7/8/20- How Sustainability Relates to Racism
There has been a lot of unwanted hate during the past months here in America. I want to start with an apology because I should have touched on this sooner, however, I couldn’t find the words to express my thoughts. Right now is really my turn to listen. I am realizing the amount of privilege I actually have. I have started working on a report for some volunteer work asking others in my community if they believe there is a relationship between sustainability and racism. I was happy to hear that most of them could see one even if the two ideas can seem completely unrelated to others.
I believe sustainability and racism have a huge connection. First of all, a lot of people of color aren’t fortunate enough to live in wealthy communities. For example, to define wealthy communities, I am referring to towns or cities with low pollution rates in air, water, sound, etc. As well as those who can control whether or not a company can dispose of waste in that location. Companies tend to target low-income, minority neighborhoods to get rid of polluting material that causes many negative effects. Also, when these industries are located in large areas with high rates of people of color, they can contaminate the water. For example, lead contamination in water can cause developmental delays in children and polluted air can cause things like asthma. These are things people of color can not control. They can’t control the lack of privilege they have and where they live. Other people in my report responded with similar ideas. For example, one person mentioned that poor sanitation, plastics, bad transit, placement of bus terminals, living on the wrong side of the tracks as it were, a lack of money and a whole lot more can impact people of color.
In the end, this has been a very educational experience for me and I feel incredibly privileged to live in a clean and safe environment. Remember to support black-owned businesses and be supportive and friendly to all people of color. See you in a week.
Check Out This Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJZ_V2qvsY&t=17s
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