If you thought President Donald Trump’s shocking efforts to seize control of Venezuelan oil didn’t have anything to do with Black folks, you’re wrong. When it comes to careless decisions made by those in power, the most marginalized are often the ones who suffer.
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In this case, the oil interests of the U.S. could potentially come at a cost Black communities know all too well — pollution, illness, and environmental neglect.
For decades, oil refineries and petrochemical plants have been placed in or near Black neighborhoods, turning our communities into environmental sacrifice zones, according to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Dating back to the early days of the Environmental Justice (EJ) movement, protests against hazardous waste landfills in the 1980s brought national attention to the toxic dumping of chemicals in Black communities — a pattern that has since been repeated across the country.
Predominantly Black communities that have suffered from this environmental injustice include Richmond, Calif., home to Chevron’s massive refinery; Beaumont, Tex., where ExxonMobil facilities dominate the landscape; and Lake Charles, La., where the Citgo refinery looms over nearby neighborhoods, per Capital B News.
Not all locations currently process Venezuelan crude, however these refineries are built to handle heavy oils like Venezuela’s, meaning U.S. policies on this oil in particular can directly affect these communities.
In Houston, numerous petrochemical plants are clustered around communities of color, where residents continue to bear the brunt of both industrial pollution, resulting in dire health consequences.
In fact, an analysis reported that a whopping 1 million African Americans live within a half-mile of oil and natural gas wells, rightfully considered an “emergency” by experts. Their proximity includes transmission, processing, and storage facilities, in addition to 6.7 million Black folks who reside near refineries.
They’ve even dubbed the 85-mile stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans “Cancer Alley,” due to its high concentration of petrochemical plants, which led to elevated cancer risks.
“Because of that concentration of industry, a lot of byproducts get emitted into the air, water, and soil,” Peter DeCarlo, PhD, associate professor in Environmental Health and Engineering stated, per Johns Hopkins. “Those chemicals at low concentrations can cause a host of effects, most notably cancer, which is why it’s called Cancer Alley.”
Thanks to decades of deeply-rooted historical racism, redlining, former plantations, and “sacrifice zones”— areas seen as less valuable for pollution facilities — Black folks and people of color are victimized by environmental racism on a daily basis.
Trump’s push for Venezuelan oil isn’t just about foreign policy — it fuels a system that keeps Black communities on the front lines, even at home. Until environmental justice actually matters, those most marginalized will continue to pay the hefty price for America’s short-sighted policies.
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