Politically Unhealthy: Flint’s Fight Against Poverty, Environmental Racism, and Dirty Water

Abstract

The social force of race in relation to natural resources plays a prominent role in which communities are disproportionately a ected by pollution. Scholars have described how people of color are disproportionately victims of environmental discrimination and disparities because they lack the necessary social capital to bring attention to their plight, as demonstrated by the case of the Flint, Michigan, Water Crisis. In this article, we use a critical race theory lens to explore how the Flint Water Crisis constitutes a case study of environmental racism. More speci cally, we discuss the public health implications of environmental racism on the residents of Flint and conclude with a discussion of the overall implications of environmental justice for public health and social science research.