Father Of Environmental Justice

The issue of environmental justice has been growing stronger over time, more and more cultures are feeling the wrath of present day social and environmental stigmas; constantly being pressured into living in areas where the natural habitat is destroyed, harmful waste is dumped into rivers, and pollution is filling the land. Between Robert Bullard’s article, “Environmental Justice in the 21st Century: Race Still Matters”, and Vickery Jamie and Lori M. Hunter’s article, “Native Americans: Where in Environmental Justice Research?”, we have seen that issues concerning environmental problems extend to all areas of the human spectrum. Even though there may be differences between how individual groups of people are oppressed, one thing remains constant,

His views about the environment have led to the definition of environmental justice we see today; without him we would never truly be able to defend and see how our societal standards of living are impacted based on our race. Dr. Bullard’s hopes and goals of environmental justice fall towards being able to “ensure Americans a safe, healthful, productive, and aesthetically and culturally pleasing environment” (Bullard). Dr. Bullard’s main principal of environmental justice is that all people and communities are entitled to equal protection of our environmental laws, focusing on issues surrounding the urban environment; “redlining, economic disinvestment, infrastructure decline, deteriorating housing, lead poisoning, industrial pollution, poverty, and unemployment” (Bullard 153). Dr. Bullard argues that “all people — regardless of race, color or national origin — are involved when it comes to implementing and enforcing environmental laws, regulations and

Our home and surroundings could change, and we could be living next to a landfill, our schools and “sacred” areas that we care so much about could be the ones destroyed. Just because what is happening now it not “affecting” us, it does not mean that we will never feel its effects. Vickery Jamie and Lori M. Hunter said that the United States Government and their lack of support and involvement in the betterment of economic inequality in African American communities has led to migrations into third world countries; one day we could be in the same place. We are tunneling our vision into areas where we see nothing but the green and safe environments; we are neglecting to see the harmful areas that surround other cultures and we need to start widening our sight so that we can fight to protect the rights of individuals and create a more welcoming environment for all