THE BIG PICTURE

Everything is connected to everything else. Corporations that degrade the environment also subject our communities to social and economic injustice. Always, where one of these forms of injustice exists, the other two exist also.

Minority and /or low-income communities, which suffer social and economic injustice, are invariably subjected to the most extreme forms of environmental injustice by extractive (such as timber and mining) and polluting industries. The presence of such industries in a community ensures poverty, political corruption, environmental devastation, diminished quality of life, and poor human health.

The issues facing communities, whether deforestation, or contaminated water, or under-funded schools, or unemployment due to a lack of a sustainable, diversified economy are all symptoms of the same affliction: injustice. Labels such as environmentalist, or civil rights worker, or labor advocate only serve to divide individuals and groups that are, in fact, all grassroots justice movements.

In any community suffering corporate injustice, there may be any number of grassroots organizations dealing with different aspects of that injustice, with each of those organizations working on issues that most affect its members. Often, community grassroots organizations are further defined by distinctions of economic class and race or ethnicity. The fact is, most people join a particular grassroots organization because they feel personally threatened by injustice-it's the NIMBY (not in my back yard) response.

Working separately, the groups may realize varying degrees of success in ameliorating impacts of concern, but the NIMBY position is always a weak one. With mutual support and cooperation among the organizations, however, the various NIMBY assertions are galvanized into a NOPE (not on my earth) demand. When diverse grassroots organizations present a unified front, it's possible to take back the power that has been held by corporations and the public officials who serve them.

So, what happens when an organization or coalition of organizations finally wins or loses the battle? Some members, feeling either complacent or burned-out, will drift away. Others will realize that continuing to use the organization, skills, and know-how they've developed to build grassroots power is the only way to achieve and maintain justice in their community. In the foreseeable future, at least, there will be no shortage of issues to resolve.