Black folk have a lot to worry about and fight against: racism, wage gap, wealth gap, education gap, technology gap and health disparities to name a few.
All of these issues are pressing.
The environment isn’t one of those pressing issues on that list. It should be.
Like many in our community, the environment and environmental justice weren’t always top of mind for me. I’ve never been a litterbug, and I discourage those around me from littering as it’s not aesthetically pleasing. I don’t let the water continuously run when brushing my teeth. I recycle and try to reduce the amount of aerosols I use because I don’t want to contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. I would say that’s been about the extent of my environmental activism.
I’ve always cared about the environment, but I had too many “real” issues on my plate to be overly concerned with the environment. Environmental justice seemed like more work than I was willing to do. I can’t say I’m all in now, but I’m more in tune with the role the environment plays in my life and the lives of Black people than I used to be. I’ve come to realize educating myself about environmental issues and fighting for environmental justice is just as important as fighting for social justice; in fact, the two are symbiotic.
So often Black people are blamed for the disparities and hardships we face. The way we cook our food and our lack of physical activity are pointed to as causes for our high rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I won’t ever argue against doing better. We should always strive to improve our quality of life.
However, I won’t place blame solely at our feet. We didn’t create these problems, systemic racism did. As I’ve said before America has a problem with those same issues, but we often pay a bigger price.
If you live in a formerly redlined neighborhood, it’s likely you live in an area with high pollution and asthma rates. If you live in a home built before 1978 and you see paint peeling, especially on the windowsill, there’s a possibility it’s lead paint. It’s also possible lead is in the soil and water of poorer neighborhoods, which often means Black neighborhoods. Lead affects the development of a child’s brain and nervous system. According to a study by Princeton University and Brown University, lead exposure during preschool years “significantly increases the chance that children will be suspended or incarcerated during their school careers.” Conventional wisdom says the school-to-prison pipeline starts early, and researchers suggest there’s a connection to lead poisoning, crime and incarceration rates of Black people, specifically Black men.
But it’s more than lead that’s causing health issues in our communities. I started connecting the dots with our health and our environment several years ago, but an article in the Guardian on the return of hookworm in a poor Alabama county made me realize we are in a crisis. Many of the homes in Lowndes County, Alabama, aren’t connected to the municipal sewage system, so they must rely on septic tanks and cobbled together piping to dispose of sewage waste. Heavy rains strain these systems causing backups and overflows into yards. This is where the hookworm, a parasite thought to have been eradicated in the 1980s in America, comes in. Hookworm often enters the body through the soles of bare feet and travels to the small intestine where it lives by sucking the blood of the host. Hookworm causes iron deficiency, anemia, weight loss, tiredness and impaired mental function, especially in children. Hookworm is no joke and it’s affecting poor Black people.
I also started connecting cancer to the places in which we live. The death of Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer brought national attention to the connection between his hometown Anderson, South Carolina, and high rates of cancer. When it comes to cancer, Black people often have a more aggressive form and have a lower survival rate. Again, our unhealthy lifestyle is often blamed. However, we need to look at the environmental factors that may play a role in these disparate outcomes.
With all of these concerns in mind, the Recorder focused this edition on environmental issues. This deep dive into the issues that affect our environment is just the beginning. We plan to do a better job of covering our environment to help our community understand why we need to prioritize environmental justice. Our health depends on it.
As part of our focus on environmental issues, the Recorder and our partners, WFYI and WFYI Side Effects Public Media, will have free lead testing kits at our booth at the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration health fair July 16-18. Make sure to stop by and grab one. Let’s be proactive.
