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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 2011)
opinion Environmental Racism Remains a Problem T he worldwide struggle for environmental justice and equality continues. While many advances have been made globally in defining, researching, and confronting the realities of environmental racism, here inside the United States there are still far too many African Americans, Latino Americans, Pacific Islander and Asian Americans, Native Americans and others who remain disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards, toxins, cancer-causing pollutions, and other life-threatening environ- ments. Of course, there are more than one contributing factor to these circumstances: economic, social, political, and geographical. But, one of the most “determinative” factors is the issue of race. The whole history of denial when it comes to issues of racial discrimi- nation in the U.S. remains true. Tragically, those who are the vic- tims of these types of injustices are often denied the possibility for adequate redress and resolution. In other words, challenging “envi- ronmental racism” in 2011 should be one of the top priorities for the U.S. government as well as for state and local governments. NNpA c OlumNISt Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. But, we all know well from prior experiences, that effective govern- mental corrective action and meaningful public policy changes only happens when there is an effective and sustainability move- ment for freedom, justice, and equality around the specific issue at hand. Thus, we must build a stronger environmen- tal justice movement in the U.S. and establish strategic organization- al alliances at the United Nations and with other grassroots environmental justice organizations international- ly. It will take stronger movements for change to get all governmental bodies to seek greater environ- mental justice. Most of the 15 million weekly readers of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, America’s Black Press, should recall that it took many years before the feder- al government would even admit the existence of environmental racism. Under Presidents Reagan and Bush, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1980’s and 1990’s refused to acknowledge this social problem. By February 1994 President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice that gave the environmental jus- “Racial discrimination in the deliberate targeting of ethnic and minority communities for expo- sure to toxic and hazardous waste sites and facilities, coupled with the systematic exclusion of minorities in environmental policy making, enforcement, and remedi- ation.” President Barack Obama is no stranger to this issue. When he was a state senator from Illinois, he worked with others to chal- lenge environmental injustices in places like Altgeld Gardens located deep on the Southside of Chicago. Hazel Johnson, an African American grass- roots leader from Altgeld Gardens became one of the strong effective national “moth- ers” of the environmental justice movement. Today, we must press forward without relenting. Literally, millions of African American, Latino, and other minorities are suffering from an increase in multiple forms of can- cer and other diseases as a direct results of unjust and terrible expo- Tragically ... victims of these types of injustices are often denied the possibility for adequate redress ... tice movement an official federal status. Today, the EPA has an ongoing Office for Environmental Justice. Due to my prior work with the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice and my background as a chemist, I was fortunate back in 1982 to first coin the term environmental racism: sures to environmental dangers. That is why we must oppose any attempt to scale back health care coverage and reform in the United States. Millions of lives are at stake. Let’s work with the EPA today and the Obama Administration to get more relief and to establish better living conditions for our families and communities across the nation. 2011 should be a year for more progress. Don’t let the negative, cynical forces of reac- tion take us backward. Yes, there are many different issues and pri- orities that will demand out atten- tion and energy. It is in the context of our overall struggle for justice and empowerment that I am reminding us not to forget about the air we breath, the water we drank, and the environment where we live. Racism in all of its dead- ly forms must be challenged. Dr. Benjamin F Chavis Jr. is Senior advisor to the Black alliance for educational options and President of education online Services Corporation. Blacks in the White House Came Before Obama O n January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the first Black President of the United States of America. Upon waving farewell to George Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama moved their family into the White House. For many Americans, the history of African Americans in the White House began in 2009. Not true. Dr. Clarence Lusane, Political Science professor at American University, has written a book entitled, The Black History of the White House, which historically honors the contribution of African Americans as free and enslaved people within the most celebrated house in the United States of America. Dr. Lusane, aside from his formal scholarship, is no stranger to the Black community. NNpA c OlumNISt American history in classrooms, enslaved Black people were forcibly worked for free within the spoke of his opposition to the institution of slavery, he enslaved Ms. Oney Judd and other African Gary L. Flowers Either directly or indirectly, Dr. Lusane has worked with many of the Member Organizations of the Black Leadership Forum, Inc, among them the TransAfrica Forum and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Prior to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. being the address of the White House, the first President’s House was located in New York and Philadelphia, respectively. For years, archeological evidence and the relentless efforts by progres- sive African Americans in Philadelphia have pointed toward a full public recognition that, despite historic omissions and falsehoods in the teaching of ... enslaved Black people were forcibly worked for free within the home of a sitting president. Many. home of a sitting president. Many. Two in particular, an African American lady named Oney Judd and a man named Hercules are featured in the book. According to Dr. Lusane, President George Washington words and deeds did not match on the subject of slav- ery. While President Washington Americans. One evening, Ms. Oney simply walked out of the rear door of the President’s House while George Washington and his wife Martha ate dinner. Following a search, Ms. Judd was found and was offered her freedom, if she would return to bondage. She sim- ply replied, “I am already free”, protection or antitrust laws due to the risk of large attorney fees – even in a case that succeeds over- all. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma, per- mits reasonable attorney fees for a defendant only upon a finding by a judge that the state’s action was frivolous. It also makes it clear that that the Consumer Protection Act applies to Washington busi- nesses that deal only with out-of- state consumers. Unauthorized Practice of Law Affecting Immigrants: A flaw in state law allows seemingly gov- ernment-approved “immigration assistants” to charge for help even when they’re not qualified to offer legal advice. Their mistakes can delay or ruin a customer’s chances of obtaining legal status. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle, eliminates the “immigration assis- tant” designation. “This law will help protect immigrants who enter the country on visas and try to do the right thing by seeking govern- ment-approved help, rather than over-staying those visas,” said Rep. Kenney. In November of last year, Attorney General McKenna and did not return. In another case, an enslaved African American man by the name of Hercules emancipated himself by escaping the bondage of George Washington on a trip from Philadelphia to the Mount Vernon, Virginia private plantation of George Washington. Both cases are featured in The Black History in the White House that should be required reading in Sunday schools and public school systems. Until American educa- tion exposes students to all histo- ry—pleasant and unpleasant—our nation will not be able to fully address the issue of race. gary l. Flowers, executive Director and Ceo of the Black leadership Forum, inc. Washington continued from page 3 communities have faced attempts to have their homes taken away. Both bills are similar to legislation requested by the Attorney General that died in committee in 2010. The Attorney General requests three bills to help protect con- sumers: Stolen Mail: The Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Group Against Identity Theft (LEGIT) Task Force recommends defining mail theft as a Class C felony. “Our mailboxes are a treas- ure-trove for identity thieves because they contain our financial, medical and other personal infor- mation,” said House sponsor Rep. Jason Overstreet, R-Blaine. “This crime devastates people’s credit ratings and drains bank accounts.” The Senate bill is sponsored by Carrell. Fixing the Consumer Protection Act: Washington is the only state that awards defendants attorney fees in government enforcement actions without requiring a deter- mination that the state’s case was frivolous or malicious. This dis- courages the pursuit of targets engaged violations of consumer announced his proposal to fight gang violence. The mix of civil and criminal provisions, along with more resources for preven- tion and intervention, continues to be honed by legislators. At a work session in December, Don Pierce, executive director of the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, warned that some neighborhoods in the state are “nearly under siege” from gang violence. january 5, 2011 The Portland and Seattle Skanner page 5
