ACE likely wouldn’t exist or at least wouldn’t look the same if it weren’t for Dr. King and the other civil rights leaders who understood that environmental justice is inherently intertwined with civil rights. The birth of the EJ movement was a direct response to environmental racism and was heavily influenced by the Civil Rights Movement. When Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, he was there to support sanitation workers who went on strike for better wages and safer working conditions after two workers were crushed to death by a truck with a faulty switch. Dr. King and other supporters of the environmental justice movement understand that the fights for civil rights and a healthy environment are inextricably linked. Read the rest of our MLK Day Message here -- and pass it on! |
