(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It's an unfortunate truth that over the course of our nation's history, progress has often come at the expense of Black and other racial minority communities. From heavy manufacturing to busy rail lines, too often, communities of color are expected to pay more than their share of the cost of development.

The ongoing fallout from last month's derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio illustrates in no uncertain terms just how crucial the question of environmental justice is to the future of rail safety in America.

This wri...