Season 2, Episode 5
Environmental Justice and Race
A professor of English, a College senior, and a sociologist share their perspectives on what it means to live under a system of environmental racism, and how to move forward toward environmental justice.
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When COVID delivered a disproportionate blow to communities of color, environmental hazards like air pollution, that are all too frequently present in these communities, was one of the contributing factors cited by experts. The idea that race is a factor in determining who has access to resources that allow a community to thrive is not so much news as it is a part of the American story. Today, there is a wider recognition that environmental racism is one of many forms of systemic racism, and that environmental justice and climate change are interconnected problems.
Guests
Herman Beavers, Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt President’s Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies
Daniel Aldana Cohen, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Tsemone Ogbemi, C’21, Penn Program in Environmental Humanities Public Research Intern
Host
Alex Schein
Producer
Loraine Terrell
Editors
Alex Schein and Loraine Terrell
Interviewers
Susan Ahlborn, Blake Cole, Lauren Rebecca Thacker
Illustration
Adriana Bellet
Music
Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C’18
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
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