The dangers of environmental racism
In light of recent tragic events, and in the midst of a movement to finally achieve true, ubiquitous equality, it is important for us to reflect on all the ways in which systemic racism is built into our country. Some appalling but overlooked ways in which many minorities are unjustly oppressed are by the detrimental operations of chicken and pork industries across the country.
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are the primary pork and chicken producers of the nation and house thousands of animals that defecate billions of gallons of manure each year. Unfortunately, communities of color are disproportionately affected by the damaging operations of CAFOs as there are approximately nine times more CAFOs located near rural, low-income communities of color than in other communities.
The tremendous amount of waste produced by CAFOs is dumped into manure lagoons, which are large abysses of animal waste. This ineffective method
of treating waste allows millions of gallons of manure to leak into nearby rivers. In addition to such awful water contamination, unfiltered waste from manure lagoons is sprayed over crop fields as fertilizer, causing air pollution and further devastation to environmental health. Such pollution exposes communities of color residing near CAFOs to repulsive amounts toxic chemicals, causing these groups to
have greater instances of respiratory ailments, elevated blood pressure, mental stress, and just an overall decreased quality of life.
The harm caused by CAFOs is just an additional way in which the well-being of minority groups is completely disregarded.
On top of this already egregious injustice, the World Health Organization cites factory farming as a contributing factor for pandemics such as COVID-19, a virus in which minorities are again disproportionately impacted. As another step towards achieving racial equality, environmental justice, and global health, it is crucial that we leave pork and chicken off our plates and stop supporting shameful industries that impose such a burden on communities of color.
Jibreel Ali, Crofton