Connecting the Dots Between Transportation and Public Health
The U.S. has over 136 million cars, 110 million trucks, and about 1 million buses for a total of 247 million registered vehicles accounting for nearly 70 percent of our oil use and more than 65 percent of that amount is for personal vehicles. This accounts for almost one-third of the world’s vehicles. Car ownership is almost universal in the United States with 91.7 percent of American households owning at least one motor vehicle. According to the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), 87.6 percent of whites, 83.1 percent of Asians and Hispanics, and 78.9 percent of blacks rely on the private car to get around.
Two Climate Justice Summits to Be Held in Florida Cities in May
I will be participating in two separate climate justice summits this month. Both summits are in Florida cities and are sponsored by a mainstream environmental group (National Wildlife Federation) and a mainstream civil rights organization (NAACP).First, I will add my voice to the Southeast Fair Climate Summit on May 19-20, 2011 held at the Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, FL. The Summit is an activity of Fair Climate Project—an initiative of National Wildlife Federation's Global Warming Solutions Program. The goal of NWF's Fair Climate Project is to build and engage a national network of leaders representing underserved communities to advance equitable and just solutions to climate change. This is also a major goal of the Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Movement in the United States.
Principles of Environmental Justice Turn 21
It was twenty-one years ago today that the Principles of Environmental Justice were adopted on October 27, 1991 at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, held in Washington, DC. The EJ Summit, attended by well over 1,000 delegates, was probably the single most important event in the Environmental Justice Movement’s history.
It’s An Honor to Be Profiled in Everyday Heroes Book
Two years ago, photographer Paul Mobley and author and editor Katrina Fried set out to find fifty Americans who had made it their business to improve the lives of others. The result is Everyday Heroes: 50 Americans Changing the World One Nonprofit at a Time from Welcome Books (2012).
A Call for Transportation Justice Now!
A 2010 poll from Transportation for America found 82 percent of American voters say that "the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved transportation system," including rail and buses. A 2012 Natural Resources Defense Council poll found 66 percent of Americans want more funds allocated to public transportation. The survey also found 59 percent of Americans believe the current U.S. public transportation system is "outdated, unreliable and inefficient." All transportation is not created equal. Clearly, transportation remains a major civil rights issue in the twenty-first century.
Black History Month: "Invisible Houston" Revisited Three Decades Later
As part of Black History Month this year, the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University kicks off Invisible Houston Revisited, an initiative that follows up Invisible Houston: The Black Experience in Boom and Bust, a book I wrote nearly three decades ago that critically examined the major demographic, social, economic, and political factors that helped make Houston the "golden buckle" of the Sunbelt.
Earth Day 2013: Call for Environmental Justice Milestones
This announcement is a national “Call for Environmental Justice Milestones” (2012-2013) to be released as part of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University (TSU) Earth Day 2013 celebration. Submissions will need to include hyperlinks.
Nation Loses Environmental Justice Warrior-Grandmother Emelda West
The nation lost a fiery environmental justice warrior on Saturday March 30, 2013 with the death of Emelda West, an 87-year old “take no prisoner” Marine Corps-type leader who became a hero to thousands of environmental justice activists around the country. She was the proud mother of seven children, nineteen grandchildren, and 24 great grandchildren.
An Action Plan for Advancing Environmental Justice
The Environmental Justice Movement is confronted with many old and new challenges. The movement has made tremendous gains over the past four decades as documented in Environmental Health and Racial Equity in the United States: Building Environmentally Just, Sustainable and Livable Communities, a 2011 book published by the American Public Health Association Press (APHA) and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Mounting evidence reveals that race and place still matter and impact the quality of life Americans enjoy. Some communities have the “wrong complexion for protection.” One of the most important indicators of an individual's health is zip code or neighborhood.
