Being a student in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, we often discuss the inequality of environmental conditions between black and white, non-Hispanic communities. Studies show that communities of color face higher exposure rates to pollutants and toxins due to proximity to waste sites (like landfills, byproduct dumping grounds) and industrial facilities (Center for American Progress 2016). A direct example of this reality can be seen in Flint, Michigan, where the majority of the residents (54%) are black or African American.
In 2013, Flint officials decided to re-source the city’s water supply to save money, but the new agency was not prepared to deliver the water due being in the process of building a new pipeline. As a quick fix, the city decided they would use water from the Flint River after being treated in water treatment plants. Residents quickly reported discolored, foul-smelling water, but these complaints were ultimately ignored by the city. Certain chemicals found in the water have strong links with liver, lung, and kidney health complications, yet total access to clean water in the area has still not been achieved.
It can be argued that Flint is not overtly a black community since the percentage of black people living in the community is barely over half, however this can be countered when considering that only 13.4% of African Americans contribute to the United State’s population as of according to the census. Studies show low-income and communities of color are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning, due to lead based paint used in older, less expensive residences that are often one of the few or only options marginalized groups may have due to wage gaps. While lower income among marginalized groups attributes greatly to environmental injustice, the lack of governmental action, initiative, and support to fix the infrastructure in communities of color is another significant contributor.
We can apply this dynamic to Hegel’s Master/Slave dialect, where the Master (those who have the power, funds, and ability to alleviate – if not solve – the water crisis) and the Slave (the Flint community). Whether we determine the federal or state government, city officials, or even the complicit attitude of the nation, we can conclude that there is a Master who is liable for resolving this issue, as the people of Flint were left otherwise defenseless throughout the crisis.
People participate in a national mile-long march in February to highlight the push for clean water in Flint, Mich.
Since the beginning of the disaster, the lack of urgency to provide clean water by those responsible implied a lesser value of the people in Flint. This demonstrates how the Master can subjugate their actions to retain power and hierarchies, even without it being explicitly expressed. The subliminal message that was sent by the general inaction to solve the crises, along with a nation that failed in holding its leaders accountable, created a subconscious understanding regarding who our “Master prioritizes or favors. The government arguably does have the funds to improve these conditions, but is frequently allocated elsewhere – like in excessive military spending – while predominantly white communities do not suffer the same rate of health conditions (or simply the same low quality of infrastructure) seen in their black, non-white counterparts. By not attending to the immediate needs of black Americans and other oppressed groups, when technologies without corresponding health conditions have been successfully implemented in wealthy (commonly white) communities, systemic injustice is undoubtably exemplified.