Message-ID: <v0151010ab03b647bd042@[206.163.126.66]> Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 21:15:47 -0700 From: Angela Wilson <mailto:wilson@TELEPORT.COM> Subject: NE Environmental Justice Conference-Please Forward To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o PORTLAND'S FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE SLATED FOR OCTOBER 4, 1997Date: 8 September 1997 Contact: Angela Wilson For immediate release 503*282*0276 Email: mailto:wilson@teleport.com
Portland's Environmental Justice Action Group (EJAG) Sponsors Day of Workshops, Information Sharing and Leadership Building in Northeast Portland
Free Childcare and Food Provided
Asthma. Childhood lead poisoning. Air pollution. Infant mortality. Toxic wastes. Violence. Members of Northeast Portland's communities--especial African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and the poor--bear a disproportionate burden of our city's toxic load.
Northeast neighborhoods contain numerous sites contaminated with mercury and other highly toxic chemicals. According to a 1996 federal report, there are 27 significantly contaminated sites in Portland. Of those, 13 are located in Northeast Portland.
The high volume of traffic on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. has significantly increased the airpollution in NE neighborhoods. A recent national study found that infants exposed to high levels of air pollution are 25 percent more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, also known as "crib death").
Lead poisoning can result in a number of potentially irreversible effects such as lower academic performance, diminished ability to concentrate, and behavioral disorders. African American and Latino children in Northeast have some of the highest lead blood levels in Portland.
To address these and other issues, a free conference, "Environmental Justice & You," will be held at the Lutheran Inner-City Ministries, 4219 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (at Skidmore) on October 4, 1997.
The heart of "Environmental Justice & You" is a series of workshops led by local and regional activists. These sessions will provide valuable information and tools for change and will also encourage participation from conference attendees.
Many of the presenters are African American women involved in environmental justice. Keynote speaker Karleen Lloyd, parent of a lead-poisoned child and activist with People United fora Better Oakland, will address childhood lead poisoning from the perspective of a mother who would not take no for an answer; Yalonda Allen, of Community Coalition for Environmental Justice will lead the workshop, "Into Action: the Seattle Experience"; University of Oregon professor Robin Collin will co-lead a workshop on the cumulative and synergistic effects of exposure to hazardous materials; Washington State University professor Dorceta Taylor will co-lead a history of the environmental justice movement; environmental educator Ann Ishimaru will co-lead "Where'd You Get That Fish? Hazards and Challenges of the Columbia Slough;" and Sandra Davis, director of Sisters in Portland Impact Real Issues Together will lead a strategy session, "Where Do We Go From Here?" at the end of the conference.
Workshops on air pollution and asthma, lead poisoning and legal rights, and toxic hazards in the workplace will also be presented. The conference features free child care and food.
"Environmental Justice & You" is a project of the Environmental Justice Action Group (EJAG), an organization dedicated to eliminating racism and class bias in health, land use decisions, housing, and transportation in Northeast Portland.
"Environmental justice really touches a lot of lives," said Dorceta Taylor, EJAG board member and long-time academic and activist. "We want this conference to stimulate awareness in our communities about these important issues, and also to create a cadre of leaders and activists who will take a more active role in health and environmental issues on the local, regional, national and international level."
What is Environmental Justice? Unequal environmental protection and environmental racism exist. People of color and poor communities are beginning to address the disproportionate amount of risk inflicted by nearby industrial, hazardous waste, and other noxious facilities. Said Taylor,"Environmental justice is not only about toxic dumping, but also about communities taking control--how environmental and land use issues are dealt with, what types of businesses are located near our homes and how zoning, transportation, economic development and health policies are made."
What: Free conference--Environmental Justice & You Where: Lutheran Inner-City Ministries, 4219 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (at Skidmore) When: October 4, 1997, 9:30 AM-4:30 PM Who: Environmental Justice Action Group--282-0276
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