Shabbat Program to Focus on Urban Pollution and Redlining in the Twin Cities

On Friday, May 9, from 7:30-9 p.m., Or Emet will host a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a program and social time. The evening’s events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. 

Andrew Hazzard

Following the service, Andrew Hazzard, a reporter with Sahan Journal, will present “Mapping Inequalities: How Historical Discrimination Created Environmental Justice Neighborhoods.” 

The talk will focus on the history of urban pollution and redlining in the Twin Cities and how that history is felt today in health disparities. Hazzard will discuss the historical redlining that kept Black and Jewish families from buying homes in certain neighborhoods, and how those geographical boundaries remain visible in modern maps of air pollution, asthma rates and poverty today. 

Hazzard, who grew up in the Twin Cities, is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. After starting his career in daily newspapers in Mississippi and North Dakota, he returned to Minnesota, where he worked for local publications such as Southwest Journal. He enjoys travel, speaks Spanish and is a depressed supporter of Minnesota’s professional sports teams. 

Those who cannot attend in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective. For more information about Or Emet, email [email protected] or visit oremet.org.