Our Backyard: A Quest for Environmental Justice is a collection of essays by local activists and nationally recognized scholars that deal with the history, status and dilemmas of environmental justice. These essays provide a comprehensive overview of social and political aspects associated with environmental injustices in minority and poor communities. In addition to focusing on the actions taken by communities and politicians in response to an actual or perceived environmental risk, the book also deals with the methodological challenges confronting environmental justice research. The book also looks at the future of the environmental justice movement with a discussion of the sustainability of environmental justice in a more conservative political climate. Our Backyardraises important questions that will engender considerable debate about environmental justice. It will provide a solid platform for dialogue between activists and policymakers or between teachers and students.

Contributions by: Timothy Black, Estelle Bogdonoff, Bunyon Bryant, Kathleen Cooper-McDermott, Pamela Davidson, Christopher H. Foreman, Kenny Foscue, Cynthia Jennings, Manuel Lizarralde, Mark Mitchell, Diane-Michele Prindeville, Virginia Ashby Sharpe, John A. Stewart, Harvey L. White, James Younger