Conceptualizing Environmental Racism: A 30-year review exploring the interconnections between racism, the environment, and public health

Prerna Shah (Grady postdoctoral research associate), Haley Hatfield (former Grady doctoral student), Sophie Kim (Ph.D. student), Lauren Flaker (Ph.D. student), Yuqian (Neil) Ni (Grady postdoctoral research associate), Moses Okocha (Ph.D. student), Adrian Rodriguez, Abby Mutic & Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn (2025). “Conceptualizing Environmental Racism: A 30-year review exploring the interconnections between racism, the environment, and public health,” paper to be presented at International Communication Association annual conference, Denver, June.

Abstract: The history of environmental racism in the United States is not new, even though consensus around the concept and what it means is still evolving. In an attempt to refine this understanding, we present 30-years of environmental health research examining the impact of disproportionate environmental burdens among historically underserved communities in the Southeast region of the United States. Our findings indicate that the conceptualization of environmental racism in environmental health scholarship is suboptimal and in need of clear delineations from other similar concepts. Moreover, a deeper, multifaceted understanding of associated factors, resulting impacts, and probable solutions are needed to foster research and policy that can address this complex challenge.