Abstract
The environmental justice artifact is about the environmental injustices created in different kinds of communities across the country and across the world. Flint, Michigan is one of the most well known instances of an economic crisis becoming an environmental crisis. Flint is nicknamed, “Vehicle City,” as it is one of the biggest car factory hubs in the country, but manufacturing jobs slowly faded away, leading to a collapsing economy. The municipal government decided to attempt to combat the problem by switching its water supplier to Flint River, which was contaminated with high levels of lead, a dangerous element. The next example relates to the artifact on class as well as the topic of race. Black and brown communities are often targeted for industry, and that applied to the city of Saint James Parish, Louisiana. There was a promise for industries to bring many jobs to the community, but that promise hasn’t quite been fulfilled. Additionally, due to industry, St James and its neighboring towns have some of the highest cancer rates in the country. What makes it worse is that the families who live there generally have lived there all their lives and have trouble relocating due to financial challenges.
Flint, Michigan Water Crisis
The environmental justice artifact is about the environmental injustices created in different kinds of communities across the country and across the world. Flint, Michigan is one of the most well known instances of an economic crisis becoming an environmental crisis. Flint is nicknamed, “Vehicle City,” as it is one of the biggest car factory hubs in the country, but manufacturing jobs slowly faded away, leading to a collapsing economy. The municipal government decided to attempt to combat the problem by switching its water supplier to Flint River, which was contaminated with high levels of lead, a dangerous element. The next example relates to the artifact on class as well as the topic of race. Black and brown communities are often targeted for industry, and that applied to the city of Saint James Parish, Louisiana. There was a promise for industries to bring many jobs to the community, but that promise hasn’t quite been fulfilled. Additionally, due to industry, St James and its neighboring towns have some of the highest cancer rates in the country. What makes it worse is that the families who live there generally have lived there all their lives and have trouble relocating due to financial challenges.