .
A history of disparity
On Aug . 13 , about 20 people joined the virtual town hall of the Red , Black and Green coalition ( the name is an ode to the Pan-African flag ), launched in late 2019 to formulate a unified voice on environmental-justice issues to influence public policy . Pope-Harden was there , joined by Jackie Cole , a community organizer and principal of Veritable Good who led the presentation . Simeon Gant , executive director of Green Tech Education and Employment , and Faye Wilson Kennedy , Bill Johnson and Tyrone Netters , three stalwart members of the Sacramento Area Black Caucus , were in attendance too .
During the town hall , Netters recalled his conversations with the late Grantland Johnson , a former Sacramento city councilman and Sacramento County supervisor and the first Black person to hold the position of Secretary of California Health and Human Services . Johnson , according to Netters , used to say that to most environmentalists , “‘ The environmentalist issue is just the Sierra mountains , just the trees .’ He ’ d say , ‘ Truth be told , the environment is where we live .’”
Triggered by Rachel Carson ’ s landmark 1962 book “ Silent Spring ,” about the harm caused by the insecticide DDT , America ’ s modern environmental movement has tackled many laudable causes : the fight for clean air and water , conservation of natural resources , protection of habitat and endangered species , recycling , and the fight to stop global warming , among others . The movement , however , has often failed to elevate the voices of people of color or recognize how many environmental burdens fall disproportionately on disenfranchised communities in a way that affects their health and wellbeing . In other words , how these burdens affect their daily lives .
One major predictor of health is the ZIP code for the community in which people live . It ’ s the built environment around us . It ’ s how close someone resides to polluting factories , landfills and auto shops . It ’ s the absence of public transportation for easy access to medical services , the lack of trees and parks to lower temperatures and provide opportunities for exercise , and the interstate that cuts through a neighborhood , spewing car exhaust . It ’ s the prevalence of fast-food restaurants selling processed foods and the lack of grocery stores with fresh produce .
40 comstocksmag . com | November 2020