The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How the Government Response to Disaster Endangers African American Communities

by Robert D. Bullard, Beverly Wright

When the images of desperate, hungry, thirsty, sick, mostly black people circulated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became apparent to the whole country that race did indeed matter when it came to government assistance. In The Wrong Complexion for Protection, Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright place the government response to natural and human-induced disasters in historical context over the past eight decades. They compare and contrast how the government responded to emergencies, including environmental and public health emergencies, toxic contamination, industrial accidents, bioterrorism threats and show that African Americans are disproportionately affected. Bullard and Wright argue that uncovering and eliminating disparate disaster response can mean the difference between life and death for those most vulnerable in disastrous times.

Genres: Environment, Race, Nonfiction, Science, Social Justice, Politics

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Vinita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often when people talk about disasters and other catastrophes in the US they often think of people as victims of this or that storm, this or that disaster. What people rarely do is talk about the policies, the politicians and the lobbyists who designed or ok'ed the housing, workplaces, building, etc. in cities, town and suburbs that were knowingly put in the way of previous known disasters. That is the significance of this book. Time after time we find people being put into locations where floods and fires had occurred and where chemical toxins dumped. These locations were legislated. People get sick and die. Families have to pay high cost, because the insurance company may refuse to pay. Our government is not protecting the people, it is protecting the chemical makers, the developers that need landfills and the money makers who are chasing their next economic windfall. Blacks and others, who are most often poor are targeted. They don't have the deep pockets to buy lawyers, lobbyists or others in get favorable treatment. This book raises many questions that urgently need our consideration.

[LaShana Claude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sociology-Politics-Environmental studies-The Wrong Complexion For Protection

"The Wrong Complexion for Protectionis an intellectual version of a 'greatest hits' album, combining autobiography and research findings to give a picture of the authors' important contributions to the field of environmental justice, and a picture of what environmental justice has contributed to political science and other fields." ~Patrick S. Roberts, Political Science Quarterly

When the images of desperate, hungry, thirsty, sick, mostly black people circulated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became apparent to the whole country that race did indeed matter when it came to government assistance. In The Wrong Complexion for Protection, Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright place the government response to natural and human-induced disasters in historical context over the past eight decades. They compare and contrast how the government responded to emergencies, including environmental and public health emergencies, toxic contamination, industrial accidents, bioterrorism threats and show that African Americans are disproportionately affected. Bullard and Wright argue that uncovering and eliminating disparate disaster response can mean the difference between life and death for those most vulnerable in disastrous times.