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'ri?l'|J o rtla n b CObseruer
May 5, 2010
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Housing is a
& kîbS N ó i S o ô o o P AT MATH
Human Right
Prioritize human needs
S ai l L andau
O ur nation is running a $ 1.4
trillion-dollar budget deficit
this year. So w hy is C ongress
on track to approve m ore than
$1 trillio n fo r " d e fe n s e "
spending, w hile cutting back services that
m ost countries think o f as hum an rights?
Even in the w ake o f O bam a's landm ark
health-care legislation, our priorities are out
o f sync w ith w hat the public needs.
C onsider this: About 3.5 million A m eri­
cans—including 1.35 millionchildren—are home­
less for significant periods o f time over the
course o fa year, according to the National Law
C enter on H om elessness and Poverty.
I his shouldn't com e as a surprise. Under
U.S. law, American citizens don't have rights to
shelter, food, medical care, or a decent old age.
Yet these are human rights, and they're etched
into the United Nations' Covenant on Eco­
nomic, Social and Cultural Rights. Albania,
Iunisia, Finland, and dozens o f other coun­
tries have signed on to this docum ent, which
o f course has gone unratified by the U.S.
Senate.
W hat part o f "in accordance w ith the
U niversal D eclaration o f H um an R ights, the
ideal of free hum an beings enjoying freedom
from fear and w ant can only be achieved if
conditions are created w hereby everyone
m y enjoy his econom ic, social and cultural
rights, as well as his civil and political rights
and freedom " do our law m akers reject?
H om elessness isn't the only indicator that
underscores our m istaken priorities. Experts
have estim ated that at least 20,000 A m ericans
die each year because they lack health insur­
ance and can't get needed care. A nd a recent
study found that 37 m illion people in this
country sought em ergency food assistance
from food banks in the Feeding A m erica net­
w ork last year. That's roughly one in eight
Americans.
M eanw hile, our country positions itse lf
as the w orld's leading hum an rights ad v o ­
cate, ignoring m any aspects o f w hat the rest
o f the w orld considers to be hum an rights.
For exam ple, the State D epartm ent recently
published a report that found C uba to be
violating legal and political rights. The report
m ade no reference to C uba's success in hous­
ing and feeding its people, or providing them
with health care.
T he skew ed policy o f focusing on d efi­
ciencies in C uba w hile ignoring o ur ow n
glaring lack o f substantive rights has charac­
terized every adm inistration for 30 years.
A rizona, like m any states suffering from
re d u c e d re v e n u e s , re c e n tly s la s h e d its
C hildren's H ealth Insurance Program . A bout
47,000 kids—all poor, o fco u rse—now have no
m edical coverage.
Self-righteous human rights attacks on other
countries don't help m ask glaring needs at
home, particularly food and shelter for m il­
lions.
by
San! Landau is a fellow o f the Institute fo r
Policy Studies.
Seeking Environmental Justice
Race a factor in
disparities
J udge G reg M athis
W e r e c e n tly c e l ­
ebrated the 40th an n iv er­
sary o f the first Earth Day,
a day d e sig n e d to in ­
crease appreciation for -
and to inspire individuals to p rotect - the
earth and its environm ent.
From sch o o l y a rd tre e p la n tin g c e r­
e m o n ie s to c o rp o ra tio n s sh a rin g ‘g re e n
tip s ’ on n a tio n a l n e w s sh o w s, A m e ric a
g o t in th e g re e n s p irit an d v o w e d to tak e
c a re o f M o th e r E a rth . T h e g o v e rn m e n t
w as am o n g th e lo u d e st w h en it c am e to
p ro m isin g to k eep th e e a rth c lea n . U n fo r­
tu n a te ly , it see m s th a t p ro m ise d o e s n ’t
e x te n d to p e o p le o f co lo r.
R ecent studies have show n that race is,
by far, the m ost critical factor w hen d eter­
m ining how close and individual or fam ily
w ill live to a hazardous w aste site.
A study authored by C lark A tlanta U ni­
versity p ro fesso r R obert B ullard found that
56 p ercent o f A m ericans w ho w ithin tw o
m iles o fa com m ercial hazardous w aste facil­
ity are people o f color. In 1987, that num ber
w as 33 percent.
A different study, co nducted in 2008
U niversity o f C o lo rad o sociologist Liam
D ow ney, show ed how little a role incom e
played in decid in g ju s t w ho lives in these
by
unhealthy areas. A ccording to the findings,
a black household w ith an incom e ranging
from $50,000 to $60,000 a y ear had higher
levels o f pollution near their hom e than a
w hite household w ith an incom e o f less than
$10,000.
W hen we, as A frican A m ericans, discuss
ju stic e, rarely do w e discuss - o r d em an d -
environm ental ju stice. It’s tim e that w e do.
Ifo u r children are breath in g in toxic air, w hat
good w ill it do for them to have access to
good schools?
em in en t am ended the C lean A ir A ct in the
1990s and m oved to cut vehicle and eq u ip ­
m ent em issions in the 2000s.
It’s 2010. W hat w ill the next ‘b ig ’ environ­
m ental law be? H ow about one that w orks to
elim inate environm ental racism by rem oving
w aste sites and im proving air quality in black
n e ig h b o rh o o d s?
T here is a new head o f the E nvironm ental
Protection A gency. A ppointed by P resident
O bam a, Lisa Jackson understands and fights
ag ain st environm ental injustice. She is cu r­
A truly just community includes good
schools, programs fo r residents, sustainable
jobs and, yes, clean, safe air. We must start
asking fo r all o f these things, in totality.
I f o u r com m unities sit atop w astelands
the g o v ern m en t refuses to clean up, how
does it benefit us to have access to c o m m u ­
nity centers? A truly ju s t co m m u n ity in­
clu d es good schools, program s for residents,
su stainable jo b s and, yes, clean, safe air. W e
m ust start ask in g for all o f these things, in
totality.
E v e ry d e c a d e b r in g s in n e w a n d
gro u n d b reak in g environm ental legislation.
In the 1970s, it w as the C lean A ir A ct. In the
1980s, the gov ern m en t m andated that ab an ­
doned w aste sites be cleaned up. The gov-
Ì
ren tly on a m u lti-state tour o f the C o n g re s­
sional B lack C aucus and, w ith them , is w o rk ­
ing w ith local officials and activists to find
so lu tio n s.
H opefully, she can create a groundsw ell
o f support w ith legislators and the general
public to push for law s that w ill ensure race
is not factor w hen determ in in g how m uch
pollution a n eig hborhood and its residents
are exposed to.
Greg Mathis is a retired Michigan Dis­
trict Court Judge and syndicated television
judge.