Environmental justice is not only about incinerators and power plants next to communities of color – though it is definitely that. It is also about looking at the history of our land, and the characters who owned it, used it, and ruled over others. We often look at them as benevolent, but the more we unpack the history around them, the more we can see that their actions and statements did real harm to the Black community, free and enslaved.

One of the best examples of such a complicated figure is Francis Scott Key. His influence remains in Baltimore, and his song continues to lead the nation’s patriotic activities. But who was he, really?



The paradox of Francis Scott Key: Was he for or against freeing enslaved Black citizens?