Olga Bautista

Bio

Eco-warrior, Socialist, Rebel Bell, daughter of immigrants, wife of a photographer, lover of liberty and justice, momma bear from the So East Side of Chicago
AUG 21, 2024

Most Democratic National Convention (DNC) visitors will likely not see the deep divisions that exist in our city, especially the sacrifice zones that so many Chicagoans live in. There is a long legacy of environmental racism in our city, but that doesn’t mean that has to be the way things always will be. 

I sincerely believe that we have innovative solutions that could serve as a model for other major cities across the country.

For decades, industrial facilities, waste sites, and other sources of pollution have been concentrated in neighborhoods of color, leading to severe health disparities. Residents in areas like the South and West Sides have suffered from higher rates of asthma, cancer, and other pollution-related illnesses compared to their wealthier, predominantly white counterparts.

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Focusing Chicago’s Environmental Justice at the 2024 DNC

Most Democratic National Convention (DNC) visitors will likely not see the deep divisions that ex...
APR 20, 2023

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will have to address decades of environmentally racist policies that have encouraged the dirtiest industries to leave gentrified neighborhoods and set up shop in vulnerable communities of color.

He’s inheriting a legacy that has created sacrifice zones mainly in communities of color resulting from the city’s broken zoning and land use laws.

These policies have even sparked a federal civil rights investigation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and could put hundreds of millions of dollars of funding in jeopardy. The federal investigation found that the city has been violating residents’ civil rights by relocating polluting facilities from white communities into Black and Latinx areas.

The solution that the Johnson administration will have to implement must include strong protections from industry and all of the sources of pollution that have accumulated mostly in communities of color. 

It’s also important to recognize that although people of color are often hit the first and hardest by pollution, these problems are not just harming the people living close to industrial facilities. Air pollution is not static, it travels far beyond its source.

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Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson Must Address The City's Legacy of Environmental Racism

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will have to address decades of environmentally racist policies that ...

Bio

Eco-warrior, Socialist, Rebel Bell, daughter of immigrants, wife of a photographer, lover of liberty and justice, momma bear from the So East Side of Chicago