Black History Month is a time to honor the brilliance and contributions of Black people across generations. It’s also a moment to reflect on how we carry that legacy forward through the everyday choices we make to protect our health, families, and communities.
As executive director of the California Black Health Network (CBHN), my work centers on advancing health equity for Black Californians. We often focus on chronic disease, access to care, and generational issues when discussing community health. But one critical factor is too often overlooked: the condition of our environment. Pollution, infrastructure, and the spaces where we live, work, and gather have a powerful role in shaping health outcomes.
Before my career in health equity, I studied civil engineering and worked at government agencies focused on water quality and management. One important lesson from that experience has stayed with me: every action has a reaction. What we put into our environment does not disappear; it comes back to us in our air, our water, and our bodies.
That’s why, in honor of Black History Month, I’ve partnered with Caltrans’ Stormwater Program to raise awareness about key pollutants and how everyday actions impact water quality and community health. When it rains, water flows off our streets and highways into storm drains that lead directly to rivers, lakes, and the ocean. This also means untreated pollutants – litter, pet waste, vehicle runoff, and pesticides – also get swept into our local waters.
This is why cleaner roads and highways equal cleaner and healthier local waters.
Intentional choices matter because stormwater doesn’t just carry debris away; it carries consequences back to us. Black communities are often disproportionately exposed to these hazards, particularly in neighborhoods near busy roadways, aging infrastructure, and limited green spaces. Water pollution can contribute to asthma, stress, safety concerns, and long-term health challenges.
Black history has always been marked by innovation—turning limited resources into opportunity and stewarding what we already have into something greater. Caring for our environment and understanding the role we play in protecting it is part of that legacy.
At CBHN, we call this the “Power of Us”—the belief that we cannot wait for systems to save us. By empowering and activating our own communities, we take responsibility for protecting our health and future. Being more mindful of stormwater pollution and the everyday actions we can take to prevent it is a powerful example of that mindset in action.
The encouraging part is that much of this pollution is within our control. Simple, everyday actions—like picking up after our pets, properly disposing of trash, maintaining our vehicles, and waiting to apply fertilizer until after a storm—can stop pollutants before they ever reach a storm drain. These small choices add up, shaping what flows through our neighborhoods when it rains.
At a time when many families are facing uncertainty around healthcare access and affordability, protecting our health in ways we can control matters more than ever. Health doesn’t start in a doctor’s office—it starts at home, in our neighborhoods, and even on our roads.
This Black History Month, let us honor our legacy not only by remembering where we’ve been, but by being intentional about how our daily actions shape where we’re going. When we take care to keep our roads and environment clean, we care for each other—and create cleaner waterways and healthier communities.
To learn more about key stormwater pollutants and ways drivers and residents can help, visit CleanWaterCA.com. Rhonda Smith is the executive director of the California Black Health Network.