John Oliver addresses environmental racism in Dallas - Axios Dallas

2022-05-07 06:51:18 By : Ms. YT Chan

Axios Dallas is an Axios company.

John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" took on the issue of environmental racism this week, and the first example came from Dallas.

What happened: Viewers were shown redlining maps from the 1930s and 1940s overlaid with industrial maps, showing that minorities have long been forced to live close to heavy industry.

Oliver explained that life expectancy in Joppa, a predominantly Black area, is just 71, while in Highland Park — where the population is mostly white — life expectancy is 84.

Zoom in: Then he told his audience about Shingle Mountain, the massive, toxic mound of old shingles built by Blue Star Recycling, which claimed it planned to recycle roofing shingles into asphalt.

Go deeper: Watch the entire segment.

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