The Gray Area with Sean Illing

The father of environmental justice

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Vox's Jamil Smith talks with Dr, Robert Bullard, a pioneer in the crusade for environmental justice, about his more than four decades in the fight. They discuss how the movement to recognize environmental civil rights began, overcame some of its early opposition, and the landmark legal case that established a constitutional protection against racist environmental policies and practices. Bullard, a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, also discusses how the Biden administration plans to address disproportionately affected communities.

Host: Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Robert Bullard (@DrBobBullard), co-chair, National Black Environmental Justice Network; professor, Texas Southern University

References: 

  • "Another Reason We Can't Breathe" by Jamil Smith (Rolling Stone; Oct. 27, 2020)
  • The 17 Principles of Environmental Justice (adopted by the NBEJN on Oct. 27, 1991)
  • "Environmental Racism: Recognition, Litigation, and Alleviation" by Pamela Duncan (Tulane Environmental Law Journal, vol. 6, no. 2; 1993)
  • Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality by Robert Bullard (Routledge; 1990)
  • "One reason why coronavirus is hitting Black Americans the hardest" by Ranjani Chakraborty (Vox; May 22, 2020)
  • "There's a clear fix to helping Black communities fight pollution" by Rachel Ramirez (Vox; Feb. 26)
  • "The Path to Achieving Justice 40" by Shalanda Young, Brenda Mallory, and Gina McCarthy (White House; July 20)


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    This episode was made by: 

    • Producer: Erikk Geannikis
    • Editor: Amy Drozdowska
    • Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
    • Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez
    • Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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