Education and Awareness Will PromoteEnvironmental JusticeThe goals of this environmental justice conference are stated simply: firstly, toexplore whether racial minorities and the poor are being environmentallyvictimized, and secondly, to evaluate public policies that promote environmentalfairness. Each speaker provided insight and information from their respective areaof expertise. Led by keynote
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Education and Awareness Will Promote
Environmental Justice
The goals of this environmental justice conference are stated simply: firstly, to
explore whether racial minorities and the poor are being environmentally
victimized, and secondly, to evaluate public policies that promote environmental
fairness. Each speaker provided insight and information from their respective area
of expertise. Led by keynote speaker Dr. Bunyan Bryant, they drew upon the
realms of academic investigation, government and public policy, sociology,
healthcare, and philosophy to unite the environmental movement with the quest
for social justice. After absorbing so much information concerning the current
state of environmental justice, one leaves the conference with an overwhelming
sense of responsibility to promote awareness and fairness when dealing with
issues of environmental quality.
Dr. Bunyan Bryant of the University of Michigan began by addressing the history,
issues, dilemmas, and central premises of the environmental justice movement.
Dr. Bryant distinguishes environmental racism, or the targeting of certain
communities for undesirable land use, from environmental equity. The movement
is characterized by a complexity of cultural norms, rules, regulations, behaviors,
values, policies, and decisions. These influences either lead to the promotion of
sustainable communities and the realization of high potentials, or contribute to
the degradation of environments by impeding communities from enjoying social,
political, and environmental health. Dr. Bryant notes the importance of key
events, ranging from the effects of the 1990 Michigan Conference to the earlier
convergence of the civil rights and environmental movements around the time of
the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Fred Hampton.
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