Zip code 48217 in southwest Detroit is located in the most severe environmental injustice cluster in the map above. The map, produced by the University of Michigan's school for Environment and Sustainability, used U.S. census tract data to compound social and environmental factors in order to determine which communities in MI experience the highest levels of environmental injustice. And 48217, the state's most polluted zip code, was identified by the University of Michigan as the epicenter of an environmental injustice hotspot.

 

What does this mean? It means entire streets dying of cancer. It means children born struggling to breathe. And it means a community that has developed a wealth of knowledge on how to advocate for their safety and wellbeing.