Bishop Lindsay Jones Reminds Faithful of Environmental Impacts on Black and Brown Communities across the U.S.
“The earth is the Lord‘s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalms 24:1 (KJV)
Today marks the 51st anniversary that our global community has observed Earth Day. As people of a holiness faith, our personal aspirations are purity – not just in spirit but in all the spaces in which we occupy; good stewardship – in our finances, home environments, employment or business endeavors, and Earth.
While we encourage our congregational communites to be mindful of conserving and protecting local ponds, lakes, and rivers, local media has helped us to understand just how fragile water systems can be when you live in places like Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi.
We call on our faith communities to remain informed and aware how man-made factories and refineries have been death sentences to entire communities –often black people- in “Cancer Alley” located in St. James Parish and other communities between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana.
As we seek to be good stewards of this beautiful Earth that God has given to all man-kind, we must not forget that in the U.S., the same threats that impact the global environment directly affect faith communities inhabited by black and brown people:
- We have learned in many studies that Black and Hispanic communities are exposed to higher amounts of air pollution, toxic waste sites, landfills, lead poisoning, and other industrial complexes compared to white counterparts
- Communities of color in the US are often victims of environmental racism, which describes the disproportionate impact on their lives because of living near hazardous pollution.
- Nearly 70% of contaminated waste sites in the U.S. are located in low-income neighborhoods, and nearly 2 million Americans live within (1) mile of sites vulnerable to flooding — the majority of which are in Black and brown communities.
On behalf of Senior Bishop Vernon E. Kennebrew, our Board of Bishops, and the entire community of believers who make up the general body of the Church of Christ (Holiness) USA, we commemorate Earth Day 2021, while remaining sober about man’s impact on the global environment.
Bishop Lindsay E. Jones
National President
