Environmental Injustices: From Mere Issues to a Movement

This article addresses the issue of environmental injustices that are faced by African Americans. The author, Robert Williams, states that environmental issues were not always an issue. Organizations and individuals have transformed mere issues into a movement. Within this article, Williams discusses the methods in which organizations and individuals called attention to the problem.

Williams begins by informing the reader that the environmental justice movement began with grassroots organizations and word of mouth. In 1982, protestors from Warren County wanted a toxic landfill out of their community. (Williams,1999, p.4) From there, studies were conducted analyzing communities of color and the health risks associated with them. This brought a lot of attention to various injustices that communities faced.

When scientists investigated other communities, they stumbled upon more issues in more places. In relation to the Green Energy Fund, we can cause the student body to stumble upon issues in our own environment. If we study how other universities are using their funds, this will let us know where we may be lacking as a university.

For example, one university may have used their fund to implement a feature that makes their air cleaner. This will cause us, as well as the student body, to analyze the air in our environment. This can easily result in all of us taking action. We can not expect students to take action against an issue that they are not aware of. The scientists made the issues known. In our situation, we have to be the scientists and make the issues at Florida A&M known to gain support for our campaign.

Another way that environmental injustice issues were brought to the forefront was by alliances. Since the grassroots organizations were small, they partnered with organizations like the National Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace. (Williams, 1999, p.58) This led to strong partnerships that put a lot of pressure on local and state governments around the country.

If the Green Coalition partners with big and influential organizations on campus, this will familiarize the student body with the issue. Not only that, but the university administration and the student government association will have to become concerned with the issue. This will put a lot of pressure on the people with power. Just like a real government, our senators and representatives must be re-elected. If they aren’t concerned with the issues the students are, they will not remain in office.

Williams even mentions that petitions were utilized all over the country by organizations both small and large. In general, the issues were brought to attention by activism and investigation. If we as researchers do the investigating, all we have to do is relay that information to the student body so they can take action.

Williams, R.W. (1999) . Environmental injustice in America and its politics of scale. Political Geography, 18 (1) , 49-73 . 10.1016/S0962-6298(98)00076-6