Talk:Environmental racism in the United States/Archive 1

Requested move 29 October 2021

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: moved. There is strong consensus for "Environmental racism in the United States" and this is based in WP:TITLEFORMAT. As for replacing "racism" with "justice", that is a scope change. There is support for that too, but it falls short of consensus and the discussion is not focused. So IMO best course is to complete this RM and then start a new, focused, discussion for the scope change. (non-admin closure) VR talk 13:41, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

Environmental Racism in the United States → Environmental racism in the United States – capitalization. Redirect no longer necessary Gjs238 (talk) 02:40, 29 October 2021 (UTC) — Relisting. VR talk 02:57, 8 November 2021 (UTC)


 * Support, though it should have been done as a WP:RMTR. Dicklyon (talk) 01:54, 31 October 2021 (UTC)
 * Support Seems fine. EnPassant♟♙ (talk) 22:54, 1 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Support per others... I don't see any use of capitalization. Nice article!  Kavyansh.Singh (talk) 18:46, 4 November 2021 (UTC)  Added a new vote below.
 * Another thought Consider Environmental justice in the United States. This would allow for a broader article. The current article on Environmental justice is imbalanced in its coverage of the US, and some content about the US should be moved to another article. Although race is very strongly correlated with environmental injustice in the US, there are also correlations with poverty and other factors (as this article mentions). We can certainly have both articles, (EJ in US and ER in US), but it might be more efficient to have only the broader title until need for both titles is demonstrated.Larataguera (talk) 20:48, 4 November 2021 (UTC)
 * +1 to the scope change -- there is a lot of content for example hanging out in the central Environmental Justice page which should really be forked out as well into a centralized article. The Environmental justice movement in the USA has largely been driven by the racial justice component of the conversation, Sadads (talk) 11:09, 5 November 2021 (UTC)
 * +1 to the scope change - there is already a section here starting "Low-income households and people of color ..." and there is too much USA stuff in Environmental justice Chidgk1 (talk) 07:12, 6 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Relisting comment: four !votes supported "Environmental racism in the United States" and three supported "Environmental justice in the United States". It is not clear if the first four would also support the broadened scope, so I'll ping them and I've relisted this RM to allow time for that discussion.VR talk 03:00, 8 November 2021 (UTC)


 * Stick with racism for now. The proposal was for a simple case fix.  Let's do that first, then entertain alternate naming/scope proposals separately. Dicklyon (talk) 04:16, 8 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Unless there's actually an objection to the scope change, this seems to me like an arbitrarily bureaucratic approach. Larataguera (talk) 13:11, 8 November 2021 (UTC)
 * I do object. The proposal needs to aired at the other affected articles, too. Dicklyon (talk) 20:43, 8 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Thank you for this clarification. I did post a proposal to move content from Environmental justice to Environmental justice in the United States on the talk page there back on Oct 27th (unrelated to this move) and there have been no objections. There is a notice linking to this discussion at Talk:Environmental racism. I'm not sure there would be any other affected pages. Larataguera (talk) 01:03, 9 November 2021 (UTC)


 * Support 'Environmental justice in the United States' No issues with broadening the scope.  Kavyansh.Singh (talk) 13:17, 8 November 2021 (UTC)
 * I Do Not Support swapping "racism" for "justice". They aren't the same thing. EnPassant♟♙ (talk) 19:15, 9 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Support the proposed change, without letting that perfunctory change, required by MOS:TITLECASE, be delayed by the likely involved discussion about a change in the term used. Largoplazo (talk) 12:10, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
— Preceding unsigned comment added by Wardkerry (talk • contribs) 18:08, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

Proposed name change & broadening scope of EJ in US article
I'm so glad we have this article on Wiki. I propose renaming it to "Environmental Justice in the United States," and expanding the scope of the article to include recent movements in activism, legislation, etc. I would also want to add a section specifically related to Native American struggle with EJ, and expanding on that, in the future we could also work in many sections on other affected groups. We can also add a bunch of hyperlinks to other Wiki articles, including the general Environmental Justice article (which is currently a mess). Grace.jana07 (talk) 23:30, 17 November 2021 (UTC)grace.jana07
 * I agree with the scope change. Another possibility that would be equally broad is Environmental discrimination in the United States. Larataguera (talk) 11:26, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
 * I disagree with rename as Racism and Justice are not the same thing. Environmental racism is a subtopic of Environmental justice, as noted directly in the ER article. It makes no logical sense to rename this one without renaming the other, doing so would result in a confusing mess and both topics are important enough to warrant separate article, as in this case. Further, renaming it glosses over the topic of racism itself, something that makes me uncomfortable. EnPassant♟♙ (talk) 21:40, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Here's an article in the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law (2001) that states "Initially 'environmental justice' was referred to almost exclusively as 'environmental racism' because of the disproportionate impact on people of color; however, it is now clear that environmental health risks are foisted predominately on lower income groups of all racial and ethnic groups. In order to be inclusive, as well as to avoid the extra baggage that comes with calling an act 'racist', practitioners almost exclusively use the term 'environmental justice' rather than 'environmental racism'." This article also states that Robert Bullard (a preeminent scholar in this field) has said that getting caught up in the term 'racism' is counterproductive. So if we're using reliable sources to support article titles, these sources would suggest 'Environmental justice in the United States'
 * It is worth noting that with this proposed title change, in addition to moving from specific to general, we would also move from describing a prevalent system of injustice to describing a social movement to counter this injustice. It's a subtle shift (and unfortunately not treated in the above article). Perhaps it's worth maintaining the focus on the existing injustice (although I'm not sure of this), and in this case 'Environmental discrimination in the United States' would be an appropriately general title that does not shift the focus of the article onto the social movement. Larataguera (talk) 12:55, 2 December 2021 (UTC)
 * A single source's discussion of the history of a conflation of two related topics doesn't mean Environmental Racism ceased to exist and doesn't negate the many reliable sources we have covering Environmental Racism. This topic is a subcategory of Environmental Justice. It's fine like it is. EnPassant♟♙ (talk) 20:05, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2021 and 3 December 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): SarahD12345678910. Peer reviewers: Amykuriakose.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 20:48, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 25 August 2021 and 17 December 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Grace.jana07. Peer reviewers: Cameronkalantar, Ericklemusss.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 20:48, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

New Editions
Hello, I'm considering making some new updates. I see that there is some current work being done to add Native American justice issues, which is great (and something I planned on doing earlier, but didn't have the time to). I'd like to add some sections on environmental racism in different US states and a section on farmworker justice. Here are some possible references:

1.	Brook, Daniel. “Environmental Genocide: Native Americans and Toxic Waste.” The American Journal of Economics and Sociology57, no. 1 (1998): 105–13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3487423.

2.	Downey, Liam. “Environmental Racial Inequality in Detroit.” Social Forces 85, no. 2 (2006): 771–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4494939.

3.	Downey, Liam. “US Metropolitan-Area Variation in Environmental Inequality Outcomes.” Urban Studies 44, no. 5/6 (2007): 953–77. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43084810.

4.	Ejiogu, Kingsley, and Hon R. Tachia. “The Impact of Demographic and Regulatory Mobility on Environmental Justice in Texas, 1990-2000.” Race, Gender & Class 22, no. 3–4 (2015): 31–54. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26505349.

5.	Fisher, Colin. “Nature in ‘The Jungle’: Ethnic Workers, Environmental Inequalities, and Subaltern Cultures of Nature in Chicago’s Packingtown.” Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities 3 (2016): 330–57. https://doi.org/10.5250/resilience.3.2016.0330.

6.	Goldtooth, Tom. “Indigenous Nations: Summary of Sovereignty and Implications for Environmental Protection.” Environmental justice issues, policies, and solutions, pp. 115-23 (1995).

7.	Harris, Angela. “THE TREADMILL AND THE CONTRACT: A CLASSCRITS GUIDE TO THE ANTHROPOCENE.” Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, & Social Justice, Vol. 5 No. 1 Article 3 (2016).

8.	Hooks, Gregory, and Chad L. Smith. “The Treadmill of Destruction: National Sacrifice Areas and Native Americans.” American Sociological Review 69, no. 4 (2004): 558–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3593065.

9.	Margo, Robert A. “Obama, Katrina, and the Persistence of Racial Inequality.” The Journal of Economic History 76, no. 2 (2016): 301–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43917288.

10.	Pulido, Laura. “Rethinking Environmental Racism: White Privilege and Urban Development in Southern California.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 90, no. 1 (2000): 12–40. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1515377.

11.	Ratnapradipa, Dhitinut, Christine Cardinal, Kendra L. Ratnapradipa, Amanda Scarbrough, and Yue Xie. “Implications of Hurricane Harvey on Environmental Public Health in Harris County, Texas.” Journal of Environmental Health 81, no. 2 (2018): 24–33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26505155.

12.	Ryder, Stacia S. “A Bridge to Challenging Environmental Inequality: Intersectionality, Environmental Justice, and Disaster Vulnerability.” Social Thought & Research 34 (2017): 85–115. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44807699.

Link to my user page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:SarahD12345678910

SarahD12345678910 (talk) 04:36, 21 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi user:SarahD12345678910, I am really happy to see someone taking this work on. You’ve got a lot of good sources, but I can recommend a few other sources that might be really helpful (and, I think, important). Especially in terms of how Native American scholars view climate change as connected to and an outgrowth of US colonialism (Whyte, Wildcat, Keeler, Todd), how EJ functions differently for Native peoples (Gilio-Whitaker), and how colonialism has sought to destroy native connections to the environment (Vinyeta, Bacon):
 * 1. Kyle Powys Whyte “Our Ancestors’ Dystopia Now” in The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities (https://kylewhyte.cal.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/2017-Whyte-Ancestors-Dystopia-Now.pdf). A lot of whyte’s work would be helpful here. Also, “ Is it colonial deja vu? Indigenous peoples and climate injustice” (https://kylewhyte.cal.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/2017-Whyte-Colonial-Deja-Vu-and-Climate-Justice.pdf)
 * 2. In relation to your Laura Pulido work already here, “ Geographies of race and ethnicity II: Environmental racism, racial capitalism and state-sanctioned violence” in Progress in Human Geography (https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/0/15090/files/2020/06/PHGracialK.pdf)
 * 3. Kyle Keeler, “ Colonial Theft and Indigenous Resistance in the Kleptocene” on Edge Effects Magazine, (https://edgeeffects.net/kleptocene/)
 * 4. Zoe Todd and Heather Davis, “ On the Importance of a Date, or, Decolonizing the Anthropocene”, in ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies (https://www.acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1539).
 * 5. Dina Gilio-Whitaker, “ What Environmental Justice Means in Indian Country” (https://www.kcet.org/shows/earth-focus/what-environmental-justice-means-in-indian-country). Like Whyte, a lot of Gilio-Whitaker’s work is helpful here, especially her book, As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock
 * 6. Kirsten Vinyeta, “ Under the guise of science: how the US Forest Service deployed settler colonial and racist logics to advance an unsubstantiated fire suppression agenda,” Environmental Sociology, (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23251042.2021.1987608) take a look, too, at the wiki pages for Native American use of fire in ecosystems—more of Vinyeta’s work is there
 * 7. Jules Bacon, “ Settler colonialism as eco-social structure and the production of colonial ecological violence,” Environmental Sociology, (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23251042.2018.1474725)
 * 8. In terms of books, Daniel Wildcat’s Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge, David Pellow’s What is Critical Environmental Justice (esp his introduction), Kari Norgaard’s Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People: Colonialism, Nature, and Social Action, Elizabeth Hoover’s The River Is in Us: Fighting Toxics in a Mohawk Community, and Leanne Simpson’s As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance are all good resources.
 * I hope this was helpful in some way—thanks for adding this important information!
 * -Hobomok (talk) 15:38, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

This was so helpful. Thank you so much!

SarahD12345678910 (talk) 20:55, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

New Additions
This page is a good basis, but as I look at it, some key missing areas that should be added:

1. Farmworker Justice needs to be discussed in the historical and contemporary sections. Many scholars point to Cesar Chavez’s work with the National Farmworkers association as either preceding, or occurring alongside, the Warren County Protests.

2. Native American EJ issues. Right now there is only information about “tribal outreach” from the u.s. government, which many Indigenous Environmental Advocates would argue is The body most responsible for environmental racism against native peoples. The main Environmental Racism page has a decent overview of such issues. Should be represented here as well.

I just wanted to provide some avenues for expansion if someone is so inclined. I currently don’t have time to do this, but might at some point in the future.Hobomok (talk) 16:56, 10 December 2021 (UTC)


 * Hello, I agree that some key missing areas should be added. Following the lead section, I believe alongside Native American EJ issues, there should be also be sections about Black Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic populations. Highlighting these marginalized groups and the environmental racism they have experienced will create a more comprehensive article on environmental racism in the United States. Hannahlynnchoi (talk) 18:36, 20 April 2022 (UTC)

Hey there! I'm glad you made the suggestion to include more Native American EJ issues -- that's exactly what I've been working on, and I'll be moving my sandbox drafting for such information very shortly. Please keep an eye out and let me know if/how my contributions can be improved, once they're made. Grace.jana07 (talk) 20:33, 10 December 2021 (UTC)grace.jana07

Thoughts on New Revisions
I really enjoyed how clear this article was. The moment I started reading, I had a clear understanding of what exactly environmental racism was and some of the ways it manifests itself. Later in the lead, you state some statistics regarding the intersection between racism and environmental issues and this conveys this abstract topic better. I think if that section was more organized, it would contribute to a more cohesive lead section. Additionally, your article relies on several case studies of instances of environmental racism around the world therefore adding links would result in further reading for people. This would allow people to better educate them on the specifics of each instance you mentioned. I think an addition of the ongoing efforts to combat environmental racism would very important to show has this issue is ongoing.

-Zachre Andrews (talk) 20:23, 3 November 2021 (UTC)


 * I agree with your points on new revisions. I also found the first part of the history section distracting, as it began with the discussion of environmental justice when this article is on environmental racism. The article could start this section off with the history behind environmental racism and then discuss how that connects to environmental justice. I also do think that adding statistics into the lead section would be beneficial. The lead section could also touch on policy responses that are in attempt to combatting environmental racism today. Hannahlynnchoi (talk) 18:46, 20 April 2022 (UTC)

New Edits
Hello, I've added some new edits to this Wikipedia page including a section on environmental racism against indigenous people and a section on access to public green space. Please let me know if anything in these sections should be corrected. Thanks!

SarahD12345678910 (talk) 03:27, 10 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi SarahD12345678910, I think this is a very good start. Thanks for doing this! However, I think there are two issues currently:


 * 1. The sentences "Indigenous scholars Eve Tuck and C. Ree argue that environmental degradation is a form of 'making killable' indigenous peoples. 'Making killable' is a way of 'transforming beings into masses that can be produced or destroyed.'[46] Deforestation by settlers also produced long-term effects by releasing carbon dioxide into the air, and contributing to global temperature increases.[47]" are problematic in terms of Wikpedia style and representing the paraphrased sources. Tuck and Ree don't make an argument about environmental degradation as "making killable." The Edge Effects article you've cited argues that. On a related note, the Edge Effects article also makes the argument about settler colonial deforestation in the U.S. and temp. increases. The source you've cited by Brack and Umpfenbach doesn't make that argument. This causes issues down the road because unless you envelop these discussions in your paraphrase of the Edge Effects article, it misrepresents Tuck and Ree, and Brack and Umpfenbach, and it could be seen as original research. Those comments need to be put in the discussion of the Edge Effects article.


 * 2. This might not be for you currently, but it should be added down the road: there should be a discussion about how classic environmental justice initiatives and theory cannot be applied to struggles for Native American environmental justice because of, mainly, subject positions under U.S. law and Native relations to land. Colville scholar Dina Gilio-Whitaker lays this out well, I think, in this article and in the first chapter of her book, As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock.


 * I hope this is helpful! Thank you again for getting this important information on this page--I really appreciate your work!--Hobomok (talk) 18:53, 10 March 2022 (UTC)
 * These sections were great additions. I found the wording within the public green space a little biased. Although a true statement, it may appear to take claim to one side. One way that this could be combatted could be to introduce the topic of low income minorities who often reside in areas with less vegetation. How did this happen? What policies placed these populations there? What are the statistics of minorities versus white groups of people living in green spaces? By including this extra information, the section may appear more neutral and the viewpoints will be balanced out. Hannahlynnchoi (talk) 18:52, 20 April 2022 (UTC)