‘You should care’: Cathedral parishioner is prominent advocate for environmental justice

After Megan Weil Latshaw graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1998, she knew she didn’t want to go to medical school or work in a lab, so she ended up at an insurance company, working on environmental cases.

“I was on the wrong side of the equation, working for landlords with lead-paint cases and companies who had workers exposed to asbestos,” said Latshaw, a parishioner of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland who also holds a doctorate in environmental health sciences from Johns Hopkins. “This was not in line with my Catholic values. I wanted to make the world a better place.”

More than 25 years later, Latshaw is an expert in environmental justice, working to improve health through changes in the environment. She serves as associate professor and director of the master’s degree programs in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“Environmental justice is the idea that people are treated fairly, and they are able to be involved in discussions about the environment in which they live, work, play and pray,” Latshaw explained.

Last year, she gave a lecture on environmental justice as part of her parish’s Spring Colloquium on Faith and Science titled “Who Pollutes and Who Pays? The Science and Humanity of Environmental Justice.” In her presentation, she outlined the negative impact of racism on public health.

“Your ZIP code is a better predictor of how long you will live and how healthy you are than your genetic code is,” she said.

Latshaw cited a 2016 study that showed the average life expectancy of residents in the primarily Black Seton Hill neighborhood as 63, versus the residents of Roland Park, a primarily white neighborhood, as 83.

According to Latshaw, people of color are more often exposed to pollutants, lead poisoning and mold, roaches and mice, which can lead to asthma. They are also more likely to live near contaminated air, land or soil from toxic waste facilities.

“People are making money off of that pollution, and people who are drinking the water and breathing the air are paying the price,” she said. “Environmental justice seeks to even out that equation so the ones polluting are those who are paying.”

Latshaw, who grew up outside Philadelphia, is a cathedral lector, served on the pastoral council and taught in her parish’s faith formation program. 

She’s a big fan of “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment.

Latshaw says the biggest action people can take is to help get policies changed.

“A lot of big companies want us to change our individual habits by buying electric cars and recycling, but we need policies to discourage pollution at a larger level,” she said. “Support organizations that are trying to get policies changed. It is important to educate yourself on environmental justice. Read about it and find organizations that are fighting. Invest your time, treasure and talents to volunteer.”

Latshaw supports Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition, No Boundaries Coalition, South Baltimore Community Land Trust and the Turner Station Conservation Team. She offers an open online course on chemicals and health that has enrolled more than 35,000 students from all over the world.

“If you believe in fairness and giving everyone an equal shot of thriving and living their best life, you should care about environmental justice,” she said.

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