Summary Of Melissa Checker's Polluted Promise

The industrial revolution changed the way that people lived in their everyday lives. With mass production, thanks to the assembly line, people were able to make and consume products at a much faster rate than ever before in history. However, there was a downside to this shift in living. This downside manifested itself in the form of waste. This waste could come in many shapes, colors, smells, and toxicity, but regardless it soon became a problem that has persisted to this very day. People who are affected by this toxic runoff are often forgotten about, oftentimes only Caucasian people receive notice or help. In Melissa Checker’s book “Polluted Promises”, a case of this environmental racism is dissected for the reader to see how in such a modern

Like the residents of Hyde Park, the lives of the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands during World War 2 have been greatly shaped by people outside of their communities. During World War 2 the Marshall Islanders were victims of extreme radiation burns due to hydrogen bomb testing, the biggest of which was likened to 1,000 Hiroshima’s. The nuclear testing in the 40’s is still affecting the Marshallese people, and the surrounding environment, to this day. This is only a small part of the many hardships that the Marshallese must endure. Just like the residents of Hyde Park, the Marshallese are in a state of poverty that facilitates the exponential spread of tuberculosis (TB). These two groups share more than poverty though; they also share the issue of the American government not wanting to accept the fact that they caused these problems as well as the resistance to helping clean up the mess that is actively harming hundreds of innocent people every day. Racism also plays a part in Marshallese culture, as it does in the lives of Hyde Park residents. This can be seen by the stark contrast between the only American controlled Marshall Island, Kwajalein, and the rest of the islands. Kwajalein is a military base inhabited by around 1,700 people live on this island, this island has suburban neighborhoods, a golf course, a country club, a small department store, and access to state-of-the-art

One such group is the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). Founded in 1993 this networks goal is to unify the voices of the diverse Asian Pacific Islanders in America into a single voice that seeks to bring environmental change to the world. APEN is part of a global, multi-racial movement for environmental, social, and economic justice. As recent as 2003 APEN has helped Chinese people in Oakland organize to build a healthier neighborhood where low-income immigrants can make a life for themselves. Environmental racism is an issue that many fail to realize plays a role within environmental problems. The solution to environmental racism is inextricably linked to general racism. This topic is one that runs deeply into the American past, and even further back to the beginning of European imperialism. There is no easy solution to solve environmental racism, instead these matters must be taken on one by one until the institutions in place have been fundamentally changed so that these issues are no longer able to happen. Government agencies are in place to ensure incidents like toxic runoff don’t occur. If they are unable to fulfill their duties, then they need to be evaluated and fixed. By doing this you not only solve the immediate problem but the long term problem as