Opinion: We Should Empower Youth to Fight For Environmental Justice in Their Own Neighborhoods

Young people like me need opportunities to learn how to advocate for our communities.
I’m a recent high school graduate who lived and breathed for most of my life in Braddock, Pennsylvania, about nine miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Braddock is home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Mill, owned by U.S. Steel, which Nippon Steel recently tried to purchase before the deal was blocked.
During the last year of my high school career, I opened my eyes to the realities of environmental injustice in my neighborhood. It also became clear to me that we need more opportunities for young people like me to learn how to navigate advocacy.
My journey began in summer 2023 when I attended the Public Health Science Academy at the University of Pittsburgh. There I learned that PM2.5 — air pollution particles that have a diameter of 2.5 microns or smaller — is dangerous because these tiny particles penetrate lung tissue, enter the bloodstream, and cause many health issues including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and mental health problems.
My neighborhood in Braddock has higher levels of PM2.5 than 95% of other places in the U.S., a higher proportion of minority residents than 84% of the country, and a higher rate of poverty than 94% of the country, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 03-05-25

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