Introduction.

• Author: Wyenn, Morgan J.

Environmental Law is honored to present Volume 38, Issue 2, "Environmental Justice: Making it a Reality." This Issue focuses on environmental justice (1) to help bring this important subject to the forefront of environmental law discourse. Our goal in publishing this special edition is to firmly establish that environmental justice is part of environmental law and to add our voice to the chorus that the traditional environmental law paradigm must expand and evolve to include increasingly creative solutions to the problems facing our communities and our world. In the spirit of the motto of the environmental justice movement--"We speak for ourselves"--this Issue seeks to provide a forum for scholars and activists to speak with the legal community. Additionally, we hope to encourage an increase in scholarship exploring legal tools to advance the public health and equality goals of the environmental justice movement.

The enthusiasm we received for this project from the environmental justice community was beyond our expectations find illustrates both that the movement has a solid base and is continuing to build momentum. The overwhelming response from scholars interested in contributing further revealed the breadth of individuals working on environmental justice issues and demonstrates that environmental justice is well on its way to firmly establishing a prominent place in environmental law discourse.

We are extremely honored to have had this opportunity to work with all the contributors to this Issue, which include practitioners, professors, scholars, and students, some of whom have been involved in the environmental justice movement since its early days. This Issue presents a diverse array of articles highlighting a broad spectrum of perspectives and environmental injustices. Each author brings to the discussion their individualized knowledge and expertise. Dr. Robert D. Bullard and Professors Patti Mohai, Robin Saha, and Beverly Wright's timely article discusses their 1987 Toxic Wastes and Race report and its recent update Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty, exploring the development of the environmental justice movement over the last twenty years. Their article considers reports, agency and congressional action, an analysis of methodology, and more recent data to evaluate the current state of environmental justice. Professor Robert W. Collin looks at the emerging and important role of states in the environmental justice movement. His article...