Our group interviewed Jacquelyn Patterson, who is the head of environmental Racism for the NAACP. We learned about the work that they do, and how much the government does not care about the poor neighborhoods in NYC. She taught us about superfund sites. A superfund site is an area where there has been a hazardous waste spill and has been identified as a risk to human health. The EPA is trying to get money for these sites. I was surprised how many superfund sites there were and how many of them were in need of attention. This impacted me because I felt that this topic does not get a lot of recognition. When I realized that that superfund sites could hurt people I started to realize that this was not just an environment issue, but a human issue. I was curious if there was a superfund site near/in New York City and if it could hurt me. Indian Point, the City’s power center could become a superfund site because of how dangerous it is. If it has a hazardous waste spill, the affects could hurt everyone in NYC.
