The OWU English Department Blog
West Virginia is known for its natural beauty and remote communities, nestled in the Appalachian mountains and valleys. Minden, West Virginia is located in the center of the state, lodged between two peaks, and is home to 250 dying residents.
In Minden, nearly 36% of residents have been diagnosed with a form of cancer. …
One of the most infamous catalysts for the modern environmental justice movement is the Warren County PCB Protests that unfolded in Afton, North Carolina throughout the mid-1980s. These protests defined contemporary modes of environmental justice, highlighting intersections of race and economic status to every human’s right to safe and habitable land.…
Located in Niagara Falls, New York, the Love Canal site encompasses 16 acres that were once home to working-class families; however, its rooting on poisoned land serves as a reminder of the violent consequences of improper disposal of hazardous waste.
In 1984, William T. Love purchased the land now labeled as Love Canal, with plans to build a canal connecting Niagara Falls to Lake Ontario to harness hydroelectric power.…