Recently in Selma, Alabama, President Obama remarked that while the United States has made strides in overcoming racial inequality, we still have a long way to go. A very pervasive form of discrimination in this country is one that often is overlooked – environmental racism.
Environmental justice issues aren’t limited to people in America, of course. For too long, low-income, indigenous and marginalized populations have been put in harm’s way for the sake of big business and profits. All citizens of the world should have access to swimmable, drinkable and fishable water. Too often, communities that are denied these rights face daunting challenges in standing up to Big Agriculture, King Coal and their friends in power.
It’s no secret that polluting industries and industrial waste sites are often located in low-income communities of color that offer the least political resistance. And forcing people without much political voice to bear the burden of pollution, disease and misery is most certainly a form of racism and discrimination. We’re proud of our record of standing up for the least fortunate. This World Water Day, make the declaration that clean water is a basic human right for all people.
– Marc Yaggi, Executive Director, Waterkeeper Alliance