Sustainable South Bronx advocates for environmental justice

Hear, O seeker of justice, the voice of Majora Carter, daughter of the South Bronx and warrior for her people, who declared: “Sustainable South Bronx advocates for environmental justice through sustainable environmental and economic development projects.” These words are not the dry phrasing of policy but the song of a movement born out of hardship, a cry for dignity where once there was neglect, and a call to heal both the land and the lives of those who dwell upon it.

The meaning of this teaching lies in the union of two mighty forces: environmental justice and economic development. Too often, the poor are told they must choose between clean air and bread, between rivers that flow pure and jobs that feed families. Carter rejects this cruel falsehood. She proclaims that true sustainability is not only about planting trees but about planting opportunities—about restoring both the earth and the human spirit together. Sustainable South Bronx was her banner, and under it she taught that the environment cannot be healed unless communities are also lifted from poverty and despair.

The origin of this truth comes from Carter’s own land, the South Bronx, a place long burdened with injustice. Industries had poured their waste into its soil, highways had carved through its neighborhoods, and generations of residents breathed poisoned air while living in the shadows of neglect. The community was told it was broken, that it had no worth but to bear society’s waste. Yet Carter rose with defiance and vision, saying: “We will not be dumping grounds. We will build gardens, parks, and greenways. We will create jobs for our youth, not in polluting industries, but in projects that restore the earth.” Thus, sustainability became not a distant dream but a tool of survival and hope.

History offers echoes of this wisdom. Consider the Tennessee Valley Authority in the Great Depression, which brought electricity, jobs, and environmental renewal to some of the poorest communities in America. The people did not need charity—they needed work that dignified them and projects that healed their land. Carter’s vision in the South Bronx follows this same path: empowerment through development that sustains both people and nature. For without economic renewal, environmental progress falters; and without environmental healing, economic renewal is poisoned.

Mark this well, O listener: Carter’s movement teaches that justice is never one-sided. Environmental justice means that no community should be forced to trade health for survival. It means that the parks, the clean water, the fresh air enjoyed by the wealthy must also belong to the poor. It means that jobs should not only exist, but should be the kind that lift the spirit and restore the world, not destroy it. This is the deep truth of her words: sustainability is not abstinence or sacrifice alone—it is abundance shared fairly.

Let this be the lesson: wherever you dwell, look for ways to unite the healing of the earth with the uplifting of the people. Plant trees, yes, but also plant opportunities. Build parks, but also build training for the unemployed to maintain them. Clean rivers, but also ensure that the children who play beside them have futures shaped by hope, not despair. This is the way of Carter’s vision: to bind together the health of the land and the prosperity of the people in one unbreakable covenant.

Therefore, O child of tomorrow, carry forward this teaching. Do not let environmentalism become a luxury of the privileged; let it be a right of all. Do not fight only for distant forests while forgetting the poisoned lots in your own cities. Remember the South Bronx, and remember Majora Carter, who showed that the path of sustainability must always be paved with justice, dignity, and opportunity.

Thus, her words endure as a flame: Sustainable South Bronx is not merely a place, but a vision—that the healing of the earth and the healing of humanity are one and the same. And when we fight for both together, we create a future where no community is left behind, and the earth itself is renewed.