3.3 Environmental Justice


The social determinants of health are,"the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life" (WHO, 2017). For example, how environmental justice fits into this is that the city, the neighborhood, the street, the proximity to oil refineries where people live have a direct effect on their health. Unfortunately due to institutionalized racism, the lack of diversity in jobs where people make decisions about where companies are going to be built, people of color are missing from that decision making process and occupation. The connection between environmental justice and racism to health is undeniable. Blacks and African Americans have been disproportionately been affected all their lives by injustices and discrimination. On almost every public health article I have ever read, African Americans are always the one with the highest rates of obesity, highest rates of preterm births, birth mortality, hypertension, and other chronic diseases. African American communities are disenfranchised and often times located in the poorest parts of cities near toxic chemical plants and companies. It is similar to the Dakota Access Pipeline Native American tribes were protesting so fearlessly against being built on their land. The original proposal was for it to go through affluent white neighborhoods and that was shot down immediately, but when it comes to people of color, minority communities, the decision makers do not advocate enough for the health of those that will be directly affected by environmental spills, leaks, fires, explosions, or emission of the industrial chemicals the companies or pipelines produce.

Comments

  1. Krissy PamatmatSeptember 26, 2017 at 3:02 PM

    Hi Mayra,

    I agree that I African Americans are always one of the minority groups that suffer from the highest rates of different health issues. Therefore, I think it is important for communities especially for poor communities and people of color communities to achieve environmental justice. In result, people can live a better and healthier life. I think we need to have more health organizations and people's movement groups like the "Black Lives Matter” movement so people can talk together and plan solutions together.

    - Krissy

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 28, 2017 at 8:04 PM

    Hi Mayra,
    I definitely agree with you that there's not enough advocates for African Americans during the decision making progress that when it comes to making important decisions and changes that can have significant impact the lives and well-being of many people and in this case, the African Americans who are not being represented enough. An effective way to improve this problem is bringing more enthusiastic, trained and experienced advocates and representatives for African Americans into these decision-making progress so that their voices and needs are being heard. Give them a system that they can trust.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Environmental Health MusingsSeptember 30, 2017 at 11:14 PM

    Hi Mayra,
    I agree that African Americans are always tend to be disproportionately affected with the highest rates of chronic diseases and birth mortality. I think it's good that the Black Lives Matter movement is shining light on the overlooked notion of environmental issues. This is important for stakeholders to notice and properly address in order to create change within minority communities.

    ReplyDelete

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