One Book 2023-2024: Environmental Justice - No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay

The History of the Environmental Justice Movement


The environmental justice movement was started by individuals, primarily people of color, who sought to address the inequity of environmental protection in their communities. Professor Robert Bullard wrote, 'whether by conscious design or institutional neglect, communities of color in urban ghettos, in rural 'poverty pockets', or on economically impoverished Native-American reservations face some of the worst environmental devastation in the nation.' The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s sounded the alarm about the public health dangers for their families, their communities and themselves.

-From the Environmental Protection Agency
(linked and cited below)

Featured Resources by Source Type: The Environmental Justice Movement

A Timeline of the Environmental Justice Movement

Featured Organizations & Online Resources

Featured Articles 

Use the links below to find articles from different publication types.

Reference Articles

These background or overview articles are useful for defining and understanding the history and key concepts of a topic. They come from subject-specific books and reports and aim to help you understand the basics. Find more articles like these in the databases Gale Ebooks, Opposing Viewpoints, or CQ Researcher.


Popular Source Articles

These kinds of articles are from mainstream publications like the "Washington Post," "The Atlantic," or other publications aimed at the general public., as well as a wide variety of websites, both commercial, educational, and governmental. Find more sources like this in Academic Search Complete, ProQuest  Combined, or Science In Context.


Scholarly Articles

Scholarly journal articles are written by scholars/experts/researchers for others in their field with the aim of sharing, reviewing, and building new information. These publications can give us insight into the ways that environmental justice topics are being studied at a research-based, academic levels. Find more articles like these in ProQuest Combined, Agricola, OR Global Issues in Context. 

Featured Videos

Source: "The Intersectional History of Environmentalism" by Intersectional Environmentalist, is licensed under a Standard YouTube License.

Source: " Earth Day 1970 Part 1: Intro (CBS News with Walter Cronkite)" by Earth Week 1970, is licensed under a Standard YouTube License.

Sources used on this page:

Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, July 18). Environmental Justice Timeline. Retrieved August 3, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-timeline

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