Environmental Racism

Today, we will continue our engagement with environmental justice, focusing on urban communities of color. Specifically, you will be reading a piece by Laura Pulido who is a critical feminist geographer and a scholar of Ethnic Studies/Chicanx Studies. In the article, she will discuss the role of racism and white privilege in shaping environmental risk in Southern California. The article in published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, which is one of the flagship journals in the discipline of Geography. Because of this, her audience is geographers–pay attention to how she frames these issues geographically.

Reading

Prompt

For today’s reading reflection, I would like you to try to restate the core ideas of Pulido’s article in your own words, and then offer a reaction. Sometimes teachers refer to this practice as a process of “They say/I say” in which you identify what the author is arguing/saying, and then you say your own thoughts in response. This exercise is a great way to try to hone in on how we are understanding the main ideas in our readings and can help us come to a better understanding. It also encourages you to begin to articulate some of your own ideas and reactions to the material. So, for Pulido’s article, describe what she said (i.e. what was she describing/arguing?) and what you say (i.e. what were your reactions?). Your response should engage directly with the texts (demonstrate you read it). In your response, please also write a discussion question based on the material that you would like to discussion.

Powerpoint

Cover Image: Source

Powerpoint