I was pleased to learn of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s recent executive order establishing a unified approach to environmental justice. The E.O. also created an Interagency Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Council, which will coordinate government efforts and maximize funding opportunities. Acknowledging that true environmental justice is intersectional, the order addresses the disproportionate impact of climate change on frontline communities.
The truth is, communities that are least responsible for the climate crisis bear the brunt of the crisis. These communities tend to be predominantly Black and Brown people, predominantly in the Global South, and most likely to live in poverty.
Climate Justice Is Racial Justice
Consider these sobering data points. African Americans are disproportionately impacted by flooding, heat waves, and extreme weather. We are disproportionately affected by pollution that creates upper respiratory challenges and other health problems. These health issues are accelerated by the climate crisis.
Additionally, as climate change worsens, we are likely to see an increase in the volume of — and the severity of — weather emergencies. When there are weather emergencies, Black people and other people of color, children, and women are more likely to be displaced, and more likely to suffer from gender based violence. They are also more likely to be locked out of equitable rebuilding processes. For these reasons and more, Gov. Moore is right to make the connection between environmental justice and equity.
Like so many of us, Gov. Moore understands that there isn’t a facet of American life that isn’t touched or influenced by racism. The communities we live in, the resources we have access to, and even the food we eat are all influenced by race.
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That is why his E.O. was a step in the right direction. It gets us closer to addressing the pernicious impacts of racism. While race and racism shape the American experience, the impacts are not always discernible. As someone who wakes up every day thinking about food insecurity and food justice, I see the ways in which the climate crisis and racism impact environmental justice. My job is not only to connect the dots, but to help others do so as well.
Truth, Repair, and Reconciliation
As the founder of The Black Food Security Network, this is essential to my mission. While this executive order makes good progress, I can’t help but think it would have been strengthened if it was connected to a broader reparations bill, such as S.B. 587. Stopped by Gov. Moore’s veto earlier this year, S.B. 587 sought to establish a Maryland Reparations Commission. The Commission would have continued the work of truth, repair, and reconciliation in our state.
It can be tempting to view these issues — reparations and environmental justice — in isolation or individually on their own merits. But the truth is, environmental justice is a reparations issue, and reparations is an environmental justice issue. Reparations is about truth seeking and speaking, healing, and repair. The current executive order is about righting historic wrongs where environmental injustice is concerned. It needs a companion.
Environmental injustice looks like food apartheid, air pollution, contamination of our food sources, etc. These things are driven by racism. We know that racism and environmental injustice are intertwined.
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Access to land and nutritious food is a clear example of this intersection. African Americans have been systematically and systemically denied access to land ownership, and stripped of needed food resources. Through slavery and its many consequences, this country’s long history of racism has hurt the health, well-being, and land ownership of our communities.
In the U.S., only about 1.4% of all farmers are Black, and Black farmers are disproportionately denied USDA direct loans. All the while, Black communities are twice as likely to experience food insecurity compared to white communities. These factors necessitate a reparative lens to right historic wrongs.
Healing What Is Hurt
To successfully achieve environmental justice, we must address the racism that drives environmental harm. As this recent executive order demonstrates, Moore believes that the climate crisis must be mitigated. His executive order aims to restore the health and livelihoods of those who have been undermined by climate injustice. Why not strike at the root of racism (through a broader reparations package) that begets these injustices in the first place?
Every moment our state and federal leaders delay increases the danger that our communities face. Asthma rates will continue to rise. Extreme weather will continue to harm. Children, families, and neighbors will continue to go hungry.
Although these issues are complex, we can heal what is hurt. We can repair what is broken. But we must employ comprehensive solutions that move us — all of us — further towards justice.
Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III, is an author, pastor, and founder of The Black Church Food Security Network.