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A network dedicated to building a culture of human rights

Earth Day 2024: Water and Environmental Racism (Middle/High School Lesson)

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The Flint water crisis is one of the most egregious examples of environmental racism in recent memory.
Flint is not unique. Throughout the country, poor people and people of color are disproportionately burdened by environmental contamination — in their neighborhoods, schools, and homes.Drawing from three recent real-world case studies (Flint, Michigan; Newark, New Jersey; and Jackson, Mississippi), we offer a mixer activity (suitable for middle and high school students) that surfaces both the causes and consequences of environmental racism.

This lesson, by Matt Reed and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, is described in Rethinking Schools magazine.
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Find many more lessons and teaching stories on environmental justice in the Rethinking Schools publication, A People’s Curriculum for the Earth.

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