Detroit (US), Feb 4 (AP) Ashindi Maxton was distraught as she toured neighbourhoods in Detroit's 48217 ZIP code and met residents who live in one of the most polluted communities in Michigan.

They live against the backdrop of heavy industrial sites that have long been a major concern in the nation's largest Black-majority city, which has some of the country's highest asthma rates among children and a lengthy history of environmental concerns.

Residents shared stories of loved ones who grew sick after living in close proximity to the industrial sites, and also noted it's often hard to breathe because of a thick, chemical stench that is most profound in the summer.

It was a defining moment for Maxton, co-founder of the Donors of Color Network, a philanthropic group dedicated to racial equity and funding environmental projects and other racial justice movements nationwide.

“Most of the people I know have more than one illness,” said 68-year-old Emma Lockridge, who has lived near an oil refinery for more than three decades and suffers from a rare blood cancer.

Her brother, sister, mother and father all died from cancers or disease they blame on environmental toxins.

“It just makes me want to cry. The environmental impact on our lives, no one should be living like this. We've got to figure out a better way,” Lockridge told The Associated Press.

It's because of tragedies like this that the Donors of Color Network launched a Climate Funders Justice Pledge Thursday, challenging the nation's climate philanthropists to shift 30per cent of their donations toward environmental efforts led by Black, Indigenous, Latino and other people of color.

“People say we have 10 years to solve the climate crisis but people of color are living it right now,” Maxton said. “Organizations led by people of color are chronically underfunded and there is a ... vibrant set of leaders and organizations that people can fund.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)