Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-24-2020

Publication Title

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services

Publisher Name

Sage

Abstract

Environmental justice organizations aim to secure an equitable distribution of environmental resources through the participation and self-determination of affected people, particularly communities of color. Yet organizing in a market economy is complicated: As communities become greener, gentrification can follow, thereby inadvertently displacing low-income communities of color and reproducing environmental injustices. This study informs antiracist community practice methods by examining strategic and ethical dilemmas embedded within an environmental justice organization that is located in a gentrifying Mexican American neighborhood in Chicago. Drawing from interviews, we examine members’ perceptions relating to representation, recruitment, and issue selection. We reveal key considerations for community organizations and residents as they work to promote environmental equity without contributing to the marginalization or displacement of communities of color.

Comments

Author Posting © Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, 2020. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Alliance for Strong Families and Communities for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, November 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389420952247

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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