Environmental Racism and Social Justice
A disproportionate burden of environmental harm falls on the communities of Black, Indigenous and people of color and on working-class neighborhoods. Harmful infrastructure such as landfills, poor drinking water systems and lack of safe play spaces and harmful practices such as a lack of investment
in communities, leads to poorer physical and mental health among residents.
Our core values as librarians encompass providing access to information with the goal of fostering education and lifelong learning. We have created this reading list as a means of providing information and facilitating critical thinking sur- rounding these topics.
Some suggested readings include:
CLIMATE JUSTICE: HOPE, RESILIENCE, AND THE FIGHT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE by Mary Robinson.
CONFRONTING ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM: VOICES FROM THE GRASSROOTS by Robert Doyle Bullard.
DEFENDING MOTHER EARTH: NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE by Jace Weaver.
FLINT FIGHTS BACK: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY IN THE FLINT WATER CRISIS by Benjamin J. Pauli.
IT’S OUR WORLD, TOO! STORIES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE by Phillip Hoose.
SLOW VIOLENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENTALISM OF THE POOR by Rob Nixon.
THE POISONED CITY: FLINT’S WATER AND THE AMERICAN URBAN TRAGEDY by Anne (Anna Leigh) Clark.
THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WATER: ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN INDIGENOUS AND BLACK COMMUNITIES by Ingrid Waldron.
This list is meant to be an introduction to environmental racism and is by no means exhaustive. For more readings, visit waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/ejlist.
If we can be of any support during these challenging times, please reach out to askwater@aqua.wisc.edu. The library is here to help.
If we can be of any support during these challenging times, please reach out to askwater@aqua.wisc.edu. The library is here to help. Please visit the Wisconsin Water Library online at waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu for more information about the library’s resources on climate.
Please visit the Wisconsin Water Library online at waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu for more information about the library’s resources on a wide range of aquatic topics.
Anyone in Wisconsin can borrow these books discussed here.
Just email askwater@aqua.wisc.edu.