Soil is
not the first place most people would look for evidence of racism in a
community, but in environmental racism it is one of the first indicators. Environmental
racism is when marginalized groups are exposed to a disproportionate amount of
pollutants that white groups are not. In the case of International Paper, a
Memphis Fortune 500 Company, and Africatown, a predominantly lower
socioeconomic black community, soil was the first place people looked after a
series of deaths and an outbreak of cancer.
International Paper had a factory on
the outskirts of Africatown which was shut down and bulldozed in 2000. However,
now the community members of Africatown are saying that the Memphis company
failed to properly clean the site to EPA standards leading toxic chemicals to
seep into the ground and poison Africatown. Dr. Robert Bullard, a Professor of
Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, said this is “industrial encroachment by these polluters
who see these communities as dumping grounds,” and that, “this community
survived the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow segregation but may not survive
this modern-day environmental racism” (Jackson). These words are understandable due to
this deadly form of racism which is frequently overlooked by the government,
activists, and the law. While International Paper is denying these claims, it
is expected that the accusation will lead to a trial later in the year.
Africatown may be in Alabama, but the perpetrators are a billion-dollar
company in Memphis. Memphis has a long history of racism, and environmental
racism, within its own city limits so it is unsurprising to see the spread it
has had in the region. It would be unsurprising to see a large company try to
take advantage of a marginalized community, especially one that is black. The
US has a long, twisted history of using and discarding black bodies for
capitalism. While in the past the abuse of black bodies for profit has been in
the labor sector, seen through slavery and domestic, low-wage work for examples,
the result is always the same: black bodies used to make money for white
people. While environmental racism in this case of International Paper and Africatown
may seem inadvertent, there is historical precedent to show how actions like
these are not inadvertent. Racism and the American economy are inseparable
because the American economy was built on racism. Actions by large companies
still follow this framework because it is the unfortunate status quo. Black
people are considered lesser, and with it their health, so large companies can
treat the black community however they like as long as profit is on the line.
As Dr. Robert Bullard eloquently put when speaking to the black community of
Africatown, “it says your community doesn’t matter, your children don’t matter,
your health doesn’t matter, and your lives don’t matter” (Jackson). Black lives matter
and environmental racism should be taken seriously.
Source:
http://atlantablackstar.com/2018/02/25/africatown-small-historically-black-town-fighting-billion-dollar-company-thats-devastating-community-toxic-waste/
I read a research paper last year on exactly this issue and it raises so many questions in terms of Civil Rights that I never considered. These zones are generally considered to be 'National Sacrifice Zones' where low-income and minority populations often live adjacent to heavy industrial areas. Because these areas are so often the only places working class African Americans can work or find homes, they always have to deal with the consequences of living in such an environment. It really highlights the racial inequalities and injustices, but in another discipline outside of history.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the points mentioned in this blog post. Environmental racism is something that is not mentioned enough but devastates poor environments.These large corporations believe they can do whatever they want since they are dealing with poor individuals. A company like International Paper should do due diligence and ensure that they clean up areas that they are involved in.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in what you mentioned about the company responsible for the toxic waste in Africatown being based in Memphis. Not only does that bring the issue straight into our backyard, it also illustrates the connectivity of issues in Memphis to issues across the South. It shows that a business from Memphis, a city deeply-rooted in white supremacy, is bringing its brand of white supremacy and environmental ignorance to other areas of the South. While the issues we have been discussing in class are not unique to Memphis but rather common in every city in America, I think there is a discussion to be had revolving around the historical legacy of white supremacy in Memphis and its effects in rural and other urban areas across the South.
ReplyDeleteComing from a city that floods annually I am well aware the the poor are often delegated to the worst and most frequent flood zones. I would also say that it is impossible for these people in the flood zones to move due to the inherent poorness that these properties attract. If people could afford better than these zone they would move but they can't resulting in these ongoing tragedies.
ReplyDelete