Skill-sharing with Erin Heaney

Just this past Friday, ten folks got together in Mann 100 to meet with Erin Heaney and talk about some of the skills she and others have used in Buffalo while working with the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York.  This organization uses community-based research to fight for environmental justice in some very polluted industrial areas in and around Buffalo.  Through citizen science CACWNY organized hundreds of local residents in Tonawanda--making sure a large polluter, the Tonawanda Coke company was brought to justice.  Here is a video telling the story of that research and action.


As you can see from the video this action was a huge success where citizen science and storytelling proved a powerful combination against corruption and corporate negligence.

Erin shared three resources with us that I've copied here with her permission.  All credit for these works go to the Clean Air Coalition.

She shared the Clean Air Coaltion's Academic Research Policy.  As many community based organizations know--doing work with academic institutions is not often a reciprocal relationship.  This inequity in research-based relationships plays out in funding, authorship, and impact.  Take a look at their Academic Research Policy.

Take section 3 for example--simple and to the point.  "Community-based research projects are designed in ways that enhance the capacity of residents to participate in the process."  Living that practice out to the fullest extent is a real challenge for university folks accustomed to top-down decision making and project implementation.

When someone wants to do research with CACWNY, they immediately receive the policy and are required to submit a research proposal.  Erin mentioned that the academics not serious about the work simply don't come back.  But some academics do, and they've proven valuable assets.  Some comments were made that Ithaca needs such a policy as well to protect citizens from incessant waves of extractive research.

Erin Heaney at this week's skill-share

Erin shared two other resources with us:  a participatory budgeting ballot they've recently used, and a stories project they've done with the residents of Tonawanda.  Both of the links above will let you look at those documents now stored in our PARchives.  The participatory budgeting process referenced in the first resource was a useful political strategy demanding community voices inform the spending of the 200 million dollar settlement that was awarded through the successful litigation of Tonawanda Coke.  The stories project supported CACWNY organizing work with local residents and elected officials.  Check them out!

Soon we hope to link to a recording of her larger talk given through EngagedCornell's speaker series.  But in the meantime check out the Clean Air Coalition's work here!

Some other notes from the day:

Building off of CACWNY's stories project, I (John) was able to share a bit about the Story Circle process I was introduced to recently.  A quick one-page description of that process is here along with some more extensive resources.   I learned the history of the story circle via the 50th Anniversary of the Free Southern Theater held this October in New Orleans .  Dudley Cocke just did a recent blog post inspired by the event if you're curious to learn more about community-based theater, the arts, and democracy.

The skill-share event with Erin was a success, those attending echoed their support for figuring out how we can have more.  As was mentioned during the event, transportation to on-campus events limits the larger community's ability to attend and so I think we're going to try and hold future skill-shares in a downtown location.  Ideas?

Let us know what you think of the resources above and the possibilities of doing this again sometime soon!  Comment below!