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Environmental Justice and the Well-being of Poor Children of Color

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Communities, Neighborhoods, and Health

Part of the book series: Social Disparities in Health and Health Care ((SDHHC,volume 1))

Abstract

Research shows that low-income communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards and that children are particularly susceptible to environmental risks due to their developing physiology. This chapter describes a collaborative studyinvolving researchers and Detroit Head Start parents to examine the impact of environmental hazards on their children’s well-being through a method called Photovoice. Using Photovoice, a participatory research methodology through which participants photodocument how the environment affects the health of their families and community, Head Start parents identified hazards in the physical environment, including abandoned buildings and vacant plots that had become illegal dumping grounds, as well as strengths within their community. Through this process, parents gained a better understanding of the environmental risks in the area as well as an insight into appropriate community strategies to address these concerns. Environmental justice training complemented the Photovoice project so that parents could further increase their awareness and advocacy skills, and ultimately take action against these imposing hazards.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Michael S. Spencer

Authors
  1. Michael S. Spencer
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  2. Amanda Garratt
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  3. Elaine Hockman
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  4. Bunyan Bryant
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  5. Laura Kohn-Wood
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael S. Spencer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Sociology, Duke University, Durham, 27708-0097, North Carolina, USA

    Linda M. Burton

  2. Dept. Anthropology, Penn State University, Carpenter Bldg. 409, University Park, 16802, Pennsylvania, USA

    Stephen A. Matthews

  3. , Department of Sociology, University of Washington, 211 Savery Hall, Seattle, 98195-3340, USA

    ManChui Leung

  4. Dept. Sociology, University of Washington, Raitt Hall 206A, Seattle, 98195-4322, Washington, USA

    Susan P. Kemp

  5. Dept. Sociology, University of Washington, Raitt Hall 206A, Seattle, 98195-4322, Washington, USA

    David T. Takeuchi

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Spencer, M.S., Garratt, A., Hockman, E., Bryant, B., Kohn-Wood, L. (2011). Environmental Justice and the Well-being of Poor Children of Color. In: Burton, L., Matthews, S., Leung, M., Kemp, S., Takeuchi, D. (eds) Communities, Neighborhoods, and Health. Social Disparities in Health and Health Care, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7482-2_12

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