Black American Groups Take Environmental Racism Issue to UN

EarthVision Reports, 6 April 1999

GENEVA, April 7, 1999—A group of African Americans have traveled to Geneva this week to appear before the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and to seek international support in their struggle against environmental racism. The Inter Press Service, a news agency of Rome that often reports on environmental and non-governmental affairs, reported that the group is accusing the United States Government of allowing ethnic minority and low-income communities to be disproportionate targets for toxic waste dumps or polluting factories. According to the article, the group, which represents community and environmental organizations, says this neglect is a human rights abuse. The article also said the delegates will testify before the Commission that the health problems and environmental damage their communities have suffered are a direct result of living near toxic chemical facilities.

Most members of the group traveling to Geneva are from communities along the Mississippi River in the state of Louisiana known as Cancer Alley because of the presence of more than 140 oil refineries and chemical plants. Representatives from Greenpeace and the Earthjustice Defence Fund are also accompanying the group to provide legal and administrative guidance.

References

1. http://www.unhchr.ch/
2. http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/news_top10.cfm?start!