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9-1-2014 Researching Environmental Justice: A Conversation Virginia C. Thomas Arthur Neef Law Library, Wayne State University
William W. LeFevre Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University
Recommended Citation Thomas, V. C. & LeFevre, W. W. (2014). Researching Environmental Justice: A Conversation. Michigan Bar Journal 93(9), 56-58. http://www.michbar.org/journal/pdf/pdf4article2430.pdf Available at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/libsp/89
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Wayne State University Libraries at DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Library Scholarly Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. Michigan Bar Journal September 2014 56 Libraries and Legal Research
Researching Environmental Justice
A Conversation
By Virginia C. Thomas and William W. LeFevre
he U.S. Environmental Protec trified and people who have moved into the what goes on in the environment in both a tion Agency defines environ newly improved neighborhoods are very un macro and a micro sort of way; for exam mental justice as “the fair happy the incinerator is there. They have ple, to pinpoint changes caused by envi T treatment and meaningful in problems with, for lack of a better term, ronmental toxins. volvement of all people regardless of race, smell pollutants—it smells like garbage in Thomas: So all their science and strate color, national origin, or income with re the neighborhood—and toxins spewed into gies are made available to researchers? spect to the development, implementation, the air from the incinerator. and enforcement of environmental laws, We also have the papers of Al Fishman,4 LeFevre: Yes. And then, certainly, there regulations, and policies.”1 The concerns a leading Democratic operative in Michi are charitable organizations like Focus: that arise in this complex environmental gan. Interestingly enough, his wife was a HOPE,6 which was concerned with the en context extend beyond the scope of tra Radulovich, and you may remember the vironmental justice issues in neighborhoods ditional legal research resources to include Radulovich Air Force case in the 1950s. around its campus. The papers of Coleman historical, social, scientific, and govern Lt. Radulovich was denied an Air Force se Young 7 and Jerry Cavanaugh8 as mayors of mental documents that reside in unique ar curity clearance as a meteorologist because the city of Detroit and the papers of city chival collections. he associated with known Communists— council members Maryann Mahaffey9 and Through the conversation2 that follows, the Communists being his father, who had Mel Ravitz10 can be explored for environ senior archivist William LeFevre of the Wal once subscribed to a Communist news mental justice information. ter P. Reuther Library shares his experience paper; and his sister, who was Al’s wife. Thomas: Haven’t labor unions taken a and insights on how archival resources can Al’s been a crusader on many fronts since lead in identifying and pursuing environ provide essential support for legal research the 1950s, but he certainly was a crusader mental justice concerns that affect their ers seeking to discover the foundations, in the Detroit area and greater Michigan for memberships? Can you describe the types background, and motivation underlying en causes having to do with environmental of content researchers might expect to find vironmental justice concerns. justice, dealing with everything from waste in their collections? removal to anti-nuclear power organiza Thomas: Can you give some examples tions in Michigan. LeFevre: Yes, and, as you might guess, that would highlight the range of environ Our collections also include the South because we are the Archives of Labor and mental justice cases and issues you’ve en east Michigan Council of Governments Urban Affairs at the Reuther Library, this is countered in your experience as an archivist? collection.5 SEMCOG, as it’s called, is a of particular interest to our staff archivists. LeFevre: Well, I can, in fact. This is an multijurisdictional super-governmental or One of the interesting things about trade area of intense interest to me simply be ganization that deals with large areas of in unionism in the United States in the twen cause we’ve had so many patrons over our frastructure, including transportation, and tieth and twenty-first centuries is that unions many years here in the Reuther Library the environment. The organization does have traditionally been on the forefront of who have been interested in issues having big data studies on the area, and the collec promoting not only major social and eco to do with environmental justice. tion is often mined by environmental activ nomic issues, but also issues dealing with In our own collections, we have several ists and environmental lawyers to pinpoint the environment. really wonderful examples I’d like to high light. First and foremost among those is the Thomas W. Stephens Papers.3 Stephens was a leading environmental justice attorney Unions have traditionally been on the forefront in Detroit who spearheaded the ultimately of promoting not only major social and failed attempt to stop the Detroit garbage incinerator from being built. This is inter economic issues, but also issues dealing with esting from a historical standpoint, but also from the standpoint in 2014 as the areas the environment. around the incinerator are increasingly gen September 2014 Michigan Bar Journal Libraries and Legal Research 57
Now, I’m thinking about a movie, The successful and unsuccessful, and its views the effects on the environment of automo China Syndrome,11 about a meltdown in a on environmental justice issues are telling, biles and the various toxins they spew. The nuclear power plant in California. That film not only for what they reveal about individ state conducts many environmental studies. was based on a book from the early 1970s ual candidates, but also for what was hit Anytime there is a big road project, or if there called We Almost Lost Detroit,12 which was a ting the public eye at the time. is a question about opening a coal fire plant history of the Fermi nuclear power plant The Bentley also has papers of non within a city or a proposal for a concrete ash disaster in which Fermi almost went criti profit and private groups like Citizens for project, the state generates environmental cal. Because of the design of the plant, had Alternatives to Chemical Contamination18 studies. These studies can be mined for their there been a breach, Detroit would likely and Michigan Citizens Against Toxic Sub findings, but also for the public response. have been uninhabitable to this day. stances,19 two grassroots organizations that On the regional level, city and county Fermi is in Monroe County about 25 or really battled to even the playing field when governments can be a great source of ma so miles south of the city. When Fermi-I was it came to chemical contamination of our terial. Grand Rapids, for one, has a city rec being built by Detroit Edison, the chair was air, water, and land. ords center22 that has, among other things, Walker Cisler, and he figures prominently the Sanborn Insurance maps that tell you in the book. He also figures prominently in about the insides of the various structures the Reuther collections because the organi of the city buildings. It also has plat atlases zation that led the fight against that nuclear On the regional that can be used to trace property owner power plant was the UAW, and it was a ship and even daily fire logs. There’s noth very personal fight for Walter Reuther, who level, city and ing like a fire log to bring out information thought it was just a fantastically bad place county governments about what chemicals were used in an of to build a nuclear power plant. This is just fice building or plant. You’re going to learn one example of how labor unions have can be a great a lot more than what the public knew be fought against environmental dangers that fore there was a fire. could disproportionately affect their work source of material. An interesting thing about the archival ers and the communities in which they lived. records in all these areas is that you can of ten take seemingly esoteric records and Thomas: What are some of the other re Finally, one collection that is very dear search them for a bunch of different data sources available in Michigan archives for to my heart is the Mary Sinclair Papers.20 points beyond the primary purpose for investigating environmental justice issues? For anyone not familiar with Mary Sinclair, which the records were created. The daily LeFevre: Throughout Michigan there are she was a leading environmental activist fire logs are a perfect example. When there’s a host of different repositories that should and anti-nuclear power activist in Michigan a fire in condos that were formerly a ware be considered when you are talking about in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Among other house for automotive supplies, one of the researching environmental justice. Chief things, she led the push to keep Consum things the log is going to reveal after the among them is the Bentley Library at the ers Power from opening a power plant in fact is the kinds of accelerants that were in University of Michigan.13 And among the Midland and was ultimately successful. Her the building in its earlier incarnation. interesting collections there are the papers papers are very rich. In the 1970s, she was When you go to the Upper Peninsula, of of most of the governors of the state of viewed as a bit of an outcast, fighting nu course you have Michigan Technological Michigan. Their stances and, more impor clear power before the Three Mile Island University, 23 which is really one of the great tantly, the replies to their stances—how incident, when nuclear power was thought est resources on the history of mining—the Michigan citizens react to state action—can of as being a savior. Then, of course, after iron and copper mines and the environ be found in this collection. Three Mile Island, more people rallied to mental impact those have had, the tailings, her side. She was one of the few—a voice and the leaching of mercury and other sub Thomas: Would those items largely com in the wilderness—who was getting infor stances that have been used to extract prise correspondence files? mation that may not have been classified these metals. LeFevre: Yes, correspondence files—not per se, but may have been tough to get out Thomas: When your patrons, particu to be missed. And so the papers of William of companies and the government. It’s good larly legal researchers, ask for assistance Milliken,14 James Blanchard,15 G. Mennen to see that archives around the United States with questions on environmental justice is Williams,16 and others can be mined for that. collect the papers of people like her. sues, what kinds of information do they Other records that I find particularly The records of the Michigan State Ar bring to you? useful for this research are the League of chives,21 especially the records of the vari Women Voters records17 and its branch rec ous departments of state government, are LeFevre: There are two kinds of patrons, ords, most of which reside in the Bentley broader than the Bentley’s. For example, the basically—those who have used archives Library. Since its inception, the league has Department of Agriculture conducts numer before and have an idea of the kinds of been in the forefront of environmental is ous studies on toxins and pesticides in soils. things archives collect and how they dis sues. Its records on political candidates, both The Department of Transportation studies seminate that information, and those who Michigan Bar Journal September 2014 58 Libraries and Legal Research
haven’t used archives. Ultimately, especially LeFevre: I would advise lawyers and oth ENDNOTES as we get more content from our collec ers who are doing in-depth research into 1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental tions online, we see a shift from traditional complex subject areas such as this not to Justice