Last week we introduced the first and second part of the Gritty City Series: Hello Brooklyn. We thought today would be a great day to give you part 3 and 4 of the chronicles of New York city transplant and educator, Jameelah Muhammad. In part's 1 and 2, Muhammad discussed environmental health issues developed since moving to New York from the 'burbs of Michigan. Read more about what Jameelah thinks this means for not only her but the rest of the world. If you have a story to tell about your gritty city experience feel free to comment not only about the experience, but what you are doing in your community to bring about some change. Keep it Green. Oh and of course you know we got the song to go with it!
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"yes, there is something fundamentally wrong that people living in urban areas should be disproportionally exposed to these toxins, and that little is done to alleviate the damage that is done."
Save The Children - Marvin Gaye
Gritty City Series: Hello Brooklyn Part 3
by Jameelah "Meela" Muhammad
....It means that these "environmental" issues are not what we always think of in terms of saving trees and protecting animals, these environmental issues are HUMAN HEALTH issues that are having a negative impact on us everyday, whether we realize it or not, and could possibly be having a negative impact on the lives of the future generations to come. It means that yes, there is something fundamentally wrong that people living in urban areas should be disproportionally exposed to these toxins, and that little is done to alleviate the damage that is done. Now some of you might be thinking right now, why in the world is she complaining about her city being gritty, I mean that is what it means to live in a city and that is what you get when you decide to adopt such a particular lifestyle. Firstly, I recognize that coming to live in the city was a conscious decision on my part, however there are so many people who are born into over populated urban areas and it is not their choice and they must make do with whatever situation and resources they are in. What should we do or say about this particular population who would say move somewhere that is cleaner and less gritty, if only it was in the economical and social-political reach. Should these individuals be subjugated to additional costs and burdens on top of the many other health concerns they might possess (nutrition, basic medical needs)? Secondly the assumption or notion that a city by default must be gritty is flawed on so many levels. One reason why a city may be categorized as gritty can be directly related to amount of waste output per individual exceeding the capacity of the area as well as exceeding the energy or work that is extracted from the process. So, theoretically if waste were reduced through strategic and innovative strategies, or if a balance were obtained through pollution producing activities and pollution reducing activities, we might end up with a community that is indeed, not so gritty. Do we have a model of how such a community might function or operate? Of course, other species have been able to live in crowded colonies and niches without adversely affecting other populations around them or destroying their general health, for millions of years....
Checkback around lunchtime for the uplifting Part 4 of Hello Brooklyn!
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