race is the no. 1 indicator for the placement of toxic facilities in the united states according to research published in the american public health association.

this film is a reflection on environmental justice in the united states as seen through the lens of our nation’s capital. the film juxtaposes unkempt green spaces with the crumbling infrastructure of forgotten communities. in this short, i sought to explore what justice truly looks like through conflicting political systems and embedded community experience. while injustice takes many forms and can be easily identified in the digital age, understanding the broader societal barriers and economic binds that allow these injustices to fester is a much more complex topic. 

the filming of this short was done in union market, ivy city, and the national arboretum which are next to each other from left to right in d.c. while the arboretum is a true example of environmental consideration in the city, its neighbor ivy city, struggles with air pollution and economic disenfranchisement, lagging behind much of the more affluent areas of the city. similarly, ivy city’s neighbor, union market, is undergoing rapid gentrification but still struggles with equity for all.