environmental racism
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In First Decision of Its Kind, British Officials Rule That Air Pollution Was a Cause in the Death of 9-Year-Old Black Girl
A coroner’s court in the United Kingdom has ruled that air pollution was a cause of death in the case of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, an asthmatic 9-year-old girl who lived in southeast London and died in 2013. The landmark decision came on Wednesday and is the first time in the U.K. that a death certificate has…
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The Big Bounce Back: Hurricane Katrina Devastated Black New Orleans, but Bounce Music Helped Revive the City
“When we came back [to New Orleans], everything was all messed up. But over time, and everybody coming together—community efforts—we rebuilt New Orleans. The people have to the keep the spirit and the culture alive.” — Big Freedia, musical artist text Bounce music is the heartbeat of New Orleans. The musical genre emerged in the…
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'We Still Live in Katrina': This New Orleans Resident Lived in Life-Threatening Conditions Before the Storm
It’s been 15 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, but resident Shannon Rainey lived in a state of disaster decades before the storm ever made landfall. “We see Katrina every day. So the only thing that’s going on with us [is] we just get a new year every year. Nothing has…
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Climate Change and Air Pollution Linked to Pregnancy Risks—With Black Mothers and Their Infants Suffering the Most
A wave of research and media coverage over the last several years has ensured that the public knows more about America’s Black maternal health crisis than ever before. But as a new study reveals, the systemic factors that propel such disparities in maternal and infant health may be getting worse. The new study, published last…
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They Need Us: MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee on Black Journalists and Holding America to Its Ideals
“They need us. They need us as black journalists. They need us as journalists. They need us to push and push to tell the truth, because as we know, there are powers and influences in this country that would rather the truth not be told.” —Trymaine Lee, MSNBC correspondent text Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning…
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Surgeon General Jerome Adams Tells Black People to Lay Off Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs to Prevent COVID-19 Deaths: 'Do It for Your Big Mama'
It didn’t take long for U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams to dip into personal responsibility talking points—and some other questionable rhetoric—in remarks given to the press today about the disproportionate impact the novel coronavirus has had on black communities and other communities of color. Adams’ comments were shared by PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor…
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Air Pollution Disproportionately Affects Black Folks. A New Study Finds It Also Makes Coronavirus Much More Deadly
A new nationwide study has established a clear link between exposure to pollution and COVID-19 death rates, finding coronavirus patients who live in areas with high levels of air pollution are more likely to die from the virus than those who live in communities with cleaner air. Coming out of Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of…
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Black Communities Are on the 'Frontline' of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Here's Why
Every new day of the coronavirus pandemic has brought with it a dizzying amount of change. Teachers are now forced to explain class projects to their students over Zoom, while friends and family use FaceTime to inquire about loved ones, alternating between laughter and anxiety while holding pixelated drinks in their hands. Asian Americans have…
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Flint Asks for Extension to Test Vulnerable Homes for Lead in Water
As part of an ongoing effort to keep its water safe, Flint, Mich. has filed an extension to allow officials more time to submit water tests for the homes most likely to have lead water lines. Michigan state and federal laws require the city to test for lead lines every six months—a more frequent timetable…
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Meet the Black Woman Who Is the Brains Behind the Green New Deal
Rhiana Gunn-Wright is constantly figuring out how best to engage black people on environmental justice and crafting policy that empowers them against under-investment and structural racism. As she sees it, environmental justice is central to black liberation. But, as Gunn-Wright explained to me, issues like climate change aren’t explained to people in ways that relate…