Not in Whose Backyard?
This article began with a very interesting concept. The
article possess to the reader we contemplate this analogy. The country spends a
tremendous amount of money protecting areas which most of the human population
does not visit, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is great in
the sense that we are attempting to protect our earth and our animals. However,
it questions that we are spending large sums on such areas, but we are doing
nothing to protect areas in which humans not only visit daily but live there!
These areas are low-income minority population communities. According to the
article, African Americans are 79% more likely than whites to live in
communities with high pollution levels. Pollution levels so high they cause
health risks. African American and Hispanic children also have the highest lead
poisoning rates!
These statistics are being provided by the article, however
we are able to see them in action during many of our class discussions. This
touches the same bases as in the book Diamond. Diamond, a community with a
power plant that caused much harm to its residents, is a perfect example of
this concept. African Americans were
oppressed by the Whites from Norco and corporate officials. They were dying of
health hazards caused by the power plant, due to lack of regulation. More
importantly, the lack of care for the Diamond Residents, as they were a
minority.
Little, Amanda. "Not in Whose Backyard?" New York Times (2007): n. pag. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02wwln-essay-t.html?fta=y&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A13%22%7D&_r=0>.
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