Course Description
Black history is inextricable from the study and discussion of environmental racism and environmental justice in the United States. Environmental racism is defined by Dr. Robert Bullard (“the Father of Environmental Justice”) as “any policy, practice or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages (where intended or unintended) individuals, groups or communities based on race.” This course expands and illuminates this definition through examinations of watershed moments – from the Transatlantic Slave Trade to struggles in the Greater St. Louis area today – in which Black communities bear the deadly brunt of toxic fumes, poisoned groundwater, nuclear waste, perilous disaster work, land theft, and the slow violence of biological extermination. Throughout the semester, we will read scholarly texts, engage primary sources, analyze popular and independent media, and study testimony and self published materials from Black activists.
The Timeline Project
The timeline project served as a connecting thread. As we moved through lectures, readings, discussions, and media analysis, students created imagery, gathered quotes from readings, interpreted primary sources, and incorporated multimedia content.
We also unpacked the concept of a “timeline.” We examined forms such as zines, performance art, infographics, family trees, and classroom tools. We learned that decisions about content organization and visual design elements make arguments.
The final timelines are the culmination of study, actions, and reflections as individuals and a class on how this semester changed, enriched, and/or affirmed understandings of environmental racism, environmental justice, and histories of people of color.
Together, we leave a record of our perspectives, ideas, and evidence for future generations.