Exploring What Greening the Economy Means for African American Workers, Entrepreneurs, and Communities

As the United States recovers from the worst economic crisis in 80 years, both environmental and economic epidemics are disproportionally affecting communities of color. The U.S. unemployment rate stands near 10%. Yet for African Americans in some areas, it is twice as high. Simultaneously, the world is threatened by the effects of climate change and increasing environmental health issues, whereas communities of color are overburdened by environmental injustices. The Obama administration has invested heavily in policies to “green the economy” as a strategy to preserve the environment while stimulating economic recovery in large part through The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Although this strategy has yielded tremendous opportunity, resource distribution has been uneven across geographic areas and demographic groups. Unfortunately, some of our nation’s neediest people and communities are being left out of the green revolution. This essay discusses the impact of “greening the economy” for African Americans and suggests possible steps toward addressing inequality in resource access and distribution.