Juneteenth-and ongoing environmental inequalities
Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth National Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865 (two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued).
We McSisters wish to honor this special day with a reminder to our subscribers that all humans deserve to live in healthy environments. Underserved communities which often include people of color live closest to industrial developments and the dangerous pollutants from those factories. This is environmental injustice.
We urge you to join us in being environmental justice advocates and allies by educating yourself about the links between systemic racism, the plastics and petrochemical industries, and the disproportionate health risks Black and underserved communities face.
What can you do?
Read this article and take action steps: https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2022/6/17/take-action-for-environmental-justice-juneteenth
Review McSisters blog: https://www.mcsisters.org/why-it-matters-blog/how-is-single-use-plastic-related-to-environmental-justice
