On the first Martin Luther King, Jr., Day since the Civil Rights Act had its 50th anniversary, it’s worth reflecting on how — despite much progress in leveling societal playing fields — many environmental “cleanups” in this country simply shift problems to poor communities of color.
Here’s a “Your Dot” essay making this point, written by Robert J. Goldstein, a professor of law at the United States Military Academy at West Point, across the Hudson from my town, who has also served as general counsel for the environmental group Riverkeeper.
Last year, while traveling in the South with cadets on an annual field trip called the “Civil Rights Staff Ride,” Goldstein confronted one such environmental injustice in Uniontown, Alabama. Read More