Environmental Racism

Professor Danny Faber from the Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative in Boston defines environmental racism in a YouTube clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7DUv7AGAco

The high price of fashion: Killer jeans

The Hidden Human Cost (from www.labourbehindthelabel.org)

Jeans with the faded or worn out look achieved by blasting sand at high velocities at denim often retail for as much as 180% of the price of a normal denim. Yet the hidden cost is paid by sandblasting operators working today in countries such as Bangladesh, China, Mexico and Egypt, many of whom will contract an acute form of the fatal lung disease silicosis due to fine silica particles gathering in the lung.

The first case of silicosis in the garment industry was identified in 2005 by doctors in Turkey, who were investigating the reason for a high incidence of lung and respiratory problems among the young men employed in the industry. By 2010, over 1000 affected workers had been identified in Turkey. 46 workers, mostly young men, had died of the disease and doctors suspect 5,000 other unreported cases. Silicosis can become fatal within 6 to 9 months.

For more information:

Shop Ethical: http://www.ethical.org.au/get-informed/issues/jeans-sandblasting/
http://www.ecochicmagazine.co.uk/eco-fashion-expo/fashion-expose/killer-jeans-how-distressed-is-your-denim 

BBC News - Sandblasted jeans: Should we give up distressed denim?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15017790

Article on low-emission cars and the racial demography of ownership

This is an interesting article ... a great way to encourage critical conversation about the connection between ecological justice and anti-racism education. Depending on the environmental/green strategy, who benefits? Link this article to other lessons on environmental racism.

http://inhabitat.com/study-finds-that-non-whites-are-less-likely-to-purchase-a-low-emissions-vehicle/

Unnatural causes: Socio-economic and racial inequalities in health

This interesting seven-part documentary can be used as an anti-racism resource in health, science and economic/math classes. The website offers video clips, resources on various interrelated topics and a discussion guide. Website: http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/about_the_series.php

See clip from documentary: Diabetes Among Native Americans: Genes or Environment?

UNNATURAL CAUSES is the acclaimed documentary series broadcast by PBS and now used by thousands of organizations around the country to tackle the root causes of our alarming socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The four-hour series crisscrosses the nation uncovering startling new findings that suggest there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work can actually get under our skin and disrupt our physiology as much as germs and viruses. Evidence suggests that more equitable social policies, secure living-wage jobs, affordable housing, racial justice, good schools, community empowerment, and family supports are health issues just as critical as diet, tobacco use, and exercise. As a society, we have a choice: invest in the conditions for health now, or pay to repair our bodies later.

Systemic and institutionalized racism in Canada affects the health of Indigenous peoples. See these First Nations, Metis and Inuit websites for more resources and information about the health outcomes of racism:

National Aboriginal Health Organization(NAHO): http://www.naho.ca/

Aboriginal Healing Foundation: http://www.ahf.ca/

National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health: http://www.nccah-ccnsa.ca/en/

ReVision Quest: Lesson ideas from summer time radio

Check out the new summer time line up of CBC's ReVision Quest with Darrell Dennis: http://www.cbc.ca/revisionquest/schedule/. You can subscribe to podcasts and use episodes in the classroom: http://www.cbc.ca/revisionquest/episodes/. The show can be used to introduce some very serious topics to students and will hopefully prompt further anti-racist discussion, inquiry and action. It's an awesome show, take a listen!

About the Show ReVision Quest mixes personal storytelling, current affairs interviews and comedy to explore issues affecting Native peoples today, kicking some ass-umptions about Aboriginal life along the way. It's a show about the First Nations experience, created by all First Nations producers.

Darrell Dennis: Originally from the Shuswap First Nation in B.C., RVQ host Darrell Dennis is an actor, comedian and screen writer. He's best known for his roles in Northwood, The Rez, and as host of Bingo and a Movie. Darrell has had two plays produced (Trickster of Third Avenue East and Tales of An Urban Indian) and wrote the short film Mocassin Flats which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to become the TV series. After two years with the Second City National Touring Company, Darrell co-founded the comedy troupe Tonto's Nephews. Darrell was recently one of 13 people selected throughout the world to participate in the prestigious Sundance Writer's Lab. But his favourite thing to do is host ReVision Quest. Aw...
See more about the producers: http://www.cbc.ca/revisionquest/about/

Environmental Racism: Video Resources

Environmental racism is a topic that is rarely taken up in classrooms but is one of the most glaring examples of how Indigenous and racially oppressed land and bodies are racialized as insignificant. All of the following video clips can be used to introduce students to environmental racism, a global epidemic that is rooted in colonialism and artificial racial hierarchies. How do we, as a society, justify and ignore environmental racism? These powerful video clips can create critical understandings of how space and bodies are racialized (whose land and bodies matter) and lead to community action. Thanks to Sheelah M, Marcia M and Janice R for sharing these resources.

Some of the clips below will be shown at the March 2 STARS event (4 - 5:30 room 2060 in the College of Education, U of S). We hope you can join us!

Check out these powerful links:

What is Environmental Racism

The Story of Stuff

Blue Gold: World Water Wars

The Gardener: Three Levels of Racism (This is a metaphor for communities that do/do not have access to resources such as water and food)

Dene Chief addresses Mackenzie Pipeline issue

H2Oil

Downstream

Land of Oil and Water: Aboriginal Voices on Life in the Oil Sands