Bronx Out Loud captures the stories of residents and community leaders of the Bronx borough. These stories include residents’ perspectives on issues such as Redlining and Environmental Racism and community leaders’ experiences with solving these issues. Collecting these stories aims to highlight Environmental Racism and Redlining from both a resident and community leader perspective to raise awareness.
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Check out our latest articles on Next Generation Politics:
90 Years Later and The Bronx is Still Seeing Environmental Impacts of Redlining
It's Time for U.S. History Textbooks to Get Honest
Environmental Racism in the Bronx
What is Environmental Racism?
Environmental racism is “racial discrimination in environmental policy-making, enforcement of regulations and laws, and targeting of communities of color for toxic waste disposal and siting of polluting industries". (Reverend Benjamin E)
What does Environmental Racism look like in the Bronx?
In the Bronx, this issue has a long history, with communities of color facing a disproportionate burden of pollution, waste disposal sites, and other environmental hazards. These environmental hazards have had lasting impacts on the health and well-being of communities across the Bronx, contributing to higher rates of respiratory illness, cancer, and other health problems than anywhere else in the US. The situation has become so bad that a neighborhood in the South Bronx called Mott Haven is commonly referred to as “asthma alley”. (Reverend Benjamin E)
When did Environmental Racism start in the Bronx?
During the mid-20th century, the South Bronx was home to a large number of waste transfer stations and incinerators that released harmful chemicals into the air, leading to high levels of pollution and health problems for residents. Similarly, in the 1960s and 1970s, communities of color in the Bronx were targeted for the construction of highways and bridges, which resulted in the displacement of thousands of residents and the fragmentation of neighborhoods. (Reverend Benjamin E)
Redlining in the Bronx
What is Redlining?
Redlining is the “refusal of (a loan or insurance) to someone because they live in an area deemed to be a poor financial risk”. (Google Dictionary)
What does Redlining look like in the Bronx?
Redlining in the Bronx means the loans or insurances that are denied, are typically in the form of mortgages. (Google Dictionary)
When did Redlining start in the Bronx?
Dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, when the Home Owners' Loan Corporation rated neighborhoods across the Bronx on a color-coded map, they marked off predominantly African American and Puerto Rican communities as "high risk." This resulted in a lack of investment and resources in these areas, leading to deterioration and disinvestment that persists to this day. Redlining has had a lasting impact on the Bronx, contributing to poverty and unemployment in many of its communities. (Google Dictionary)