Black smoke from a March 23 explosion at the Valero Port Arthur Refinery in Texas filled the air for days. Residents' windows cracked, and their homes reeked of burnt chemicals. The worst part? It happened in a predominantly Black city.
Port Arthur is home to dozens of oil and chemical facilities. Residents are routinely exposed to unsafe levels of cancer-causing chemicals. The explosion released 21,000 pounds of chemicals into the air, making eyes sting and breathing difficult. None of this is a coincidence.
Black residents were pushed to the west side of the city during Jim Crow and have since then been made increasingly ill by pipeline ruptures and hundreds of air-quality violations from the surrounding oil and chemical plants. Let's call it what it is: environmental racism.
Environmental experts call Jefferson County, where Port Arthur is located, a "sacrifice zone." The county's hospitalization rate for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is more than twice the national average. The Trump administration's military attacks on Venezuela and Iran have a direct impact on Black folks who call communities like Port Aurthur home. Our people suffer the most, with many who want to leave feeling stuck because, with all of the environmental problems, their homes won't sell.
When we understand the sneaky ways systemic power works in the U.S., we can push back, vote accordingly, and organize to build a better future for us, by us.