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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