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Salons at Stowe

 

Combating Environmental Racism

April 21, 2016

Rev. Kari Nicewander of Immanuel Congregational Church, Rev. Steve Camp of Faith Congregational Church, and Sharon Lewis, President of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, led the conversation. Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color. Nicewander and Camp recently returned from Flint, MI, where dangerous lead levels in the water system were ignored by officials. They spoke about the dire situation in Flint and how it is a problem of racism as much as it is a problem of water access. Nicewander asked participants if a predominately white suburb had unsafe drinking water, would we tolerate it? Lewis explained that many urban areas have high lead levels in water and other environmental hazards like industrial plants or factories.
 
 
Inspiration to Action

  • Educate yourself and others on environmental racism
  • Support initiatives reducing the impact and harm of environmental racism but don’t overlook the need for large, structural reforms
  • Bring local, grassroots organizations together to advocate for legislative change to reduce the presence and impact of environmental hazards
  • Listen and learn from those most affected by environmental racism
  • Get in the streets and in the polls; March for environmental justice and vote for policymakers that will create change
Location Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Doors Open 5:30 - 7 PM
Program 5:30 - 7 PM