An Enviromental Assault on Black Communities
As a North Carolina native from a small, rural town, environmental justice is highly personal for me. I grew up in a town of about 3,000 people, dominated by a large pig production plant, the town’s primary source of employment. The stench from the plant was horrific—thick, vile, and pervasive. Even now, almost 20 years later, I can remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday.
But the effects of the factory went far beyond the foul odor. It negatively impacted our air quality, polluted our water supply, and threatened our health. Most disturbing, perhaps, is that the company regularly dumped pig waste into the Black community in the town, thus poisoning our water supply and causing serious health problems.
Environmental protection doesn’t happen in a vacuum. One can’t separate the impact on the environment from the impact on our families and communities.
Enviromental Injustice Impact On Black Americans
Environmental injustice has disproportionately impacted Black communities throughout the country. These communities have been located near environmental hazards, bearing the brunt of living close to toxic waste facilities, breathing toxic air, drinking contaminated water, and fighting for their right to live in safe and healthy environments. Thus, offices of environmental justice must be created within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The offices’ function is to protect communities like mine from the effects of environmental racism and hold polluters accountable.
However, when Donald Trump took over, he used an Executive Order (EO) to eliminate all such offices. Not only did he cut funding and resources, but he eliminated them entirely. This EO sent a powerful and unmistakable message: the government is unconcerned about the health and well-being of Black and Brown people in terms of environmental protection.
The ramifications of this decision are enormous. The effects of environmental injustice disregard have already shown themselves in places like Flint, Michigan, where largely Black citizens went several years without a clean water supply. This same reality exists in the rural South, where Black communities live near landfills, factories, and chemical plants that contaminate both water and air. In addition, the first Trump administration highlighted the issue by suddenly dropping a lawsuit against a chemical firm in Louisiana. The Biden administration later prosecuted the firm for causing cancer in Black communities (The New York Times, March 11, 2025). These incidents do not happen in a vacuum; instead, they are the results of policies that devalue Black lives.
It's About More Than Nature. It's About Saving Lives
Environmental justice is more than just protecting nature; it is essentially about the safety of human lives. It is about the pursuit of racial justice, public health, and the necessity that pollution and toxins do not pollute Black and Brown communities. Wealthier, predominantly white communities do not fight for clean air and clean drinking water, and neither should our communities. As we now face Trump dismantling the EPA’s environmental justice offices, we must fight more forcefully for our right to clean breathing, safe drinking water, and living without fear in our environment.
We cannot be passive and allow policies that hurt our communities to go unchallenged. We must act by electing representatives who prioritize environmental justice, supporting community-based organizations that set the tone, and calling out corporations and politicians who place profits above our health. The fate of our communities is at stake.
Invitation to Participate
It is more imperative than ever now that we support the cause of environmental justice. Below is how you can make a difference:
Stay Up-to-Date: One should be well-informed about the environmental policies that target Black communities. The article by The New York Times presents additional information about the closure of the EPA’s environmental justice offices.
Support Grass Roots Groups: Work with local groups committed to moving the environment forward.
Vote Strategically: Vote for leadership that puts environmental justice first and shows a firm commitment to protecting every community.
Activist: Use your voice to push for stronger environmental safeguards and demand that polluters are held responsible. Write to your representatives, attend local meetings, and spread vital information. It is all about our well-being, our families, and our communities’ health.
