Background information provides an overview, definitions, and key terms about a topic. Reference sources like encyclopedias and dictionaries are a great place to start when looking for background information.
From Race and Racism in the United States: An Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic - Environmental racism refers to the deliberate placement of toxic and hazardous waste sites, incinerators, landfills, and polluting industries in communities populated mainly by minorities, including Latinos, African Americans, Asians, migrant farm workers, and the working poor. It also includes “any government, institutional, or industry action, or failure to act, that has a negative environmental impact which disproportionately harms—whether intentionally or unintentionally—individuals, groups, or communities based on race or color.”
Some key library databases you can use to find background information on Environmental Racism include: