What's Past Is Prologue: Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Environmental Injustice in the United States

The story of racial inequality and injustice in America is ever-evolving, and researchers continue to find new tools to illuminate and expand our understanding of this complex issue. The environmental justice framework is one such tool. The framework allows for a multidisciplinary and intersectional approach to the complex interplay between race, culture, ideology, and democracy that defines the lived experiences of environmental injustice for America’s Black communities. This Master’s Thesis aims to address the following questions: How does Environmental injustice impact black communities in the United States today? What are the reasons for the development of environmental injustice and equality, and how can they be analyzed and discussed using the environmental justice framework? Two case studies were selected to narrow the scope of this vast research area: Cancer Alley in Louisiana and Flint, Michigan. The findings of this research suggest that patterns of racialized geography, paternalistic industry discourse, and neo-liberal ideology are some of the primary driving forces behind the development and continuation of environmental injustices.