Dr. Robert Bullard, Ware Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, spoke at Hamilton on February 7. Bullard discussed the relationship between race and environment in a speech titled "In the Wake of the Storm: Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations before and after Disaster Strikes."
Bullard defined the environment as "everything." It is where we live, where we work, where we go to school, as well as the physical and natural environment. He then discussed the relationship between the social environment and the natural environment. "We can fix a lot of the 'built' environmental problems, but not change the cultural and social environment," he said. Bullard, who plays a prominent role in the environmental justice movement, believes the cultural environment deserves just as much attention as the natural environment. The environmental justice movement seeks to "get voices at the table" in regards to race and environment. The movement embraces the idea that all people should have the right to a clean environment and equal protection by environmental law.
"Place had always mattered," said Bullard. In the history of this country "some places were off limits to some people…where you live can affect your quality of life." Some places and neighborhoods are literally "on the wrong side of the tracks" and not given the same weight by the government as others. Bullard discussed "transportation apartheid," the idea that some places, such as affluent suburbs, think of public transportation as transportation for "losers" and "poor people." A lot of places do not allow buses from the cities into the towns or areas. Therefore, it is very difficult for people who live in the cities without cars to get certain places.
"Who gets left behind in disasters?" asked Bullard. The answer is "vulnerable populations," such as those stranded in the city without cars. These populations also include people of color, the poor, elderly, disabled, children, non-drivers and the homeless. Throughout history, when natural disasters occur, these populations are left behind. Bullard calls this the "Legacy of Unfairness." The earliest example he gave was the Mississippi River Flood of 1927 in which the government action "created mistrust, and caused people to move out in droves." Thousands of people were rendered homeless by the flood and the government set up temporary "camps" to house them. White people were evacuated out of the camps, but black people were forced to stay and work at fixing the levees.
Another example is Hurricane Betsy, which hit New Orleans in 1965. The lower ninth quarter, one of the areas hit worse, did not receive its fair share of reconstruction because it is considered one of the poorer neighborhoods. Bullard noted that certain populations have learned that waiting for the government's response "can be hazardous to your health and to the health of communities." In a study done in New Orleans before Katrina hit, it was estimated that in an emergency evacuation situation 100,000 to 134,000 would be stranded in the city. The emergency plan that was established relied on public transportation (buses) to help evacuate these people. However, when Katrina hit, the buses were all underwater and the plan was useless. If you did not have an automobile, you had no escape. "You're on your own," said Bullard. This kind of failed emergency plan is not unique to New Orleans, noted Bullard. Most American cities do not have a plan that would be effective,
Bullard then discussed the government response to Katrina. Before the storm, there were several health threats already in New Orleans. Louisiana's "Cancer Alley," which includes 125 chemical plants, poses great health threats in the case of a chemical accident to the close communities. There is also a high percentage of houses with lead paint in New Orleans, and a neighborhood built on a toxic dump. These communities are often the poorer neighborhoods and the government has been reluctant to help post-Katrina because so many of the problems were in place before the storm.
"Where you live is not accidental," said Bullard. In New Orleans, the poorest people live in the lowest lying areas. "Low-lying" has now taken on the meaning of "black" and "poor" in the city. There is unequal protection, meaning that in cleaning up the hurricane damage the city is concentrating on the most valuable areas, such as the French Quarter, and ignoring the poorer neighborhoods.
"Disaster pushes poor people deeper into poverty," said Bullard. For people who do not have savings accounts or money invested, their wealth is embedded in their property. When this property is destroyed, they are hit harder than other, wealthier people. There are now such scare resources in New Orleans that it is difficult for the poorer people to get back on their feet. For example, a 1-bedroom apartment that cost $500 to rent before Katrina now rents for $1200. People who are not receiving any help from the government are trying to clean up their houses without the proper protection and are being exposed to toxic molds. "Katrina Cough," a kind of asthma-like disease, has developed from people being exposed to mold.
Because the government has been so reluctant to help in these neighborhoods, several organization have sent volunteers from all over the country to help clean them up. "It is taking a voluntary effort to do what the government should do," said Bullard. Eighteen months after the storm 200,000 people are still displaced because they can not go back home. But the response has been "tremendous" from colleges and universities around the country. "I'm optimistic that we can get the issues back on the radar," said Bullard. "We will all pay for not having a restored gulf coast. It is the moral, ethical, right thing to do. I think it must be done."
-- by Laura Trubiano '07
