MICHAEL
MICHAEL CROW TAKES US TO EASTERN WASHINGTON TO SHOW US ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM.
>> THIS IS HOME FOR THE SPOKANE
TRIBE.
>> THEIR RESERVATION IN EASTERN
WASHINGTON, NORTHWEST OF THE
CITY OF SPOKANE TUCKED IN THE
SELKIRK MOUNTAINS.
>> THE TRIBE HAS LIVED ON THIS
LAND SINCE THE RESERVATION WAS
ESTABLISHED IN 1881 IN AN AREA
LONG BEFORE.
>> BUT THESE FORESTS ARE ALSO
HOME TO SOMETHING ELSE.
>> THERE'S THIS A FEELING IT'S
JUST I GET SICK TO MY STOMACH.
RICH DEPOSITS OF URANIUM AND
THE ATOMIC SPRINT OF THE COLD
WAR.
>> SOME OF THE RAW MATERIAL
CAME FROM HERE THE MIDNIGHT
WHEN IT CLOSED IN 1981.
IT LEFT A MASSIVE PIT AND A
SLEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
TOXINS LEACHING INTO THE
GROUNDWATER SPREADING INTO THE
SOIL AND A RISK OF HUMAN
EXPOSURE TO THESE CONTAMINANTS
.
THEY FOUND IT ON INDIAN LANDS
AND IT WAS OPENED UP FOR
COMPANIES TO COME IN AND PAY
MINIMAL FOR THE RESOURCES.
FOUR DECADES LATER AND TRIBAL
MEMBER TWALA ABRAHAMSSON SWANN
IS STILL WORKING TO GET THE
RESERVATION CLEANED UP AND HER
FIGHT IS NOT JUST AGAINST
DANGEROUS POLLUTION BUT ALSO A
LARGER ISSUE ENVIRONMENTAL
RACISM.
MY NAME IS SEE I'VE GOT SOME
MONEY.
I WORK AT UNIVERSITY
OF WASHINGTON IN THE CALL IT
TOOK THE ENVIRONMENT AS SAID
DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION
PROGRAMS SPECIALIST.
SHE TEACHES A COURSE ON RACE
AND THE ENVIRONMENT EXPLORING
THIS ISSUE.
>> ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM WAS A
CONCEPT THAT WAS USED TO START
IT BEING USED IN THE UNITED
STATES BETWEEN THE 70S AND 80S
TO DENOTE THOSE
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WITH THE
VALUABLE NATURAL RESOURCE OF ON
THE RESERVATION.
>> THIS IS A TEXTBOOK CASE
OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM.
FIRST THE GOVERNMENT MOVED THE
TRIBE TO THIS LAND AS WHITE
SETTLERS EXPANDED ACROSS THE
U.S. LAND ALLOTMENTS WERE BEING
MADE.
>> OUR PEOPLE WERE PUSHED TO
THE MOUNTAIN AREAS BECAUSE AT
THAT TIME A LOT OF THE
FARMLANDS WERE MORE DESIRABLE.
>> BUT THAT RARE URANIUM
BROUGHT THE GOVERNMENT BACK.
>> THIS IS WHERE THE MIDNIGHT
MEAL STOOD AT THE EDGE OF THE
RESERVATION.
THE REMINDERS TODAY ARE
EVERYWHERE.
THE MINE AREA IS SO CONTAMINATE
.
IT'S AN EPA SUPERFUND CLEANUP
SITE.
THE FEDERAL AGENCY SUED THE
OWNERS NEWMONT MINING TO BRING
THEM BACK AND CLEAN IT UP.
BUT THE PROCESS WILL TAKE YEARS
BECAUSE IT'S CONTAMINATION THAT
YOU REALLY CAN'T SEE OR SMELL.
SO THEY COULD BE GOING
GENERATIONS AND GENERATIONS
DRINKING THE WATER, BREATHING
CONTAMINATED AIR AND NOT KNOW
IT.
>> IT STRIKES ME I LOOK OUT AT
THIS AND IT'S THIS INCREDIBLE,
BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE BUT YOU
KNOW, FROM STUDIES AND FROM
SCIENCE.
RIGHT.
SCIENCE. RIGHT. LIKE THIS HAS BEEN POISONED
BASICALLY I THINK IS A DELICATE
BALANCE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, TOO
MUCH FEAR IN THE IMPACTS THAT
PEOPLE MAY GET FROM EATING THE
FISH OR EATING THE WILDLIFE.
>> WE REALLY DON'T WANT TO
DISCOURAGE PEOPLE AWAY FROM
THAT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THAT'S
THE HEALTHIEST THING FOR THEM
AND THEIR FAMILIES.
BUT ARE WILDLIFE ARE IMPACTED
OUR FISH, OUR IMPACTED AND
PEOPLE TOO.
THE TRIBE SAYS THERE IS A
CLUSTER OF RARE HEALTH PROBLEMS
AMONG THEIR MEMBERS.
WE HAD A SPAN OF ABOUT THREE
MONTHS AND WE LOST 10 TRIBAL
MEMBERS TO CANCER DURING THAT
TIME AND IT WAS AN EYE OPENER.
>> THE IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
RACISM REACH WELL BEYOND THE
SPOKANE TRIBES.
THE 2015 PAPER IN THE JOURNAL
GEOSCIENCES NOTES THE LEGACY
OF URANIUM PROCUREMENT HAS LEFT
A LEGACY OF LONG LIVED HEALTH
EFFECTS FOR MANY NATIVE
AMERICANS AND ALASKA NATIVES IN
THE UNITED STATES.
IT'S BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE FOR THE
NAVAJO PEOPLE AS WELL WITH OVER
500 ABANDONED URANIUM MINES ON
THEIR LAND.
>> THE MIDNIGHT MINE IS
UPSTREAM DRAINS INTO BLUE CREEK
HERE WHICH DRAINS INTO THE
SPOKANE RIVER AND THEN INTO THE
COLUMBIA RIVER.
AND HERE ON THE RESERVATION
NEAR BLUE CREEK THEY WORRY
ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM THE
LAUNDRY LIST OF TOXIC CHEMICALS
FOUND IN THE WATER, AIR AND
SOIL AND IN THE PLANTS AND
ANIMALS THAT CAN'T READ THE
SIGNS.
SO IN COMBINATION WHAT DO ALL
OF THESE AS A MIXTURE DUE TO
THE HUMAN BODY AND IT'S NOT
STUDIED NOT TO PUT TOO FINE A
POINT ON IT BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE
AT SOME LEVEL THIS PLACE IS
KILLING PEOPLE.
>> YES, THAT MUST BE HARD TO
SIT WITH.
>> IT'S HARD TO SIT WITH.
I THINK WE HAD A GOOD DAY.
BUT FOR TWALA, THE FALLOUT
OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IS
EXTREMELY REAL AND ESPECIALLY
PAINFUL.
>> I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LAYO
MILES SARCONE CANCER IN TWENTY
SIXTEEN.
>> YOU KNOW FOR ME IT'S
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT MINE SITE.
>> THIS IS HER MOTHER DEB
ABRAHAMSSON.
HER CANCER IS TERMINAL.
IT ANGERS AND IT ANGERS ME THAT
I'M IN THIS SITUATION.
WE JUST IMMEDIATELY FOCUSED ON
JUST OUR OWN SPENDING TIME WITH
EACH OTHER CONTINUING TO GO TO
THE MOUNTAINS, CONTINUING TO DO
THIS.
THESE ACTIVITIES AS A FAMILY SO
WE WOULDN'T FORGET THOSE
THINGS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE CORE
ISSUE HERE THAT ALLOWS
SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN?
RACISM BECAUSE WHEN OUR COUNTRY
WAS INVADED WE WERE VIEWED AS A
DISPENSABLE POPULATION AND SO
IT WAS EASY TO BE ABLE TO DO
THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE THAT HAS
OCCURRED ON TRIBAL LANDS
BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE
SUBHUMAN, VIEWED AS SUBHUMAN
AND HAVE NO RIGHTS AND HAVE NO
SAY IN HOW WE CONDUCT OUR
LIVES.
>> BACK AT YOU DUB'S ARMINIO
SAYS FIGHTING ENVIRONMENTAL
RACISM MEANS WE ALL SHOULD
THINK ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF THE
PRODUCTS WE BUY AND CONSUME.
>> BUT ALSO, SHE SAYS WE MUST
CONTINUALLY INCLUDE IMPACTED
COMMUNITIES IN THE SOLUTIONS.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SOLVING THE
PROBLEMS BUT ALSO LISTENING TO
COMMUNITIES AND COLLABORATING
WHICH IS WHAT IS ON TOILETTES
MIND.
>> WHAT WE SEE IS DECISIONS
MADE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY
ARE AT THE ROOT OF SOME OF THE
PROBLEMS BECAUSE WHEN YOU DON'T
HAVE THE IMPACTED COMMUNITY IN
THE ROOM AT ALL LEVELS, THESE
ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS
DECISION FOR OUR ENTIRE LIFE
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO MOVE PAST
LIFE AS A URANIUM IMPACT
COMMUNITY.
>> THE IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
RACISM.
>> THE LAND IS BEAUTIFUL.
SO WONDERFUL.
YET WHEN YOU LOOK UNDERNEATH
IT'S A DEADLY TOXIC SLIME THAT
ISN'T GOING TO GO