Environmental injustices in Chicago stem directly from racism and harm the health of communities of color. Every day I see how segregation in my city creates a sacrifice zone out of my community while factories and other industrial facilities continue to make profits, all at the expense of our health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My grandparents came to the Southeast Side of Chicago from Mexico, and to this day our neighborhood is still largely Mexican and continues to struggle with the toxic legacy that has haunted our community for decades. A new generation of activists are now demanding policies that undo the segregation and buildup of the polluting industry in Chicago’s Latino and Black communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a concentration of industrial facilities that pollute our air, land and water in communities like mine. In other parts of Chicago, there are lots more investments in businesses and institutions that do not pollute and pose health risks, yet in Latino and Black communities, that is not always the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Communities of color are the only ones in Chicago that have to make the choice of between living with the consequences of polluting industries and economic prosperity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a big difference in the development plans that the city makes for communities in the South and West Sides than those in the North Side and the health outcomes between those areas are also stark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, not only was the health of the people of La Villita affected by the botched implosion of the Crawford tower that covered the entire community in toxic dust, but the community suffers daily from the air pollution that comes from the trucks that pass every minute when they arrive and leave the new warehouse located in the old Crawford site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n