It is not uncommon to see that within many cities there is a divide among the social classes, especially in reference to housing. A substantial amount of research has been provided that suggests people from the same social class typically live in the same area. For example, if an individual was considered to be within the upper, or rich, social class then he/she would probably live among many other people with the same status. Often times the people within this upper social class are “cared” about more by the government than people from the lower social class. This is evident if you look at the neighborhoods in the poor areas of the city and if you look at the rich areas. More often than not, an individual will notice that the richer neighborhoods have far greater institutions, such as schools or parks, while the non-wealthy neighborhoods have the complete opposite. This notion continually widens the gap between the social classes.

The idea that the lower classes continually have to fight these unfair realities doesn’t just stop at the neighborhood institutions. They also have to endure other hardships that the government thrusts upon them. One such hardship that is present today is the idea of environmental racism. Thousands of people are forced to live near conditions that are unfit for any living creature.  In the novel Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes, this idea is present. The characters that she creates constantly live in fear of the field sprayings.

The characters in Under the Feet of Jesus appear to be migrant workers who have no other choice but to live in the labor camps. These labor camps are often located next to an orchard or another type of field that needs spraying, where the spraying of pesticides is present. On more than one occasion the main character, Estrella, must confront the reality that many living things are suffering around her due to these sprayings. Some examples are the poisoning of Alejo and the dead dog that floats down the river near one of the labor camps.

However, Estrella also is aware of the side effects of these pesticides that are not immediately seen. In other words, she seems to be fully aware that the pesticides from the fields may have an impact on her children in the future. The fact that Estrella is only thirteen years old and is already worried about the future suggests that there is reason to believe that she has had to deal with this environmental racism her whole life. It may also have to do with the fact that she has seen many instances where this is true. The idea that farmers are spraying their pesticides in the very close proximity of these migrant workers suggests that they have succumbed to environmental racism. Just because the migrant workers live in very impoverished areas doesn’t mean that it is right for the farmers to spray whenever and wherever they want. How would those farmers feel if someone was spraying these toxic chemicals in an area that was very close to their own families?

Even though the novel by Helena Maria Viramontes is fiction, there is clearly a very strong message that needs to be heard. Environmental racism is a very real situation that many people are forced to contend with. With this said, the government needs to figure out a way to do these harmful jobs differently in a way that wouldn’t harm a lot of the world’s people.