I decided to ask my grandma why Pleasant Hill was maintained so nicely while the well-being of Antioch was continuing to decline. I did not expect to find out it was only clean because white people live there. My grandma began to tell me a story about when she was a young child living in a small minority farming community. She explained how a soap factory in their neighborhood would poison all of the community by dumping toxic waste into their spring water that locals would drink. But unfortunately there was nothing her community could do about it but let it slowly poison and deteriorate their health. (240)

Of the 14 respondents I had to my survey, 70% of minorities claimed they lived under 5 miles to the closest landfill, refinery, or incinerator. While only 60% of respondents claimed that their neighborhoods were dirty with waste. I thought it was interesting to learn that some respondents (35%) even claimed that they believe that toxic waste is dumped in their neighborhoods every month.

One thing that really surprised me was that 80% of respondents said that they don't mind where they live. I believe this is because many minorities form friendships and communities within each other, and therefore many of them don't have the desire to leave. It is just sad and immoral to see how the government and factories continue to consistently poison them.

Lastly, I thought it was extremely concerning that 50% claimed that they knew someone in their community with major health problems such as respiratory disease or cancer. Both of these are directly linked to being exposed to pollutants such as refineries, landfills or toxic waste.

In terms of environmental racism, I think that the results are very clear of direct pollutants being brought to minority areas. Some of my respondents claimed that since there are so many act of discrimination against people of color; that they never even stopped to realize the amount of pollutants and waste that contaminates their area.