Left out of the History books: Environmental Justice Heroes

Originally Published: November 3rd, 2022 in the Rider News

When you think of environmentalism, what do you think of?

Probably the cleaning of oceans, lowering carbon footprints, deforestation, and climate change among others, but probably not the economic and racial disparities that are a part of the fight. Why not? To put it plainly, racial inequity. The counterparts, consisting mostly of White folk, don’t experience it.

These environmental inequalities are disparities that majorly affect marginalized groups such as that of the Chicago heat wave. In 1995, temperatures rose as deadly as 126 degrees Farenheit in urban parts of Chicago. Some of the city was protected by infrastructure and cooling units, central air, and cold water. While other parts, majorly inhabited by poor, elderly and Black folks, scorched, and made up the majority of the death toll. “It’s a story about these deeper social fault lines that make some members of a city vulnerable and keep others protected and blissfuly innocent about what’s happening to people who live quite close to them” -Cooked: Survival by Zipcode (documentary).

Environmental justice should be on the forefront of environmentalism, yet it continuously falls through the cracks because of the systemic racism still running rampant through our country.

As Rider junior early education major Tara Towson said, “In the current social climate, the need to recognize our privilege, educate ourselves and listen to people of color’s stories and struggles is crucial to understanding how to correct systemic injustices.”

Environmental justice, a movement stemming from the existence of environmental racism, focuses on addressing the disproportionate effects of environmental hazards on people of color to correct bigger-picture systemic inequities. Although the movement didn’t really have the public’s recognition until the 1980s, people of color and low income families have experienced disparities regarding environmental degradation for much longer. For example, in the 1960s Dolores Huerta worked alongside Cesar Chavez to create the first farmworker labor union, the United Farm Workers Association.

What does this have to do with the environment? In the ‘60s there was an extremely high use of unregulated pesticides that not only damaged the soil for future crops, but also endangered the lives of the Latinx workers who mainly worked on large agricultural fields. Sounds like the definition of environmental racism, right? So, Huerta and Chavez worked to protect the laborers and the environment from the detrimental effects of large-scale farming including chemicals, disruption of wildlife habitats, disturbance of hydrologic cycle and more.

Senior musical theater major Timmy Bradford said, “It’s really unfortunate that I spent all those years in history class and never heard the name Dolores Huerta once. It just goes to show why it’s so important for us to educate ourselves in things outside the realm of what affects us, in order to break the pattern.”

And Dolores isn’t the only one left out.

Rosario Dawson, who you may know as an actress, has also inspired many with her activism through her co-founded organization, Voto Latino, which encourages Latinx populations greatly affected by climate change to vote.

Winona LaDuke is a politician, economist, environmentalist, author and Native American land rights activist who founded many organizations including the ​​White Earth Land Recovery Project, which set out to give jobs back to indigenous people by buying their land back.

Robert Bullard is another important figure known as the “father of environmental justice” for his work campaigning against toxic waste being dumped in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

These heroes are only the tip of the iceberg, but their pioneering contributions should be at the forefront of your google search engine.

Systemic change, no matter how big or small, starts with us.

Want to learn more about environmental justice heroes like Dolores Huerta and her 91 years of brave work and counting?

Join us on either Nov. 9 and 10 in Sweigart room 115 (Rue Auditorium) at 7 p.m. for a screening and brief talkback on the film “Dolores.” Register at www.rider.edu/greenfilms.

Additionally, there is a new engaged service-learning program “Rider B.E.S.T.” (Broncs’ Environmental Social Justice Team) is offered to educate students about environmental justice issues. Reach out to the Office of Sustainability or email service@rider.edu for program information.