Environmental-Justice

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____Co-written by Rev. Leo Woodberry____See if this sounds familiar: A global threat hits people of color especially hard. But powerful individuals and interest groups either downplay the threat or call it a hoax.And when the evidence that the threat is real becomes overwhelming, claims fly that fixing the problem would cost too much. To quote the president, “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.” So the crisis worsens and its effects multiply, and Black and brown communities suffer most.We’ve seen this with climate change, and now we’re seeing it with the coronavirus. Consider the intersecting paths of these two global threats, which shine a harsh light on the consequences of systemic racism. The coronavirus numbers are shocking. Chicago’s population is 30% African American, but 68% of the city’s known deaths from COVID-19 are Black. In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, African-Americans make up 28% percent of the population, but 73% of deaths related to the coronavirus. In Louisiana, Black people make up 32% of the population, but 70% of the COVID-19 deaths.While the coronavirus may be colorblind, Black Americans are more likely to come down with COVID-19 because they suffer greater rates of asthma and other lung diseases, as well as heart disease and other chronic health issues. This is where climate action comes in: much of Black communities’ vulnerability stems from an energy system that focuses on profit and political power, holding fast to dirty energy options at the expense of the climate and human health. The dirty energy numbers are shocking, too: 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of coal-fired power plants. Black Americans are exposed to 38% more polluted air than white Americans. 71% of Black Americans live in counties that are in violation of clean-air standards. Breathing polluted air weakens the lungs. So it’s hardly surprising that COVID-19, which attacks the lungs, is especially deadly for Black people.And whether we’re talking about a new virus or chronic lung disease aggravated by fossil-fuel pollution, Black families are less likely to have the resources needed to distance themselves from the threat, access quality healthcare or get their lives back on track after an illness. It’s hard to do any of that when you don’t have money saved up, and not only are workers of color much more likely to earn poverty-level wages than white workers, they also have not been given the same opportunities as white Americans to store up generational wealth. A typical Black American family has a net worth that is only about one tenth that of a typical white American family.So from the standpoint of justice — of equitable treatment for all Americans — what do we do about this pandemic, and epidemics that are certain to follow? And how does it link to climate action?First, our hard-working and exhausted healthcare professionals need to be aware of racial disparities in coronavirus treatment that reflect inequities in healthcare more generally. On top of everything else we’re asking them to do, they need to make sure they’re giving every American equal consideration when it comes to scarce medical resources such as coronavirus tests, hospital beds and ventilators. We must also do a better job of consistently collecting data on the race and ethnicity of COVID-19 patients.And of course all of us Americans need to do the basics: stay at home, check on vulnerable neighbors and take physical distancing seriously. We also need to make sure we’re better prepared next time. America needs to rebuild structures such as the National Security Council directorate charged with planning for the next pandemic, an office dissolved by the Trump administration.Of course, the difficult work of dismantling the racial and economic inequities that the coronavirus has so clearly exposed will go on for much longer than the current emergency. And when you’re tackling a problem that immense, it can be hard to see where to start. But we believe climate equity and environmental justice provide a clarifying set of lenses. Here’s the future we envision: Structural changes that put resources in the hands of communities hit hard by the effects of climate change and wounded by our existing unjust energy system. Community-led solutions managed by local agencies run by the people on the front lines — the people who know best how to heal their own communities, and how to forge a path to a more equitable future.We are witnessing a massive global shift to clean, renewable energy that doesn’t pollute and doesn’t cause climate change. This historic shift will have enormous economic, environmental and social consequences. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a clean energy system that spreads its benefits — including healthier air, more affordable energy and  increased wealth — among all the people it serves.As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said during World War II, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” The coronavirus crisis is highlighting the inequities that the climate crisis is aggravating, and making it blindingly obvious that we must do better. We must build a cleaner, more equitable power system and a safer, more prosperous future —  for all Americans.____Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee representing the 4th District of Virginia. He is the co- founder and co-chair of the Congressional United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force.The Rev. Leo Woodberry is pastor of Kingdom Living Temple in Florence, S.C.; executive director of the New Alpha Community Development Corporation; and a leader of the Justice First...

This piece was submitted from a member of our enthusiastic community of readers. If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Objects do not die quickly in Caribbean households. Maybe because on a subconscious level, we understand what it means to be disposable or an accessory. Memes scattered across the internet poke fun at many a Caribbean child’s plight looking for sweets in traditional butter cookie tins, only to find sewing supplies. I remember looking for cookies in repurposed tins or finding unrecognizable leftovers in Cool Whip containers turned Tupperware. These containers, long devoid of treats, represent a duplicitousness that the children come to expect, in which receptacles and miscellanea have their own identities, inextricably connected to our dependence on their continued utility. The act of throwing away was deliberate and cautionary in the many houses throughout the islands that I knew, where resources are limited and expensive. There, accessibility is in constant conversation with our relative isolation from the source of the “things” that we are told we need. Literature and contemporary discussions of conservation share a long-held narrative sinew that links Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Dorceta Taylor’s The Rise of the American Conservation Movement. “Blackness” and “nature” operate within collective global narratives as “other/unknown.” However, while both have endured brutal circumstances at the hands of their cohabitants, repairing one seems to negate the existence of the other.Often when walking through the streets of Harlem (where I currently reside), I see trash bags ripped open and strewn across the sidewalk showcasing diapers, juice bottles and food waste. Personal items are thrown across the street by the wind, and we are forced to navigate through our neighbors’ trash, bearing witness to the discharge of their needs. It is a mess similar to the wreckage of 2017’s hurricanes Irma and Maria, where I walked through the heirlooms of peoples’ lives, what they chose to save and what the storm threw away indiscriminately. At first, I regarded these street scenes as a kind of American insouciance and wastefulness. But more and more this pollution appears as a kind of war. The habits for which Black people are frowned upon in urban settings mirrors how America treats the Black, corporeal home of the body. The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was a clear example of physical pollution, sanctioned by the government, a government that also fines people for littering. So then, which one is worse, the plastic islands floating in the Pacific or generations of contaminated bodies? I consider the water in Flint, Michigan; and, immediately, the urine in the stairwell of my predominantly Black apartment complex makes sense. Can a house be sacred when the home of the body is in constant subjugation by its surrounding environment? The phlegm I found stuck to my elevator door one evening then becomes a silent protest, a way of making the internal external, and contaminating the feigned comfort provided by fines on dog waste. Accumulated acts of individual rebellion create the riot that is urban decay.The whiteness implicit in the conservation movement implicitly prioritizes place over people. This fantasy often paints a veneer of idealistic vistas. It harkens to paintings of the Hudson River Art School that are often devoid of human presence. Therein lies the problem, one cannot exist without the other. Ironically, there is a realism in conservative segregationism, where at least we have a place, although it might be “over there,” and it can be as beautiful or as ugly as we want it to be.  On the island of St. John and in the sweep of the Caribbean — territories bound to the Americans, the British, the Spanish and others — Black people have for years made themselves smaller to accommodate our visitors. Our footprint shrinks with water rationed from cisterns, periods of daily power outages and screen windows that take advantage of tradewinds. Self-erasure is almost a physical apology, an offering to a land that bears no loyalty. Black environmentalism has always been in front of our faces but without the virtue signaling because no one is paying attention. Why talk about nature when its force, invisible and unprompted, dictates your way of life?Cultures of Caribbean islands form around the knowledge that their physical and political isolation leaves them at the behest of nature. Like the Cool Whip container that is constantly morphing, and its contents must follow suit. Cities exist in a denial of nature and can only survive if repurposed like a container, by the people who need it most and by the cultures that hang onto it for survival. As islanders, our collective ego is brought to sea level where hurricanes formed thousands of miles away will destroy your house and the things in it. In a territory dictated by a peripheral government, there is no difference between a hurricane forming in the Atlantic and a president that you cannot vote for. The dilemma is “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” for both the ecosystems and the Blackness that encroach on our comfort and the lies we tell ourselves about “good intentions.” However, I believe that the salvation in Blackness is not in our image but in a rootedness in the unknown, and the ability to guide those who exist outside of it as a treaty before the...

Sen. Cory Booker reintroduced The Environmental Justice Act of 2019 Wednesday in an attempt to push his presidential campaign's priority of environmental justice and further address the environmental injustices that harm communities of color and low-income and indigenous communities.The legislation would not only require that agencies implement and update an annual strategy to address negative environmental and health impacts on vulnerable populations, but it also clarifies that individuals in communities affected by events like the Flint water crisis may bring forth common law claims and statutory claims for damages. The bill would also restore the right for individual citizens to bring actions under the Civil Rights Act against entities engaging in discriminatory practices, a right that's been outlawed since the Alexander v. Sandoval Supreme Court decision.“Clean air and clean water shouldn’t be luxuries for the privileged, yet every day, communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities disproportionately face environmental hazards and harmful pollutants," Booker said in a statement. "This reality has largely been ignored and the affected communities have been left without the legal tools to protect their rights." This legislation is not the first time Booker has made the issue of environmental justice a priority of his. At an April town hall meeting with student leaders at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, the New Jersey senator offered to double the EPA's enforcement staffing and increase staffing in the Environmental Justice office by 10 times if he were to be elected president.Even with a bigger spotlight on these issues, environmental injustices within the Black community have been a growing concern, with a 2018 study by the National Institutes of Health showing that, when compared to Whites, Blacks are exposed to 1.5 times more particulate matter pollution."Communities of color and low-income communities desperately need policies to be developed and implemented that will address environmental justice issues, such as cumulative impacts,” Nicky Sheats, director of the Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University, said in a statement.Booker first introduced this legislation in 2017, and companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Raul Ruiz. Booker is also a member of the first Senate Environmental Justice...

Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Tom Carper (D-DE) have announced the creation of the first Senate Environmental Justice Caucus.The caucus will be tasked with raising awareness of environmental and pollution issues that disproportionately impact the poor and communities of color.“Every American has the right to breathe safe air, drink clean water, and live on uncontaminated land, regardless of their zip code, the size of their wallet, and the color of their skin,” said Senator Duckworth in a statement. “That’s why I’m proud to start the Senate’s first Environmental Justice Caucus to raise awareness [to] the fact that communities of color face public health challenges at alarming rates while too many in power look the other way.” Sen. Duckworth's home state of Illinois has a number of the environmental issues. According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, Black children in the city of Chicago are eight times more likely to die from asthma than their white counterparts. The city's Black adults also suffer from asthma 75 percent more often than white people. “We cannot achieve economic justice or social justice in this country without also addressing environmental justice,” said Sen. Booker, who is running for president, in a statement. “Clean air and clean water shouldn’t be luxuries for the privileged, and the Environmental Justice Caucus is an important step toward raising awareness and taking action to address this injustice.”The caucus will help those communities advocate for themselves with the federal government, by providing assistance, generating legislation, and organizing hearings and events. It will also coordinate with the House Environmental Justice Task Force, which consists of members from the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Asian Pacific American Caucus.Now check these out:Alabama Senator Doug Jones On HBCU Funding, MLK's Legacy, And Listening To Black VotersT.I. Partnered With A Georgia Church To Bail 23 Nonviolent Offenders Out Of Jail On EasterBen & Jerry's Uses 4/20 To Get Blunt About The Way Black Stoners Are Treated By Law...

When we talk about someone taking our breath away, we think about the performances from Black Panther, Serena Williams serving a maximum force ace or Beyoncé celebrating HBCUs at Coachella with step routines and a drum line. But with the Trump administration in charge of our communities’ health, our breath being taken away has taken on new and dangerous meanings.Under President Trump and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s toxic agenda, Black and brown communities are at risk of more asthma attacks, hospital visits and increased rates of premature death due to this administration’s attempts to dismantle common sense pollution protections like the Clean Power Plan, the clean car standards and federal mercury pollution standards.Attacking these lifesaving protections is an environmental justice issue because low-income communities, Black and brown communities, and other marginalized groups bear a disproportionate burden from the effects of pollution. Black children are 4.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma, and 10 times more likely to die from asthma than white children. Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence that exposure to particulate pollution during development can lead to cardiac dysfunction during adulthood. Even EPA scientists recognize the health impact pollution has on Black lives, finding that when it comes to particulate air pollution – which is linked to premature death in people with heart or lung disease, irregular heartbeats (that may result in heart failure) and decreased lung function — the health burden on African Americans is 54% higher than the health burden on the American population overall. Perhaps the most significant blow to the health of Black communities is EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s poison plan to dismantle the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). These protections help safeguard our communities against mercury, soot, and other deadly toxicants from coal and oil-burning power plants. The EPA estimates that the protections prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, 130,000 asthma attacks and 4,700 heart attacks annually. Sabotaging these lifesaving protections would be particularly detrimental to the health of pregnant women, infants and children, as mercury pollution has been linked with damage to the brain, nervous system and fetal development. Additionally, 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, and more than 6.7 million live in a county that is home to a refinery. Given that Black and brown communities have suffered for decades from toxic exposure due to where we live, learn, earn and play, Administrator Wheeler’s poison plan will leave our communities breathless.I know the EPA can do better. I worked in the EPA Office of Children’s Health Protection under the Obama administration, where I gained an understanding of the horrendous disparities that pollution creates among our children. I also saw where opportunities exist to improve those health disparities. Those opportunities still exist if the EPA took more time to fully evaluate the health risks associated with rescinding pollution protections instead of rushing to dismantle them. Why put people’s health before the interests of corporate polluters? Perhaps it is because Administrator Wheeler served as a lobbyist for the coal industry prior to joining the EPA.Fighting this poison plan is about protecting our civil right to environmental protection and environmental justice. We must demand our Members of Congress speak out against Administrator Wheeler’s proposal to dismantle the federal mercury standards. It’s a matter of life and breath. EPA is rushing to weaken this regulation; communities have until Wednesday, April 17 to tell the Trump administration that you oppose this deadly proposal. There are many organizations with resources to help you send a quick note including Moms Clean Air Force, WEACT for Environmental Justice and NAACP Environmental and Justice Program.From fighting against voter suppression to advocating for civil rights, prison reform, economic equality, immigration and clean water, our social advocacy agenda is full. I get it. But we don’t have time to wait for the next president or the next generation to do the right thing. The Trump administration and his EPA administrator are not only ignoring our health, our safety and our environment, but getting rid of critical health protective policies to the detriment of our communities and our future. We must help end the burden of breathing polluted air now. We must help our communities breathe easier, and live healthier and longer lives. Then we can spend more time experiencing those breath-taking moments that entertain, inspire and uplift...

Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating we have roughly 11 years to reverse the environmental damage that humans have caused on the Earth. Considering how today's youth don’t have much time to age into institutional positions of power, they've decided not to wait for the adults to make the change. Today students around the globe are using their voices to bring awareness to the lack of climate change action that has been done, and the urgent need for solutions to ensure an environmentally clean future. Here are five things you need to know about the youth climate strike:1.) It all Started With a 16-Year-Old's Solo Protest in EuropeEvery Friday, Greta Thunberg stood outside of the parliament in Sweden, holding a sign and demanding more action on climate change. Her solo protest inspired thousands of people to join the movement, leading to mass protests in support of Swedish government intervention. Thunberg's activism has led her to speak out at the United Nations’ COP24 Climate Change Conference, and she's been given her own TED Talk on the importance of giving attention to environmental issues. Additionally, she was recently was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Now, tons of school children are walking in her footsteps, organizing for school strikes around the world, with more than 100 countries participating in the climate change school strike on March 15.2.) Ilhan Omar’s 16-Year-Old Daughter Is One of the Leaders of the Climate Strike in the U.S.Yes — Black girls want climate change action too! Isra Hirsi, along with three other youth activists, created US Youth Climate Strike to organize the march and get the word out to students about the protests. The group has gotten support from environmental justice organizers, such as Greenpeace, and has gathered the signatures of over 100 scientists, petitioning the U.S. government to take serious and immediate action. When asked by Elle what she would say to Trump in a sit down about climate change, Hirsi said, “The young people of America and the young people of the world don’t want you to be playing with their lives. They’re not going to just sit down and listen to you. We’re going to stand up and fight for as long as it needs to happen, until you and the other politicians in office value our lives, just like you value your own.”3.) Demands Include Real Legislative Action — and Does a Good Job of Calling Out the AdultsThe youth want a declaration of a national emergency on climate change, a Green New Deal that prioritizes communities of color, 100 percent of renewable energy plan by 2030, and an education curriculum that includes in-depth information on climate change for elementary students. They also provide solutions they believe can reverse its effects such as reforestation and new emission reduction standards, noting that these can only be put in place on a governmental level. Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.4.) This Isn’t the First Time Youth Have Protested for Climate Change in the U.S.Members of the Sunrise Movement, a youth climate change organizing group, presented a letter asking California Senator Dianne Feinstein to back the Green New Deal, which has garnered attention from Democrats. Feinstein’s refusal to listen to their demands was a classic example of the type of treatment met by adults, particularly politicians, who have dismissed youth protests and neglected any real climate change action. The tense exchange posted on their social media went viral and drew backlash toward Feinstein, while raising awareness of the slow implementation of political change.5.) You Can Support the Strike by Joining the March in Participating StatesAdults can uplift youth voices by adding to the number of people who are taking to the streets. US Youth Climate Strike has displayed on their website a map of all of the states that will be hosting walkouts. If you can’t make it to the protests, you can wear their march as a sign of solidarity or simply wear green. “Just because I can’t vote yet, I’m not going to sit idly by,” Hisri told Buzzfeed News. As adults, neither should we.Now, check this out:Here’s What You Need To Know About The Green New Deal4 Black Environmental Orgs You Should Know AboutAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Combating Climate Change Will Be “The Civil Rights Movement Of Our...

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) recently announced their outline of the Green New Deal: A resolution that will use policy changes to tackle climate change and environmental injustice. With its mission of shifting the United States towards clean and renewable energy, the resolution rests its climate- change solutions on its timeline to get rid of fossil fuels and nuclear energy by 2030.The Green New Deal’s agenda has been pushed for over a decade by the Green Party, but now gained attention from Democrats including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and political commentator Van Jones. It’s meant to offer a green alternative that honors the New Deal, which was drafted to save big banks on the heels of the Great Depression.The outline is already being called “too radical” and “potentially impossible” by conservatives, who are worried about the cost of its rollout. Many liberal Democrats, however, are backing the Green New Deal, praising its ambition and clear vision on sustainable practices. Whether the resolution will be followed leading up to real legislation is still uncertain, but it shines a strong light on the contrast between the visions of the liberal progressives and conservative politicians. Here are a few things to know about the Green New Deal, and why everyone is so riled up over it:1.) Its policies establish a climate-change framework through the lens of economic justice reform.By adding relief programs and financial reconstruction, the Green New Deal carves out plans for the United States to “take a leading role in reducing emissions through economic transformation.” It digs into different initiatives that emphasize nationally funded but locally controlled systems, while dissolving any extra income that’s typically been pushed toward the wealthy, including money provided to bank bailouts and abhorring any foreclosures and evictions. The Green New Deal also specifically targets Wall Street institutions that have used monetary support of the government through taxpayer dollars during economic crises. As a resolution, it focuses is on giving economic control over to “frontline and vulnerable communities.” Through this economic restructuring, it seeks to provide economic security and environmental protection to the communities that are affected and neglected the most by climate change disasters. 2.) It calls on the government to ensure the security of people’s rights to environmental and social justice.One of the interesting aspects of the Green New Deal is how it looks at environmental impact not just through the destruction of physical spaces, but also through the effects of government systems on small communities. The Green New Deal outlines various environmental factors contributing to the substantial quality of life, addressing each one by assuring the setup of a new political system, which will regulate new economical changes in partnership with local communities. It assigns responsibility to the United States government to rebuild public infrastructure that provides “complete streets” and upgraded modes of transportation, and gives all people the right to “clean air and water, climate and community resiliency, healthy food, access to nature and a sustainable environment.” The resolution consistently mentions that the work will create the need for millions of high-wage jobs, which will fight the wage stagnation that has plagued the nation for over 40 years. The emphasis on the government’s involvement grants the opportunity to push for more accountability, while also moving forward the agenda to create a place that recognizes the necessary rights for marginalized groups.3.) It gets rid of pollution sources by bringing in green alternatives.The eradication of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases comes with the investment in reorganizing how different industries are operating their equipment, facilities and landscapes. The Green New Deal strives for upgrading working corporations’ buildings and machinery to energy-efficient power grids. It also hones in on the agricultural industry by proposing collaboration with farmers to create a more sustainable food system, using healthy land and soil techniques. It also pushes for the cleanup of any exposure to hazardous environments that are a danger to humans and endangered animals and emphasizes the restoration of land environments that have been severely damaged due to climate change. The resolution solidifies the idea that reinvestment in environmental projects that work for an overhaul of existing detrimental practices must involve the community to bring the necessary environmental changes for a green society.For now, the Green New Deal is only a resolution that can only be brought to the House floor if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decides to opt in. Although a strong advocate of climate change, Pelosi seems to have no interest in moving the resolution to legislative measures, as she dismissed the proposal as “the green dream” when asked about it in an interview. But Ocasio-Cortez isn’t discouraged by any political divisions on the outline, saying at a press conference, “I will not allow our caucus to be divided upon silly notions, we are in this together. We are 100 percent in this together.”Make sure you're following Blavity:Politics on Instagram and join our daily newsletter to stay engaged and informed.Now, check this out:4 Black Environmental Orgs You Should Know AboutAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Combating Climate Change Will Be “The Civil Rights Movement Of Our Generation”Democratic Lawmakers Introduce Three New Bills In The House As A Rebuke To Trump’s Immigration...

Because clean water, access to fresh food, and the impact of climate change, and the rate of greenhouse gas emissions are all critical environmental issues that contribute to our overall health and survival, it’s important that the Black community makes environmental welfare a top priority. There are several Black-founded organizations currently taking the initiative to ensure our communities are nourished and given the necessary tender loving care to thrive for generations to come.Whether it's tackling environmental issues, growing fresh produce in a neighborhood garden, or motivating Black folks to seek healthier lifestyles, these Black organizations are putting in work. Here are four Black environmental orgs you should know...

In 2014, I graduated with a degree in Marine Biology. When people ask why I chose that field, I tell them that as a kid I heard a story on Reading Rainbow about a manatee being saved by scientists and just knew that’s what I wanted to do. But that’s not the full story. You’ll meet tons of people who wanted to be a marine biologist as a kid but changed their minds along the way. Honestly, I probably would have too if it hadn’t been for the unexpected negative reactions from others. When I started saying I wanted to be a marine biologist, I often heard how hard it would be and, pretty frequently, that it wasn’t a career for black people. These comments kept me focused, because not only did I want to be a marine biologist, but now I had something to prove. On the day of my graduation, as I waited to walk across the stage, I felt all the satisfaction, relief, and excitement of reaching my goal. But as the names were called, it became clear to me that I was the only black person graduating from my major. While I was proud of my accomplishment, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was alone. I had a feeling that the reason might have something to do with the belief that there are limitations on the black experience.It’s not like people have some kind of specific animosity towards black marine biologists. There are all kinds of things people will say “black people don’t do”. Many are outdoor activities like camping, kayaking, scuba diving, rock climbing, hiking, and visiting national parks. Unfortunately, if you were to look at the data about these activities it might seem like this is true. According to the National Park Services’ most recent survey, taken in 2009, African Americans made up just seven percent of visitors. Not only is this low when compared to the total population of African Americans, but is also low when compared to the visitorship of other racial minorities. I know from personal experience that there are many black hikers, bikers, surfers, and climbers so why does it seem like we’re sitting on the bench while everyone else plays?We all have our reasons for not spending more time outside--it’s hot, it can be a hassle to get there, and some activities aren't exactly budget friendly. And then there's just the unknown, sometimes you just have a feeling that it’s unsafe. That lack of safety we feel and warn each other about may be more than just unfamiliarity with the space. It might also come from the story we inherited, from a time when venturing out into the woods alone could end in violence and when certain spaces were literally off limits due to racial segregation. As these well-founded words of caution have been passed down, the aversion has persisted even as the original reason has fallen out of the story we tell. When I talk to adults who are trying a new outdoor activity for the first time and ask why they’ve never done it before they say something like, “It’s just not something I grew up doing.” It’s a cycle that’s hard to break but I think it’s time to revisit our out relationship with the outdoors. There might be some things we didn’t, or couldn't, do in the past but there’s nothing we can’t do now.So here’s why we have to start going outside:Being outside can help improve your mental health. Although we experience the same rate of mental health conditions as the general population we are less likely to seek professional help and, when we do, we receive poorer medical treatment. While we’re working on changing the stigma and improving results, getting outdoors might supplement what we need. Spending time in green spaces has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. I will always be in support of getting help when we need it, but we’re doing ourselves a disservice if we disregard the proven benefits of spending time in nature.Outdoor experiences can impact how we think about social justice issues.We’re constantly being told to take care of the environment and why we should care. We know it’s important, but with a long list of social justice issues to tackle it might not seem like a priority. The reality is that the health of the environment is also a social justice issue; environmental hazards affect communities of color at higher rates than others. This means that racial minorities are more likely to be exposed to pollutants that have been linked to increased risk of cancer and high blood pressure.These health hazards don’t always make it on the list of reasons that we should be concerned about the environment. Without equal representation in the environmental field (related to lack of exposure to nature as children that may lead to fewer adults pursuing environmental careers), it’s more challenging to find mainstream information that resonates with us. By spending more time outdoors, we can create our own connections to natural spaces and find out what matters to us. Then we can realize for ourselves why we should act on our shared responsibility as caretakers.We can change the stereotype and share an updated story about our relationship with the outdoors.Everywhere you look there are new examples of black excellence. We’re closing the technology gap, the number of black female-owned businesses is growing, and the black travel movement is going strong. We’re challenging long-held stereotypes and flipping the script in so many areas. Why would we limit ourselves when it comes to the outdoors? I think it’s time for us to share a new chapter in our collective history book that says we take part in everything life has to offer.Based on the statistics, it may seem like we have a long way to go to make changes, but there are people who are already making tremendous strides. In 2013, for the first time ever a predominantly African American group of mountaineers trekked to the peak of Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. Speaking of climbing mountains, one of the current best rock climbers in the country is 17-year-old Kai Lightner. Already a national climbing champion, Lightner is currently training for the 2020 Olympics--the first time rock climbing will be included in the Olympics and he may be the first black male to represent the US for the sport. Alright, hopefully, you’re feeling like you’re ready to get out there, but you’re concerned about being the only person of color. No worries! as someone who is frequently in that situation, I completely empathize. It’s the reason that I co-founded the outdoor recreation group Black Girls Trekkin’. Our mission is to inspire and empower women of color to live their passions while we trek together. If you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to meet up with a group, join us!We hope you'll join us outdoors so we can show the next kid pursuing something that “black people don’t do” that when it comes to living our fullest and best lives there’s nothing we won’t...

In 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrated the 20th anniversary of a historic Presidential Executive Order (E.O.12898) declaring action on environmental justice. The guest of honor was Congressman John Lewis, a legendary civil rights champion and an environmental justice advocate. In 1992, he introduced the Environmental Justice Act, the first piece of legislation dedicated to abolishing racial disparities, environmental protection applications. Soon after, the environmental justice program at EPA was established—an office I worked in for almost 25 years.But given the Trump administration’s intentional neglect of the most basic of EPA’s mandates, I left the agency, and joined the Hip Hop Caucus. We and our partners are committed to transforming our communities from ‘surviving to ‘thriving’. And that means defending against the injustices of pollution and disinvestment.And the truth is, some injustices are easier to see, like signs hanging above a water fountain or on a bathroom door. Under the surface, systemic harm disproportionately undermining black and brown families continues to fester, demands more thoughtful attention than ever before.Let’s take the tragic story of Freddie Gray, for example. It’s been a few years since young Freddie Gray died in the back of a police van in Baltimore, Maryland. His death sparked conversation about police brutality, and the criminal justice system. But the untold story is one of unfair environmental harm. It turns out, Freddie grew up in the projects in Baltimore, and was exposed to lead paint chips as a child. Science tells us that exposure to lead at that age seriously inhibits brain development, leading to increased academic struggles and higher rates of youth run-ins with the law. We currently have over one million kids who are suffering from lead poisoning.When the Trump Administration undermines public health protections and programs families like Freddie’s rely on, communities of color suffer the most. Our safety and our health the first rung on any letter of opportunity. The President and his backers have posed historically deep cuts to cornerstone environmental justice programs and the stripping of grant dollars dedicated to ensuring safe water to drink and clean air to breathe, all while our children suffer from more asthma, our families are exposed to more toxic chemicals, and our neighborhoods deal with higher levels of contaminated water.A recent investigation into water contamination around the country identified more than 3,000 neighborhood areas with recently recorded childhood lead poisoning rates at least double those found across Flint, Michigan, during the peak of that city’s water contamination a few years ago. In fact, more than 1,000 of those ‘hotspots’ have a rate of elevated blood lead levels higher than Flint’s.Whether it’s his political delay of the Waters of the United States rule meant to keep sources of drinking water safe from harm—or continual blockage of having EPA do the job Congress gave it to do, Trump’s actions put us in real, measurable danger.On the heels of Black History Month, we’re reminded that the environmental movement and the civil rights movement are two sides of the same coin: EPA was born from an all-too-familiar compulsion to fight for basic rights—the right to clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and healthy land to raise our families.As he spoke to EPA staff in 2014 upon receiving his award, Congressman Lewis recounted his first recollection, as a young boy in Jim Crow Alabama, seeing entry signs and water fountains labeled ‘colored’ and ‘white’. I was there in the room when he described it in detail. He remembers asking his family why such discrimination existed: “They said, ‘That’s just the way it is. Don’t get in the way. Don’t get in trouble.’”Today, in this new era of anti-science, racially charged political leadership, as environmental health injustices deepen their roots in black and brown communities, we must endeavor—like generations past—to give voice to the voiceless and fight for a more equitable future.At the end of his talk at, John Lewis said to all of us in the room: “thank you for getting in the way. Thank you for getting in trouble – good trouble. It’s the necessary thing to do.”Let’s take a page out of Congressman Lewis’s book. Let’s keep getting into good...