QUOTES
“There
is no level playing field. Any time our society says that a powerful chemical
company has the same right as a low income family that's living next door, that
playing field is not level, is not fair.”
An
environmental revolution is taking shape in the United States. This revolution
has touched communities of color from New York to California and from Florida
to Alaska -- anywhere where African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Pacific Islanders,
and Native Americans live and comprise a majority of the population. Collectively,
these Americans represent the fastest growing segment of the population in the
United States. They are also the groups most at risk from environmental problems.
At
the heart of the problem is the fact that the United States is a racially divided
nation where extreme racial inequalities continue to persist.
Grassroots
groups challenge the "business-as-usual" environmentalism that is generally practiced
by the more privileged wildlife-and conservation-oriented groups. The focus of
activists of color and their constituents reflects their life experiences of social,
economic, and political disenfranchisement.
