Abstract
Between 2005 and 2010, the US Gulf Coast endured severe environmental catastrophes in the form of hurricanes and an oil spill that effectively crippled coastlines across several states. These disastrous events have impacted racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately. In response, the contemporary Asian American Environmental Justice Movement (AAEJ) found traction within a community with virtually no record of environmental advocacy, The long established Vietnamese community in New Orleans east, known as Versailles, mobilized successfully and continues to pursue a social justice agenda in the wake of disaster. This chapter presents the development of the modern AAEJ movement, utilizing the case of the Versailles Vietnamese to explore how a disaster-vulnerable ethnic enclave becomes politicized and empowered.
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Lichtveld, M., Dao, V.T. (2013). The Versailles Social Movement and Implications for Asian American Environmental Health In Post-Katrina New Orleans. In: Yoo, G., Le, MN., Oda, A. (eds) Handbook of Asian American Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2227-3_30
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