The Racist History of Toilets in America (VIDEO)

Briana Flin X August 15, 2022

America invested in sanitation systems throughout the 20th century – but it often left out communities of color.

America invested in sanitation systems throughout the 20th century – but it often left out communities of color, and they’re still trying to catch up. This video explains how specific policies caused these inequities, and talks to some of the people who still lack proper sanitation systems in 2022.

Additional reporting and production by Jocelyn Tabancay Duffy.

This video is part of America’s Dirty Divide, a series examining the country’s vast environmental inequalities and how climate change will make things worse, and was made possible by a grant from the Open Society Foundations. Nexus Media News is an editorially independent, nonprofit news service covering climate change. Follow us @NexusMediaNews.

Briana Flin

Video Editor/Producer

Briana Flin is a video editor and producer for Nexus Media News, where she covers environmental justice and climate change. Her work has appeared in outlets like The Atlantic, WIRED, Newsy, KQED, and Twin Cities PBS. Prior to joining the Nexus Media team, she was at WIRED, producing videos on everything from kinetic sculptures to praying mantises sporting 3D glasses. She’s a proud alumnus of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and a Californian born-and-raised. After work, you can find her attempting to train her rambunctious rescue dog, baking treats, or rewatching Mad Men for the umpteenth time.


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The Racist History of Toilets in America (VIDEO)￼

America invested in sanitation systems throughout the 20th century – but it often left out communities of color.

Briana Flin

Video Editor/Producer

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The Racist History of Toilets in America (VIDEO)