Toward an integrated politics of social justice and environment: African American leaders in Seattle

Abstract

During the last decade, communities of color have mobilized to address environmental problems. Their engagement with the environment has given impetus to an environmental justice movement that has framed environmental inequities as another instance of social injustice and institutionalized racism. The present study outlines the elements of this environmental justice frame and examines its resonance through a set of interviews with 26 African American community leaders in Seattle. Interviewees’ perceptions were largely consistent with the frame: Most defined environment broadly, believed that people are entitled to clean and healthy environments, and believed that people of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. They differed with regard to the salience of environmental issues and strategies for addressing environmental inequities.

Key words:

• environmental justice
• environmental movement
• environmental perceptions
• interpretive frames
• snowball sampling
• social movements