1Social Justice and Environmental Justice
By Carlos Rafael . Alicea Negrón
“The community, “La comunidad, el modo
the communal way of life, comunitario de producción y de vida
of production is one of the most es la más remota tradición de las Américas, la más
millenarian and old traditions in America, americana de todas:
the most American of all: pertenece a los primeros tiempos y a las primeras gentes,
belongs to all since the beginnings of time, pero también pertenece a los tiempos que vienen
to the first people but as well belong y presiente un nuevo Nuevo Mundo.
to the new times, that announces a new world. Porque nada hay menos foráneo que el socialismo
There is nothing less foreign en estas tierras nuestras.
that socialism in our lands. Foráneo es en cambio, el capitalismo:
In the other hand capitalism is foreign. como la viruela, como la gripe, vino de afuera.”
Like the smallpox, like the flu,
it came from far away.”
Eduardo Galeano
El Libro de Los Abrazos
The idea of talking about environmental justice and the need to integrate social justice in that conversation is a foreign concept in my soul and my mind. Reflects to some extent how far the economic and political forces in this USA society have been able to kidnap and stolen the language of oppressed people have developed in our long history of struggle and liberation in their intent to co-opt our visions, our dreams and our aspirations with the purpose of maintaining their privileges as an oppressor class. This separation reflects the language and strategy of fragmentation that constructs and justifies a context for oppression and inequality in those societies that used as central organizing principle capitalism. There is not doubt in my mind that capitalism is inherently unjust, racist and patriarchal. To be able to really being radical (go to the root of a problem) we need to imagine, dream and articulate a vision and a set of strategies and tactics with the objective of ending capitalism as the organizing engine of modern societies.
The language of liberation must be rescued, must be re-appropriated, recovered and we have as a political responsibility to denounce when that language is misused to degrade and to provoke the loss of our focus to the roots of the problems that face our society, specifically low income communities and communities of color. It is my perspective that the future of the environmental movement in general and specifically, the environmental justice movement is tied to the reaffirmation, redefinition, and reallocation of energy, resources and efforts in constructing the real questions but as well imagining what are the just answers for such questions. It is time for us to face the reality that the root of the environmental injustice our communities suffers is capitalism, colonialism and imperialism. Internally, externally, culturally and spiritually, capitalisms and its expressions and executions through colonialism and imperialism, are seeded in the heart and mind of our humanity, creating a context of oppression and dominance that intent to reach each of our actions and our ideas, and our efforts to free ourselves. It requires so a lot of work, self-reflection and humility to work and create the conditions for de-colonizing our soul and creating a real community liberation project. Like Che Guevara stated:
“…one must have a great deal of humanity and a strong sense of justice and truth in order not to fall into extreme dogmatism and cold scholasticism, into isolation from the masses. We must strive every day so that this love of living humanity will be transformed into actual deeds, into acts that serve as examples, as a moving force…”

In these times where neo-liberal forces are proclaiming their victories standing tall against these depredatory economic forces requires going back to the roots of our principles of revolutionary and libratory practices where the vision and understanding of our problems is liberated for the fragmented frame that western educational system want to impose and that creates an artificial disconnection between social, political, economic and physical events. I have been a witness of these fragmented vision, and the reproduction of power dynamics that tend to perpetuate injustice and racism in the communities that I work. For example, in the new/old New York City Waste Management Plan, many environmental groups have hailed it as a step in the right direction in the politics of garbage in NYC. Based in the illusion of equal distribution of Marine Transfer Stations environmental justice groups are supporting a plan for NYC that is going to send thousands of tons of garbage everyday to Newark, NJ to a low income community and community of color that will be burn in an incinerator, violating the principles in m view of environmental justice. This is what I called a vain victory because will be a “victory” in the back of other poor people. Furthermore, supporting this plan will give support for the next 20 years to an exporting garbage model for New York City that inevitable is going to harm and create conditions of environmental injustice to other communities in this country. Why these environmental groups in NYC are taking this stance: among other reasons because they have lost sense of the big picture due to the acceptance of fragmented analysis framework in their organizations. They do not want to go to the root of the problem. They have accepted the liberal notion of baby steps, dismissing the notion of visions and dreams as part of the analysis of the environmental problems that our communities are facing. Their minds and hearts are infected with invisible colonialism, “that seed in human beings the notion that we cannot think, do, create…”
We need to be conscious of our responsibility to create and make real projects of solidarity and collaboration across the USA and the world. In the same token we need to be conscious of our privileges related to our geographical place in the USA society. We need to link and understand that our local efforts and struggle are connected to global struggles in the sense that our communities are suffering internal colonialism and genocides, have suffered decades and centuries of exploitation and oppression, and now more than ever the consequences of imperialism and colonialism and the extraction of and exploitation of humans and natural resources globally has as other side of the coin the exploitation of humans and natural resources of the communities of color and poor communities in the USA. Capitalism and imperialism cannot flourish without these two sides of exploitation. We need to understand that in our practices, in our analysis in our daily decisions and development of tactics and strategies to fight environmental injustice. Like Che Guevara stated:
“We must bear in mind that imperialism is a world system, the last stage of capitalism-and it must be defeated in a world confrontation. The strategic end of this struggle should be the destruction of imperialism. Our share, the responsibility of the exploited and underdeveloped of the world, is to eliminate the foundations of imperialism: our oppressed nations, from where they extract capital, raw materials, technicians, and cheap labor, and to which they export new capital-instruments of domination-arms and all kinds of articles, thus submerging us in an absolute dependence.”

It is time to stop using the language and conceptualizations of the oppressor. This talked about integrating social justice with the struggle of environmental injustice need to be challenged with the assertion that there is not need to integrate what is inherently integrated. The destruction and separation of these two concepts is manifestation of the essence of capitalism an unjust economic system. Environmental injustice is another manifestation of the business as usual, is the manifestation maximization of profits where humans and all living organisms and non-living components of the universe are seen as factors of production to be used to make profits and be exploited. This des-humanization requires and demands of human beings the commitment to challenge this economic system. There are many vibrant examples of such challenges, and visions, from the past, from the present, dreams and projects that have taken many lives, have produced many tears, have provided joy and should be the foundation of the new generations that choose the path of struggle against injustice (Zapatistas, MST, Mapuches, etc). For it and me it is important to learn and observe and listen equally important to remember that at the center of our efforts a principle of love must guide our actions and our endeavors. This is an essential characteristic to be a real revolutionary (Che). It is time to practice revolutionary love and to add our contributions to the pure streams of efforts that globally are challenging capitalism its twin imperialism. For me real Environmental Justice work requires the challenge to these inherently economic system and working toward the elimination of hierarchies of power, knowledge and privileges in all societies. Otherwise, the EJ movement will become another apologist to the powers to be, perpetuating injustice and inequalities.

No al chantaje

No a construir escuelas en terrenos industriales contaminados

Carlos R. Alicea

Este pasado martes 9 de enero, el Consejo de la Ciudad aprobó una propuesta del Departamento de Educación dándole luz verde a la posibilidad de construir un complejo de escuelas en un área industrial abandonada y contaminada (bronwfields) en la comunidad de Mott Haven. Dentro de este arreglo la comunidad “participa” por medio de un consultor externo que hará recomendaciones y analice el plan de remediación. Se ha dicho que esto es un gran precedente y algo nuevo. Difiero en ambos planteamientos. Pienso que esto es muy peligroso. Digo peligroso porque a pesar del insistente cacareo, el gobierno y sus agencias siempre ignoran las recomendaciones y observaciones de la comunidad y terminan haciendo lo que les da la gana. Es peligroso porque cedimos lo que le da a la comunidad verdadero poder que es no aceptar bajo ninguna circunstancia que escuelas puedan construirse en lugares contaminados que nadie puede garantizar que nunca presentarán un problema para todos los que utilicen estas escuelas. Es peligroso porque peleamos contra la propuesta en los términos de la ciudad no en los nuestros. Este arreglo “legitimiza” la alternativa de proponer escuelas en “brownfields” y esto es inaceptable, ni siquiera por la oportunidad de participar en un análisis del plan de remediación.

Ahí tenemos “Stevenson High School” que se construyó en un vertedero y que hoy día cada vez nuestros jóvenes, maestros, y trabajadores sufren problemas de salud debido a la contaminación en este lugar (Rojas, comunicación personal).

Ahí tenemos la escuela 141, en Harlem, que el 1997 se cerró debido vapores del suelo se encontraron dentro de la escuela contaminando el aire y afectando la salud de todos. La comunidad advirtió que no era seguro construir esta escuela, la ciudad los ignoró y tuvieron que cerrarla luego de un mes de abierta.

Ahora hay otro planteamiento importante y me pregunto ¿Es que no existe un área que no requiera remediación ambiental para construir esta escuela en el Bronx? Para mi está claro que si los hay. Pero estas áreas están reservadas para los mal llamados “desarrolladores” que son parte del proceso de desplazamiento urbano (“gentrification”) que enfrenta el Sur del Bronx y esto con el apoyo de esta administración y de muchos oficiales electos. Esto no es sobre educación, es sobre a quienes se les protegen las ganancias hoy y en el futuro y a quines se les niega facilidades nuevas para recibir educación en lugares que no están contaminados. Y esto queridos lectores es chantaje y no lo debemos aceptar.

Debemos seguir denunciando y exigiendo que facilidades educativas no se construyan en áreas contaminadas. La salud de nuestros jóvenes, maestros y trabajadores de la educación no es negociable ni hoy, ni mañana. Vamos a ser radicales, ir a la raíz, argumentemos que para nosotros está claro que esta propuesta es otro ejemplo de cómo esta administración está a favor de la fuerzas del “gentrification”. La responsabilidad principal del sistema de educación es garantizar un lugar lindo, nuevo y seguro ambientalmente para nuestros niños y jóvenes. Ellos tienen derecho a ambos y esta propuesta quiere forzarnos a escoger entre un lugar seguro versus un lugar nuevo y adecuado y eso es chantaje y no nos vamos a dejar chantajear.