BRATTLEBORO — In respectful response to “Pressure Congress to get waste out of Vermont” [Letters, April 11], I empathize with the writer's desire to protect our families, friends, and community here from the effects of nuclear waste.
This proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada is situated on the Native Lands of the Western Shoshone. This community already suffers a disproportionate rate of exposure to toxic waste; most of the nuclear mining and testing (bombing) in the United States takes place on this property.
According to Andrea Smith's monumental book Conquest: Sexual Violence And American Indian Genocide, 50 Native reservations are already targeted for toxic waste dumps, and there have already been 650 nuclear explosions on Western Shoshone land alone.
This situation is one example of globalized environmental racism, where communities of color are constantly burdened with a majority of the pollution (from resource extraction to production to waste storage).
I would like to see more recognition and dialogue in Vermont about this form of racism, especially here where the topic of nuclear energy is so pertinent. Let's build a movement where we are supporting the rights and safety of everyone's families and communities.