Urban Affairs Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, 28-54 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1078087407301790
(c) 2007 SAGE Publications
Minority Empowerment and Environmental Justice
Stefanie Chambers

Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

In Hartford, Connecticut, environmental health problems
disproportionately affect poor and minority residents of the city.
Minority group activists in Hartford have created a multiracial
organization composed of urban and suburban residents to fight for
environmental justice. The organization has achieved a measure of
success in terms of governmental responsiveness to their concerns.
This article highlights the strategies used by the organization to
advance its interests. These strategies are framed within the minority
empowerment and environmental justice literature to develop a
theoretical explanation for the organization's success. Additionally,
this article provides a model for other communities fighting for
environmental justice.

Key Words: environmental justice • minority empowerment • public health