Minorities and Ecology

Tom Soto’s thoughtful article, “Ecological Issues Come in All Colors” (Commentary, Oct. 8), articulated a vital but little understood fact: that environmental matters are not exclusively the domain of the wealthy or of backpackers. While minorities have not been joiners of traditional environmental organizations, our environmentalism is personal and cultural. Our cultures value nature and respect the land. We are taught to venerate our elders, whether it’s our grandparents or ancient trees.

Because minority neighborhoods are generally located in older and more manufacture-worn parts of our community, and because we work disproportionately in environmentally sensitive fields, we have borne more than an equitable share of the dangers that public agencies at every level now seek to regulate and remedy.

The varying economic effects of these regulations have not been well understood; indeed it will become increasingly important for minority communities and environmental organizations to band together to assess the economic realities of environmental protection and to insist upon economic reinvestment in communities where cleanup or massive job changes will occur. This is the real challenge for the coming decades.

RICHARD ALATORRE, Councilman, 14th District, Los Angeles