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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
March 3-9, 2010 Page A-3
Second Front
Black EPA boss making a difference
in needy communities
By Michael Cottman
A no-nonsense engineer from makes a difference who is leading
BlackAmericaWeb.Com
Louisiana, Jackson has a personal the nation’s federal agencies. And in
connection to air quality: Her 13- Jackson’s case, here are three exam-
Here’s an alarming fact: Low-
year-old son has asthma and uses an ples from the EPA about how Jack-
income and Black residents are dis-
inhaler, so clean air is important for son is helping to improve the quality
proportionately exposed to air pollu-
his respiratory development. of life for Black Americans:
tion and toxic dumping. Activists call
The work Jackson is doing for • In West Oakland, California, a low-
it environmental racism. The nation’s
Black people and the environment is income community of 25,000 people,
first Black EPA administrator calls it
critical, and she’s doing it rather qui- 90 percent of whom are people of
unacceptable.
etly. color, the EPA has targeted 30 to 70
It’s about time the job gets done.
She’s addressing the quality of
acres of a closed army base to relo-
For decades, Black activists have
clean drinking water, for example,
cate and centralize port-related truck
been ranting against environmen-
which she says was not always a top
services outside of the community
tal injustice, the powerful grass-
priority under the Bush administra-
to reduce exposure to diesel pollut-
roots phrase used to describe how
tion. The deterioration in the quality
ants.
toxic waste and other lethal con-
of the water in the Great Lakes — Su- • In Philadelphia, the Overbrook En-
taminants have been dumped in
perior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and On- vironmental Education Center pro-
Black and minority neighborhoods.
tario — has been caused by a mix of vides an urban oasis complete with
Lisa Jackson, head of the Environ-
chemicals, human and animal waste, native plantings, outdoor biology labs
mental Protection Agency, is leading
minerals and other substances from and green architecture. The project
massive clean-up training projects at
manufacturing plants, municipal grew out of a need for students at
abandoned gas stations, old textile
sewage pesticides, fertilizer nutri- Overbrook High School to learn more
mills, closed smelters and industri-
ents, household chemicals, gasoline about their natural environment.
al and commercial properties from
and used motor oil.
LISA JACKSON addresses an audience.
• In Camden, New Jersey, the EPA
coast to coast.
The Great Lakes are used to supply is using more than $25 million in
President Barack Obama has em-
glected, we’re on the front lines of
drinking water to tens of millions of Recovery Act funds to demolish the
powered Jackson to literally clean
dealing with the health effects as a And then there’s the next genera-
people, and if the quality of the Great former General Gas Mantle facility
up the mess in underserved and eco-
result.” tion.
Lakes water supply is threatened, so and to clean up surrounding soils.
nomically disadvantaged neighbor- Jackson is also creating jobs for In Black communities across
is the health of millions.
Jackson grew up in New Orleans.
hoods – places where environmental Black people in an unstable econo- the country, children are breathing
Obama selected Jackson to head She wasn’t a Girl Scout, a hiker or a
clean-ups are needed most. my. toxic fumes from garbage trucks and
the EPA because she cares; she’s a camper, but she did understand the
“I’m passionate about the work Since last year, more than 5,200
school buses that often lodge in their
mother of a child with asthma; she importance of the environment be-
we do,” Jackson said during a recent people have been trained through
lungs and could lead to asthma and
understands the internal workings cause she knew there were concerns
interview in her spacious office over- the Brownfields Job Training Grant
other serious respiratory diseases.
of the EPA after 15 years with the about the quality of New Orleans
looking Pennsylvania Avenue. “We Program, and 3,300 have been placed
Jackson wants to clean up the air
agency; she’s a consummate diplo- drinking water.
protect human health. There is a in full-time employment in the green
so black kids and other children of
mat; and she’s also putting people
For a southern woman who was
clear correlation between air quality jobs environmental field with an av-
color are not exposed to life-threat-
back to work.
never a big fan of the great outdoors,
and asthma in the African-American erage starting hourly wage of $14.26.
ening pollutants just by walking to
For Black people — and Black Jackson, the nation’s chief environ-
community. When air quality is ne-
school.
communities across the country — it mentalist, is off to a good start.
Moving Detroit with the
spirit of volunteerism
By Patrick Keating to a large City isn’t only looking for high
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
block of school students to participate,
time. but also college students to
Summer in the City, a non-
volunteer and be interns.
profit organization that brings
H e
together young people to help
said some Asked the impetus to begin
beautify and improve the city,
p e o p l e the program, Falik said he and
is putting the word out that
c o m e his cofounders did some vol-
volunteers are welcome next
to ful- unteering as they grew up, and
summer.
fill com- based on their experiences,
m u n i t y found there’s a real demand
Summer in the City was co-
s e r v i c e for volunteers in Detroit.
founded by Ben Falik, Michael
require-
Goldberg and Neil Greenberg
ments for
He also said there’s like-
in 2002 while the three were
s c h o o l
wise a huge supply of vol-
still in college. Falik, who is
or any
unteers, people who want to
the chief development officer,
n u m b e r
volunteer, or would consider
said they wanted to create a
of other
volunteering under the right
way to make it easier for young
reasons.
circumstances.
people to get involved volun-
Ben Falik
“The supply and the
Special recognition
teering in Detroit. To that end,
they set up a program where
“Summer in the City is a great
demand didn’t meet because
people can volunteer any day
way to satisfy community ser-
there wasn’t a practical way
Lewis Gibbs (third from left), president and general manager of WADL/TV38 Detroit, was re-
over summer not have to sign
vice requirements, because
for them to come together,”
cently presented with a testimonial resolution by President Pro Tem Gary Brown (third from left)
up in advance.
we keep track of everyone’s
he said. “There’s some great
hours, and then issue certifi-
events during the year like
and his colleagues on the Detroit City Council. Gibbs is the only African-American television
“We partner with different
cates so you can get credit for
Motor City Makeover and
station president in the country.
organizations to make sure we
your community service,” he
Angels’ Night, but they really
have worthwhile and fun proj-
said.
are limited opportunities. So
ects for our volunteers to do,”
we wanted to have a more on-
Falik said. “And that structure,
Some people come because going opportunity to harness
Elected officials and political
which we say is fun, flexible
their friends are coming and/or all of that energy and also to
and fulfilling, hasn’t changed
they come to meet new people. bring young people from dif-
at all since we started.”
It also doesn’t cost anything. ferent backgrounds together
On the other hand, the scale
The ratio between boys and
to not only have positive expe-
candidates can send information
of the program has grown.
girls is an almost 50/50 split.
riences in Detroit, but to also
have positive effects on the
Falik said in the first summer
The people running the city.”
they had about 14 volunteers
program are either in college
regarding issues to bthompson@
each day, and were very excit-
or recent graduates. Falik said
To learn more about
ed about that.
it’s nice for high school stu-
Summer in the City, visit www.
“That was more than we
dents to get to work with col-
summerinthecity.com or call
expected,” he said. “We didn’t
lege students in an environ-
(248) 790-1000.
michronicle.com
really know what to expect.
ment like this. Summer in the
And then last summer, which
was our eighth, we had a daily
average of 185 volunteers, and
a total of 1,400 over the whole
summer.”
as the RISING COST of GLAUCOMA drops put a hold on your
Summer in the City has
three types of projects: mural
painting, working in commu-
nity gardens; and youth en-
richment, which pairs high
school age volunteers with
elementary school students
H
eye care needs? At the Michigan Eyecare Institute Our American
Board-Certifi ed ophthalmologists use the latest technology to
for tutoring, mentoring and help SAVE your VISION and COSTS.
summer camp programming.
The volunteers always get to
choose what they want to do.
Receive an exam and glasses for $85 with our VIP Vision Care Program
Falik acknowledged that
work like pulling weeds isn’t
The Michigan Eyecare Institute currently has three different locations in
inherently fun, but the way
they do it — as a group effort
in a social environment, where
Southfi eld, Livonia, and Dearborn to help better serve your needs!
everyone is having a good time
— makes even tasks like that
Call for an appointment today!
enjoyable.
The work day is also short
— from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. —
which, Falik said, helps main-
248-352-2806
tain an uptempo, high-energy
approach.
The “sales pitch” Summer
in the City gives to get people
to participate is that they can Our premier eye care becomes your visual perfection
come whenever they want and
aren’t obligated to return. They
also don’t have to sign up in
WWW.MICHEYECARE.COM
advance (or at all) or commit
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