Segregation, Community, and the Environment: Revisiting Old Neighborhoods
Returning home can be both comforting and confronting.
On the Rising Tide, Hilton Kelley shares a powerful reflection from his visit back to Oakland, California. After spending time in Port Arthur, he walked the streets of neighborhoods he knew well—and immediately noticed what was missing. Buildings and businesses were gone, while the air still carried the same foul odor of sulfur and chemicals he remembered from childhood.
“I kept thinking about my hometown and how someone needed to do something to refurbish the businesses that were there,” Hilton says. “Nothing had really changed when it came to the atmosphere and the environment.”
This episode dives deep into the links between environmental challenges, economic decline, and the resilience of communities that continue to thrive despite them. It’s a conversation that reminds us that climate action isn’t just about the planet—it’s about the people who live on it, in the places they call home.