The Partnership for Resilient Communities Oral Storytelling Project

(TRAILER) Partnership for Resilient Communities Oral Storytelling Project

Welcome to the Partnership for Resilient Communities [https://sustain.org/partnership-for-resilient-communities-partner-highlights-learnings-from-the-justice40-accelerator-program/] Oral Storytelling Project! In each episode, you will hear directly from movement leaders who are working to address the impacts of climate change and racial inequity on communities all across the U.S. Each will share in detail their on the ground approaches in the hopes that these stories may inspire and inform a new narrative that centers the true power of resilience. • Episode #1- VIRGINIA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COLLABORATIVE: Queen Zakia Shabazz (Executive Director) • Episode #2- CALIFORNIA INDIAN MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER: Nicole Lim (Executive Director) & Carol Oliva (Program Specialist) • Episode #3- HEALTHY COMMUNITY SERVICES: Dr. Angela Chalk (Healthy Community Services, Executive Director) & Cheryl Austin (Greater Treme Consortium, Executive Director) • Episode #4- EASTSIDE COMMUNITY NETWORK: Donna Givens Davidson (Chief Executive Officer & President) Ricky Ackerman (Director of Climate Equity) • Episode #5- WALNUT WAY CONSERVATION CORP.: Antonio Butts (Executive Director) • Episode #6- POWER52 FOUNDATION: Cherie Brooks (President & Chief Executive Officer) & DeAndre Wiggins (Director of Workforce Development) • Episode #7- GARFIELD PARK COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Mike Tomas (Executive Director) & Angela Taylor (Wellness Coordinator) • Episode #8- LA MUJER OBRERA: Lorena Andrade (Executive Director) & Hilda Villegas (Community Organizer) • Episode #9- ASIAN PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK: Vivian Huang (Co-Director) & Dan Reilly (Ryse Commons, Director of Innovation) • Episode #10- NOS QUEDAMOS/ WE STAY: Jessica Clemente (Chief Executive Director) & Ana Vincenty (Co-Founder & Office Administrator) -------- Credits and Attribution * Project Producer, Felicia T Perez * Sound Producer, Vanessa Vancour * Sound Editing Assistant, Escenthio Marigny * Transcriptions, Dr. Lydia Huerta * Illustration and Music,  graceuarts * Additional music credits (credits do not imply endorsement): * “Emergency Siren” by onderwish [https://freesound.org/people/onderwish/sounds/470504/] CC0 1.0 [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/] * “Fire” by mmutua [https://freesound.org/people/mmutua/sounds/542157/] CC by NC 3.0 [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/] segment of original audio sample used * “Matchbox Strike and Light” by jaredgibb [https://freesound.org/people/JarredGibb/sounds/248241/] CC0 1.0 [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/] * “Sewing Machine” by j1987 [https://freesound.org/people/j1987/sounds/72674/] CC0 1.0 [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/] * “Water Stream” by sterferny [https://freesound.org/people/sterferny/sounds/382322/] CC0 1.0 [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/] * “Construction Soundscape” by ajexk [https://freesound.org/people/Ajexk/sounds/246171/] CC0 1.0 [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/] This storytelling series was developed through support from the Institute for Sustainable Communities [https://sustain.org/].

CALIFORNIA INDIAN MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER (PRC Oral Storytelling Project)

In this episode listeners will hear from the Executive Director of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative, Queen Zakia Shabazz, who will share about their work to address the impacts of climate change and racial inequity on communities in the state of Virginia.In this episode listeners will hear from the Executive Director of the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center [https://cimcc.org/], Nicole Lim, and Program Specialist Carol Oliva. Both will share about their work to address the impacts of climate change and racial inequity on communities in the state of California. The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center [https://cimcc.org/] (CIMCC) serves American Indians in Santa Rosa, CA. CIMCC created a community- participatory project to document climate vulnerabilities faced by Native peoples in Santa Rosa. CIMCC has developed and administered a community questionnaire about climate impacts and solutions, organized community meetings, analyzed information gathered, and created a report to share with community stakeholders. This report provides CIMCC with the information they need to advance the priorities of the Native community in Santa Rosa. Through the collected data, CIMCC evaluates how the community can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of climate change. CIMCC integrates community needs into local planning by participation in policy design and development in Sonoma County. CIMCC also facilitates solar workshops within the Santa Rosa Native communities to explain the benefits and permits needed for solar panel installations to increase renewable electricity. Solar installations will allow residents to reduce their utility bills and provide a path forward to financial resilience and climate resilience during power outages, leading to the ability to stay cool during climate emergencies. CIMCC is a resilience hub and operates as an emergency shelter to the community during climate emergencies.

HEALTHY COMMUNITY SERVICES (PRC Oral Storytelling Project)

In this episode, listeners will hear from the Executive Director of Healthy Communities Services [https://www.hcsnola.org/], Dr. Angela Chalk, and the Greater Treme Consortium [https://greatertreme.org/]Executive Director, Cheryl Austin. In New Orleans, LA, many areas in the 7th Ward, 9th Ward, and Treme sit below sea level and have experienced many rain events that have led to water run-off and increased flooding impacts. In an example of community-based response, three community-based organizations partnered to address water run-off issues in the Treme, 7th Ward, and Upper 9th Ward. Healthy Community Services, Greater Treme Consortium, and Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association, with the support of Water Wise Gulf South, have created the Water Wise Neighborhood Champions (WWNC). WWNC is a program open to residents, business owners, and churchgoers who live in the impacted areas to learn about green infrastructure projects that increase resilience to climate change impacts through a three-step training program. Each area already has a WWNC completed green infrastructure vision plan: Treme (2017), 7th Ward (2018), and Upper 9th Ward (2019). At the end of the WWNC program, participants prioritize project implementation from each visioning session. WWNC uplifts resident priorities in planning to increase adaptability and resilience to climate impacts. Each neighborhood has one prioritized project pending implementation in partnership with the state of Louisiana, with the opportunity for community input during the design phase. Each stormwater management project will reduce flooding in vulnerable areas, including historically Black and Creole neighborhoods.

EASTSIDE COMMUNITY NETWORK (PRC Oral Storytelling Project)

In this episode, listeners will hear from the CEO & President of Eastside Community Network [https://www.ecn-detroit.org/], Donna Givens Davidson, and the Director of Climate Equity, Ricky Ackerman. In their community project, the Eastside Community Network (ECN) has identified the impacts of the urban heat island, increased precipitation, and lack of social cohesion in the Lower Eastside of Detroit, MIEastside Community Network [https://www.ecn-detroit.org/] (ECN) has identified the impacts of the urban heat island, increased precipitation, and lack of social cohesion in the Lower Eastside of Detroit, MI, in their community project. ECN identified neighborhood centers, also known as resilience hubs, to help residents during and after climate impacts. ECN is retrofitting a demonstration home with renewable energy (such as solar power and geothermal climate control), LEDs, low flow/flush plumbing (toilets and faucets), commercial kitchens, energy star appliances, and structures to collect and reuse rainwater, shared broadband, and community gardens. ECN also works with waste management through composting, which benefits community gardens and reduces waste going to landfills. The ECN resilience hubs will be networked throughout the Lower Eastside of Detroit by partnering with neighborhood leaders. These homes owned by residents will be retrofitted and open to the community during climate impacts. This exchange assists community members who volunteer their homes by updating and repairing various structures while reducing their environmental impact and utility bills. Through community storytelling, ECN will continue to share the benefits of climate resilience and the work that they have done with community members.

WALNUT WAY CONSERVATION CORP. (PRC Oral Storytelling Project)

In this episode, listeners will hear from the Executive Director of Walnut Way Conservation Corp [https://www.walnutway.org/]., Antonio Butts. Walnut Way Conservation Corp [https://www.walnutway.org/]. (Walnut Way), located in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI, is a resident-led organization committed to sustaining an economically diverse community through civic engagement, environmental stewardship, and creating venues for prosperity. Most African American residents have experienced years of disinvestment in the area. Like many other cities in the United States, Milwaukee has a history of systemic racism in neighborhood planning and design. The impact of redlining (or established policies to keep neighborhoods segregated), urban renewal projects, and the lack of recent infrastructure investment have increased the community’s vulnerability to high amounts of precipitation, resulting in run-off and flooding. Walnut Way has started engaging Lindsay Heights residents in planning and designing community-embedded street and stormwater run-off diversion projects to mitigate urban flooding in Milwaukee’s combined sewer system. The project aims to divert water from the combined sewer system and help infrastructure handle high precipitation levels. Walnut Way’s green job training program, Blue Skies Landscaping, creates jobs and improves water quality in Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River. In addition, Walnut Way has developed the Innovations and Wellness Commons, a community resilience hub complete with a roof-top garden and permeable patio, as well as a Bioswale adjacent to the Commons’ parking lot.