Toxins! Tocsin: The North Hollywood Dump in Memphis, Tennessee: A Community's Struggle Against Environmental Racism

Author

Glenn Steve Johnson, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Date of Award

8-1996

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Sociology

Major Professor

John Gaventa

Committee Members

Sherry Cable, Donald Hastings, Faye Harrison

Abstract

This research describes the "voices" of Hollywood residents who are impacted by a toxic landfill in their backyard. These residents were not included in the decision-making process to get the Hollywood Dump cleaned up. The residents were not allowed to be equal political participants in the Hollywood Dump issue. The residents lacked a strong collective resistance to influence local, state and federal officials to respond to this community problem. The "voices" of the Hollywood residents provided a natural history of a social problem which represents the political, cultural, and religious concerns of grassroots individuals who agreed that the local dump was posing an environmental, and public health threat to their community. This research concluded that the Hollywood Dump issue is a classic example of environmental racism which is a form of environmental injustice.

Recommended Citation

Johnson, Glenn Steve, "Toxins! Tocsin: The North Hollywood Dump in Memphis, Tennessee: A Community's Struggle Against Environmental Racism. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1996.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2528