- December 3, 2020 Ecojustice
J.O.E. Talks, sponsored by the St. Louis province’s Racial and Cultural Justice Committee, is a discussion series committed to educating and raising awareness of issues with the aim of engaging people to work for systemic change.
The Oct. 31 J.O.E. Talk (see video below), held via Zoom, was focused on environmental justice and poor health outcomes, presented by Dr. Christine Ekenga.
Dr. Ekenga is an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Washington University’s Brown School. Her current work includes examining how lifestyle, environmental and occupational factors interact to influence health and well-being. She says her goal is to "promote health and wellbeing for all and to promote healthy environments at home, work, school and play.”
“We’ve traditionally thought about the environment if people are interested in trees and pollution,” she says. “Yes, but I’m also interested in environmental thinking about our surroundings and how people live and work and play, so this includes our homes, our communities, our workplaces, our transportation systems and business areas.”
The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.”
Dr. Ekenga says, “It’s the idea that all people in all communities have a right to equal environmental protection under the law, and they have a right to live, work and play in communities that are safe, healthy and free of life-threatening conditions.”
The movement began in the 1960s alongside the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, some of the statistics show that the environmental disparities in low-income and predominately Black neighborhoods have not made dramatic improvements since those early years.
Some of the factors that are considered in defining and creating healthy communities are: air and water quality, accessibility to healthy foods, neighborhood walkability, access to parks and playgrounds and disability access.
After her presentation, Dr. Ekenga invited participants into conversation about ways to better promote health in community environments. “Environmental injustices affect all of us,” Dr. Ekenga says. “I encourage everyone to continue to speak up about environmental concerns in their community and get involved in decision-making processes. Together, we can empower each other and increase our capacity to promote environmental justice.”
By Jenny Beatrice, Director of Communications
VIDEO
J.O.E. Talk: "The Public Health Impact of a Changing Environment," with Dr. Christine Ekenga