Bayard Rustirt
President, A. Phillip Randolph
Institute,
    *-' . O «
Eddie N. Williams
President, Joint Center for
Political Studies
                                          Agency
                         20460
"Black trade unionists have
been environmentalists for a
long time. We fought for
years against unsafe and
unhealthy working conditions
that claimed the lives of
thousands of workers and left
others maimed for life. Those
conditions existed as long as
they did because too few
people really cared.
 "I am now finding that the
same type of apathy exists in
some quarters toward condi-
tions in our inner cities and
the environment as a whole. I
am talking about those who
would halt or curb spending
to  clean up  the environment
because they mistakenly
think such expenditures are
too_costly and would cause
massive layoffs.
  "The truth is that there are no
wiser economic investments
than those made to improve
the quality of our air, water
and land; provide clean
liveable cities and protect
public health. Even' if that
were not true, I would find it
unthinkable that a Nation as
wealthy as ours would invest
its resources only in areas
that are profitable rather than
humanitarian."
 "The increased interest in the
 environmental ills of our inner
 cities could not have come at
 a better time. There is no
 doubt that environmental
 problems contribute heavily to
 the decline in the quality of
 life of our urban  communities
 and discourage private and
 corporate citizens from invest-
 ment to reverse the decline.
  "Throughout the course of
 development of our cities, we
 have  paid out untold billions
 in roads, schools, construc-
 tion,  education and other
 public services. We should
 view  these expenditures as an
 investment to be protected
 and to be used for future ex-
 pansion. The present situation
 is analogous to a corporation
 paying out all of  its earnings
 in dividends instead of
 reinvesting for future growth.
 Such a practice is not accep-
 table in the business world
 and I don't think it should be
 accepted in the public sector.
  "The elimination of environ-
 mental hazards in our urban
 areas will  not only protect
' present human and physical
 resources, but also create an
 attractive climate for residen-
 tial and business expansion."
                                                                                United States
                                                                                Environmental Protection
                                                                                Agency
                                                                         Office of
                                                                         Public Awareness IA-107)
                                                                         Washington DC 20460
                                                                                OPA76/8
                                                                         Reprinted December 1978
                                   SERA     Pollution:
                                                   A  Common
                                                   Concern

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 Pollution:
 A Common
 Concern
     The people of this country
     failed for a long time to
  recognize the damage being
  inflicted upon the natural en-
  vironment. As a result, some
  of the nation's most produc-
  tive land and waterways were
  needlessly contaminated and
  the air in the urban areas
  became hardly fit to breathe.
    Just as other Americans,
  Blacks did not see the conser-
  vation of the natural environ-
  ment as a vital issue. They
  were more concerned with
  unemployment, hunger, poor
  housing and inadequate
  health care. They saw the en-
  vironment as the province of
  wildlife enthusiasts and  con-
  servationists—people who
  worried about animals and
  trees.
    But perspectives have
  changed. Many Black leaders
  now recognize that a clean
  environment must be a part
  of their efforts to improve the
  quality of life for Blacks and
  other Americans. They have
  committed themselves to this
  goal and they are showing
  their dedication by speaking
  out.
EPA is charged by Congress to protect the
Nation's land, air and water systems.
Under a mandate of national environmen-
tal laws focussed on air and water quality,
solid waste management and the control
of toxic substances, pesticides, noise and
radiation, the Agency strives to formulate
and implement actions which lead to a
compatible balance between human ac-
tivities and the ability of natural systems to
support and nurture life.

  This Is one in a series of
  EPA booklets on
  public constituencies
  and the environment.
\

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Dorothy Height
President, National Council of
Negro Women
 M. Carl Holman
 President, National Urban
 Coalition
Vernon Jordan
President, National Urban
League
Parren Mitchell
U.S. Representative (D-MdJ
Chairman, Congressional
Black Caucus
"Because we, as women,
make most of the consumer
decisions in our households,
we're in a good position to
help improve the environ-
mental conditions in our
homes and neighborhoods. In
doing so, we will be setting
an example which instills in
our children a concern for the
environment. But first, we
must become aware and con-
cerned ourselves. We need to
learn more about the causes
of pollution and how to com-
bat them.
  "We already know that
there is much we can do on
the individual level. As con-
sumers, we should be selec-
tive, choosing non-polluting,
energy-efficient products. As
concerned citizens, we can
make our concern known to
industries which endanger our
natural resources by their
manufacturing processes.
And as homemakers, we can
conserve water and fuel, and
reduce noise as much as
possible,
  "Everyone stands to win if
the quality of our environ-
ment is improved. I hope
Black women, whether they
work in or out of the home,
do their part toward achieving
that goal."
 "Inner-city residents and
 minority-owned businesses
 are not receiving the full share
 of government dollars being
 allocated to communities and
 contractors of various kinds
 to clean up the environment.
 These dollars largely are going
 elsewhere and to others.
 Meanwhile, our urban centers
 are losing the opportunity to
 gain badly-needed jobs  and
 income and a chance to make
 them safer, healthier and
 more attractive places to live.
  It is time this trend was
 reversed. Environmental funds
 are available to all com-
 munities and minority-owned
 businesses under the law.
 Citizens and business owners
 must take more initiative,
 along with their advocacy
organizations, in seeing that
they and their communities
also focus attention on the
receiving of these funds.
  We must make the environ-
ment our business. By ignor-
ing the tremendous toll  air,
water and noise pollution are
having upon our communi-
ties, we are missing out on
both the ecological and  the
economic benefits of the na-
tion's environmental pro-
grams."
"Black people, the most ur-
banized group in the nation,
have a stake in clean air and
water too. We need jobs, but
we also need to be healthy
enough to hold those jobs,
and that means adopting
energy sources that will
minimize pollution. And, we
need jobs, not only in the
plants and factories of
America, but  at policy-making
levels in ail facets of business
and government.
  "Let's not forget that poor
people care first about finding
a job and working. Since en-
vironmental protection is
creating new jobs, it is the
responsibility of government
agencies to be sure that
Blacks are being recruited and
trained for those jobs. White
some commitment to under-
standing the needs of the
poor has been made, what is
needed are massive programs
which make known the true
impact of environmental con-
trols on the lives of the inner
city poor, and a demonstra-
tion that urban environmen-
talism can  also mean jobs." -,
"Improving the environment
of the Nation's urban com-
munities is going to require
the unified efforts of Con-
gress, Federal, State and local
agencies, environmentalists,
planners and individual
citizens.  Black and white.
  "The skills and knowledge
of people in  alt of these walks
of life must be used to find
new and innovative ways of
reclaiming the wasted
resources of our inner  cities.
We have too many com-
munities in dire need of more
recreational areas while
buildings stand vacant and
valuable land is used for open
dumping. Or we have com-
munities with potentially
desirable commercial areas
that cannot be used because of
insufficient sewage treatment
facilities.
  "Solving these problems is
going to  mean that we are
going to  have to become
more efficient in the way we
use our land, dispose of our
waste and move people and
goods from one place to
another. The job can be done
if we all pull  together."
                                                                   U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                   !.••>•• ••.,•"-•„  Room 2404  PM-211-A
                                                                   •01 M Street, S.W.
                                                                   Washington,  DO    20400

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Benjamin Hooks
Executive Director, National
Association for the Advance-
ment of Colored People
Dr. Carlton Goodlett
President, National  •
Newspaper Publishers
Association
Coretta Scott King
President, The Martin Luther
King, Jr.  Center for Social
Change
Richard Hatcher
Mayor, Gary, Indiana.
"Most Blacks will agree that
there are many things left on
the civil rights agenda —
jobs, decent housing, better
health care and improved
educational opportunities.
Now, an increasing number
of us are seeing the need to
add  another priority to that
list — a safe environment.
  "The importance of a
healthy environment to the
goals we are trying to achieve
has become quite obvious. We
can't have good schools and
good health, decent housing
and  safe working conditions if
our neighborhoods, homes
and  workplaces are not en-
vironmentally sound.
  "Giving the environment
the attention it deserves does
not mean that we are aban-
doning or delaying our drive
for full equality. It simply
means that we are taking a
stronger stand against sub-
standard and inhumane living
conditions."
"The Black press has become
ever-conscious of the increas-
ing number of environmental
problems facing inner city
communities. For example,
during the past few years the
minority press has done an
excellent job of warning inner
city residents about the
danger of children getting
lead poisoning from eating
old, peeling paint.
  "The time has come, how-
ever, for us to expand this
type of coverage. We need to
alert our communities to
other environmental hazards:
lead poisoning from auto
emissions, and the high death
rate, especially among Black
men, from cancer,  emphyse-
ma and other respiratory
ailments traceable to in-
dustrial and construction ac-
tivity.
  "The public must begin
doing something
about these problems, and it
is our job as newsmen to  get
them to do so."
"It is unfortunate that few
blacks have taken an interest in
the environmental movement.
Certainly, Blacks have more
firsthand knowledge than
anyone else about the mental
and physical pain that unsani-
tary and unsafe living condi-
tions can cause.
  "I believe everyone should
be concerned about clean air
and pure water, and about
making our communities-more
healthy and more liveable.
When we talk about human
rights, we should not forget
to include the right to a de-
cent and clean environment,
not only for ourselves but for
future generations."
"Environmental pollution
weakens the health and
shortens the lives of city
dwellers. Poor people, white,
brown, black, need to be pro-
tected. The poor are paying
more for pollution, in terms of
damaged lives, just as the
poor are paying more for  the
shoddy merchandise they buy
on credit at usurious rates,
just as the poor are paying
more for the dilapidated
homes they buy at inflated
prices in declining neighbor-
hoods.
  "A strong federal commit-
ment is needed to deal with
pollution as well as poverty.
Housing discrimination, job
discrimination, and in-
discriminate air pollution have
combined to form a poi-
sonous prison from which
poor people cannot escape. It
must be recognized that en-
vironmental problems cannot
be isolated from the racism
and discrimination remaining
at the root of American
society."

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