Environmentalism and the civil rights movement have been two of the most important social movements in the United States over the past half century. At first glance, these two great movements would appear to have little or nothing in common with each other. And, in fact, some observers have argued that steps taken to improve the nation's environmental quality may actually have had a deleterious effect on the social and economic status of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Studies have shown, for example, that laws passed to reduce environmental impacts overall have, in some cases, had an unfair impact on minority or poor communities.

Only within the last two decades has it become apparent that environmentalism and civil rights do have a great deal in common. That realization has come about primarily as the result of redefining the "environmental issues" to which Americans should turn their attention. More and more individuals and groups are pointing to the special environmental problems facing minority and low-income communities: hazardous waste sites; polluting industries; occupational hazards; and exposure to lead