April 22 is Earth Day and a good time to remember that environmental justice is a part of racial justice. The movement for Environmental Justice is one that seeks to address the inequitable presence of environmental hazards in marginalized communities. Low-income and minority communities are disproportionately affected by pollution, climate change, and other environmental dangers, often occupying “sacrifice zones” where residents live in areas that are environmentally compromised by polluting industries or military bases. Redlining and urban renewal have also played a part in creating sacrifice zones, and there are many such zones in North Carolina and the Appalachian region.

The Environmental Justice movement has deep roots in North Carolina and we invite you to Continue the Challenge and learn more about this movement, and learn how communities can come together to demand a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment. 

On this Earth Day, as part of our Mission to advance racial justice, we challenge you to:

• Watch an introduction to Environmental Justice: https://youtu.be/c4f874ZFB-I (2:39)

• Read an in-depth account of the movement’s North Carolina roots: How a protest in a Black N.C. farming town nearly 40 years ago sparked a national movement - Washington Post

• Become familiar with “sacrifice zones”: Sacrifice Zoning: The Deadly Cost of Environmental Injustice | by Devesh Vaswani | Urban Minds | Medium (13 minutes)

• See how activism in nearby Spartanburg SC is transforming a community: https://youtu.be/wEIdQBtUwfg (50 minutes)

• Follow an award-winning podcast on Environmental Justice from the Southern Environmental Law Center: https://brokengroundpodcast.org/ (30 minutes)

  All these stories, podcasts, and videos contain further references to deepen your knowledge of Environmental Justice and the power of communities to work for change.