Test Your Knowledge on Environmental Justice and its Intersection with Race

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Questions and Answers

What is environmental justice (EJ)?

A way of framing environmental issues that only affect white communities

A way of framing a pattern of injustices that disproportionately exposed minority and low-income communities to toxic hazards (correct)

A way of framing environmental issues that affect everyone equally

A way of framing environmental issues that only affect wealthy communities

What was the Memphis sanitation strike?

A strike by teachers in Memphis in 1968

A strike by healthcare workers in Memphis in 1968

A strike by garbage collectors in Memphis in 1968 (correct)

A strike by factory workers in Memphis in 1968

What was the outcome of the Memphis sanitation strike?

No significant changes

Better wages and union recognition (correct)

The strike was unsuccessful

The strike was violently suppressed

What is environmental racism?

The disproportionate targeting of minority communities for toxic burdens Signup and view all the answers

What happened in Warren County, North Carolina?

African American residents protested the EPA-approved placement of a landfill with contaminated waste in their area Signup and view all the answers

What was the impact of the Warren County landfill protest?

It had a significant impact on the national conscience, marking the first time citizens mobilized in advance to protest a landfill Signup and view all the answers

What do EJ frameworks help to understand?

Whether race and/or socioeconomic status influence the location of environmental hazards Signup and view all the answers

What is environmental justice?

A way of framing a pattern of injustices that disproportionately exposed minority and low-income communities to toxic hazards Signup and view all the answers

What is environmental racism?

The disproportionate targeting of minority communities for toxic burdens Signup and view all the answers

What happened during the Memphis sanitation strike?

Two garbage collectors were killed, and it was supported by the local NAACP chapter and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Signup and view all the answers

What happened to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Memphis sanitation strike?

He was shot and killed Signup and view all the answers

What happened in Warren County, North Carolina?

African American residents protested the EPA-approved placement of a landfill with contaminated waste in their area Signup and view all the answers

What was the impact of the Warren County landfill protest?

It marked the first time citizens mobilized in advance to protest a landfill and established such protests as a way of objecting to environmental threats Signup and view all the answers

What do EJ frameworks help to understand?

Whether race and/or socioeconomic status influence the location of environmental hazards Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Environmental Justice: History, Memphis Sanitation Strike, Warren County Landfill

Environmental justice (EJ) issues have existed in the US for decades, disproportionately affecting minority and low-income communities.
Enslaved Africans were exposed to environmental risks due to their work, and currently, these communities are more likely to live near toxic waste facilities, industrial facilities, or face food insecurity.
EJ emerged as a way of framing a pattern of injustices that disproportionately exposed minority and low-income communities to toxic hazards, shaped by social movement activists and scholars.
The Memphis sanitation strike began in 1968 after two garbage collectors were killed, and it was supported by the local NAACP chapter and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joined the strike but was later shot and killed, which intensified the strike and led to a deal for better wages and union recognition.
Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate targeting of minority communities for toxic burdens, such as the siting of landfills, incinerators, or toxic industries.
Warren County, North Carolina, became an iconic place symbolizing the coming together of the civil rights movement and the EJ movement when African American residents protested the EPA-approved placement of a landfill with contaminated waste in their area.
The landfill in Warren County contained PCB-laden transformer fluid, which was illegally dumped along NC highways, contaminating about 240 miles of soil with dioxins and PCBs that cause various health problems, including cancer.
The state erected large warning signs along the roadsides, and the dumpers and company owner were briefly jailed and fined under the new Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA).
The contaminated soil had to be put in a landfill, which was located in Afton, NC, in Warren County, a predominantly black community with low GDP and poor living conditions.
The Warren County landfill protest had a significant impact on the national conscience, marking the first time citizens mobilized in advance to protest a landfill and established such protests as a way of objecting to environmental threats.
EJ frameworks help to understand whether race and/or socioeconomic status influence the location of environmental hazards, highlighting the need for environmental justice and equity.

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Description

Think you know about the history of environmental justice? Test your knowledge with this quiz that explores the Memphis sanitation strike, the Warren County landfill protest, and the disproportionate impact of toxic waste on minority and low-income communities. Learn about the origins of environmental justice and how it has become a critical framework for understanding the intersection of race and environmental hazards. Keywords: environmental justice, Memphis sanitation strike, Warren County landfill, environmental racism, toxic waste, minority communities, low-income communities, civil rights movement.