East Michigan Environmental Action Council | EMEAC

Youth Food Justice Taskforce to kickoff Food Justice Fridays at CCC

2012-02-29T22:49:00.003-05:00

Youth FJTF Coordinator Anthony Grimmett with Policy Link

DETROIT – The Detroit Youth Food Justice Taskforce will be hosting their first Food Justice Friday Community Dinner on March 2 beginning at 6 pm at the Cass Corridor Commons. The Youth FJTF will be joined at the community dinner by Peoples Kitchen Detroit who will cater the event and join with community members in attendance to discuss food justice issues in the city.

“The initial idea was to create a high energy, youth-centric, art-filled environment in which youth can learn about Food Justice and be inspired to become active in creating a movement and\or just share what they know with their peers,” said EMEAC's Sanaa Nia Joy. “The main goal of the event is to share information on Food Justice with the community, and to use art and media in an interactive way that transforms attitudes, thought and action in hopes that people, especially young people,will be more mindful of what they eat and possibly even demand healthier food thereby bringing change to a skewed food system.”

Youth from programs at EarthWorks, Greening of Detroit, Feedom Freedom and other food/growing based organizations have been invited as members of the Youth Food Justice Task Force. The plan is to have similar type forums at various organizations' space as a monthly event. Youth from any organization or individuals brought by their parent are welcome. Event planners expect about 50 people to attend.

Angela Newsom

The Youth Food Justice Task Force was created by the Detroit Food Justice Task Force, of which People's Community Kitchen is a member. The idea of a sharing a meal as a way to build community is a tactic used successfully by the Food Justice Task Force last year. Angela Newsom of People's Community Kitchen will work with the Youth FJTF to prepare and serve a meal to the community for the event.

“As a member of the Cass Corridor Commons and Detroit Food Justice Task Force, People's Kitchen Detroit is inspired and encouraged by youth participation in this event,” said PKD's Angela Newsom. “They are really leading the event and making it their own. For there to be sustainable, life-altering change in the city with regard to food access and affordability, the young people are vital to making that happen.”

Members of the Youth FJTF will also be traveling to Oakland, California March 7-10 for the SOUL National Youth Organizing Training Institute. The INSTITUTE 2012 is a 3-day national training for young organizers, young member leaders, and youth organizers from across the country.

Participants will come together to build their skills, exchange lessons learned, and strategize to fight to win justice for our communities. They'll develop a solid and systematic orientation to the fundamentals of organizing, including base-building, campaign strategy, and leadership development. Rooted in current youth struggles, the INSTITUTE will provide a unique space for emerging leaders to engage with the challenges and opportunities of the current moment, to advance our organizations and to build a stronger movement.

“Because it's Oakland, it's kind of like Detroit. They do a lot of work around environmental justice and they are real die-hard about it,” said Youth FJTF Coordinator Anthony Grimmett. “That's something I'm definitely looking forward to and meeting new people and some of the projects they are working on. For us, it's about development, so I'm definitely looking forward to getting some ideas that we can bring back to Detroit to share. For our report-back, I'm definitely looking for things that I can draw. I'm going to bring my artistic eye as well. We'll be looking for some different concepts as well.”

YEA joins DWEJ to present at High School Social Justice Forum in Windsor

2012-02-29T21:47:00.003-05:00

Siwatu-Salama Ra gives presentation on campaign building

WINDSOR, Canada – EMEAC's Young Educators Alliance (YEA) Team joined with Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ) to give a series of workshop presentations at the Sixth Annual High School Social Justice Forum held at the University of Windsor on February 21 in Windsor, Canada.

YEA attended the Social Justice Forum at the invitation of DWEJ's Charles Stokes and were accompanied on the trip by EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey and DWEJ, Chief Executive Officer Guy Williams. YEA Team members making the trip were Siwatu-Salama Ra, Rayven Roberts, Sabrin Salam, Anthony Grimmett, Roger Boyd, Noelle Frye, Paris Smith, Elayne Elliot and Malik Harris.

YEA Team Members during panel discussion

“There was a request for youth to attend and elaborate on environmental justice inside the city of detroit from a young person's point of view,” said Siwatu, who is EMEAC's Stand Up Speak Out (SUSO) Program Youth Leader. “Charles Stokes was already aware of the Feed1 Teach1 event that YEA kicked off in mid-December along with checking out EMEAC's website and was impressed of what YEA is doing and asked that YEA facilitate a workshop and panel at the Forum. This was an opportunity for YEA to go international and we were all very appreciative of the invitation.”

Roger Boyd documents the trip

The Forum was filled with approximately 300 excited Canadian high school students. There were 16 workshops held during the event and every student was assigned to two of the16 workshops. Some of the workshops were on: Criminalization of Migrants vs. the right of freedom of movement, Hip Hop, prison and the many facets of racism in the justice system, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer community and the environmental justice workshop presented by the Detroit delegation

During the EJ101 workshop, Williams introduced the space with EJ 101. He was then followed by Siwatu who facilitated a workshop on "How to create an organizing campaign.

Maxey then introduced the YEA team and conducted the youth panel discussion with questions like; “How has being involved in the EJ movement and apart of YEA changed you or help you grow?”

“It was actually really fun,” said Grimmett who like many of his fellow YEA Team members was making his first trip across the border to Canada. “When we broke into groups, that's when YEA along with Guy Williams of DWEJ did a presentation in the workshops that we were in. He basically introduced us and said, 'I'm here with EMEAC and some partners.

“Siwatu got up and did her workshop on campaign building. That actually went really well. I was kind of nervous at first, but seeing her go in so calm, let me know it was going to be all right. We then introduced ourselves and we did our panel discussion. They asked us questions and we answered them.

They asked us about our growth and about being in YEA.”

After a break for lunch, the Detroit delegation engaged in another round of workshops and presentations with the next set of students. Out of the experience, team members welcomed the opportunity to share their work and network with young people and activists on the Canadian side of the border.

“There was a lady on campus who was involved with their on campus community gardens. She introduced herself to us because I had mentioned doing food justice work and how environmental justice plays into what we do,” said Grimmett who also has a lead role on EMEAC's Youth Food Justice Taskforce. “We talked about some of our achievements like the Cass Park clean up, working with ReMedia, the North End Garden and Feed1 Teach1. We exchanged cards so we could link up later and work together around food justice. It's just networking and maybe we can get together to do some work through social networking.”

“It definitely was a good experience being around another crowd and having to speak in front of them. It was a majority white environment and we were the center of attention. At the end of the day, they were going to come out with some useful and positive information.”

The YEA team also did live tweeting via their Twitter accounts at the event. If you would like to follow the tweets from the forum go to http://socialjustice.govital.net/ or search for the Twitter hash tags #Sjforum2012 or #detroitfuture.

“Shout outs to YEA and how appreciative Canada was for them participating,” Siwatu said. “YEA now has enhanced identification and can visit again. I'm glad we attended the forum. The most rewarding thing to me was that YEA has made it International and was able to reach out to young people across border.

“It was rewarding to know that we were the first American people to attend their Forum. Acknowledging us in front of the whole conference was uplifting! There were many connections that were made to further the conversation and working together is always rewarding. YEA got another opportunity at enhancing their speaking skills and creating their signature YEA workshops. This was definitely a reward in action and just stay tuned for YEA's next steps.”

Reminders of the risks of nuclear power come from past/present, near/far

2012-02-29T10:30:00.005-05:00

This is the latest in a series of columns discussing the Environmental Justice Principles drafted and adopted by delegates to the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit held Oct. 24-27, 1991. This week, we’re continuing our discussion of EJ Principle number four: Environmental justice calls for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction, production and disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons and nuclear testing that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water and food.

Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant in Newport, Michigan

As we come up on the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster in Japan, reports are still emerging about the way the Japanese government kept critical information from their own public in the wake of one of the worst nuclear catastrophe's the world has ever seen. Likewise with three nuclear sites in the state of Michigan, we should also keep in mind other reminders about the potentially grave risks inherent to nuclear facilities closer to home.

On the March 11 anniversary of the Fukushima melt down, there will be a special screening of the anti-nuclear film “Into Enternity” at the Unity Church of Livonia beginning at 7:30 p.m. The film will focus on the environmental delimas surrounding disposal of nuclear waste materials, and give an update the proposed Fermi 3 nuclear plant, the world's largest Fukushima styled reactor.

There are currently three nuclear power facilities in the state: Cook in Bridgman, Palisades in South Haven and Fermi in Newport – just 40 miles south of Detroit. All three power plants are located in southern Michigan along the shores of the Great Lakes, and provide 27 percent of the state's energy.

As we all saw last year with Fukushima, all nuclear plants have to be located near large bodies of water because water plays a key role in both the production and containment of nuclear energy. Michigan's location in the heart of the Great Lakes region means the old NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) game of environmental injustice is one Metro Detroiters should not lose sight of. Just ask the residents of another of the world's great cities, Tokyo.

Of course, Detroit's nuclear safety concerns are helped by the fact that the region doesn't sit on one of the world's most active seismic regions like Japan, but any one who knows the history of the nuclear industry in Michigan can tell you that's no invitation to sleep on the issue. On October 5, 1966 the Fermi 1 reactor suffered a partial meltdown caused by a blockage in one of its spigots. The blockage caused an insufficient amount of coolant to enter and the problem went unnoticed by plant operators until some of the plants fuel rods reached 700 degrees causing them to melt.

Thankfully the plants alarms kicked in to prevent a complete meltdown but the incident should serve as a reminder that vigilance is always warranted when it comes to nuclear power. Fermi 1, named for nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi, who worked on the development of the world's first atomic bomb and later became a pioneer of nuclear energy, was eventually shutdown in 1972.

Its successor, Fermi 2, came online in 1988, and despite a brush with a tornado in 2010 that caused damage to the facility, it remains online. That incident should be kept in mind however, as warmer winters and the subsequent increased tornado activity could be the biggest natural threat to nuclear facilities in many parts of the country.

The Fermi plant is owned by DTE Energy and maintained by the Detroit Edison Company. DTE filed an application to build a third reactor, Fermi 3, at a cost of $10 billion in 2008, but have been thwarted so far by the efforts of local citizens on the basis that it would threaten Lake Erie. Somehow, I'm betting that we've not heard the end of this story.

Meanwhile on the western side of the state's southern shoreline there have been even more recent developments. Earlier this month, the Palisades nuclear power plant received a downgrade of its facility from federal regulators as a Valentines Day present. The heartfelt gift put Palisades in the company of only two other plants in the country.

According to an Associated Press report by their environmental writer John Flesher, “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission assigns the more than 100 nuclear reactors in the U.S. to one of five categories based on their safety performance. Most are in the top-performing group. Palisades was bumped to the No. 2 category last month and now will join two others in the third category.”

There's only one other reactor in the country with a lower rating: the Brown's Ferry unit in Athens, Georgia. It stands alone with that distinction.

There were two violations that led to the downgrade at Palisades. One was on Sept. 25 of last year when an electrical fault caused by plant workers led to the reactor and half of the control room indicators to shut down. According to NRC report, this triggered safety systems that actual plant conditions did not justify. Agency investigators went on to described the incident as having “substantial safety significance.”

The other violation was the failure of a water pump that cools safety equipment. The pumps failure resulted from cracking of one of the couplings that hold together rods in the cooling system. The same failure had happened in 2009, and the commission said an inspection showed the plant hadn’t done enough to prevent a recurrence. The NRC has scheduled a public hearing on the matter for February 29 in South Haven.

So as we gear up to remember what happened in Japan over a year ago, let's remember to keep our eyes and ears open here at home.

EMEAC’s Stand Up! Speak Out! Program having Mom-2-Mom Fundraiser & Bake Sale March 24 at CCC

2012-02-29T09:47:00.003-05:00

DETROIT -- A Mom-2-Mom Charity Sale & Bake Sale will be held March 24 from 9:30 am to 12:30 p.m. in Mid-town Detroit's Cass Corridor Commons – the new home of East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC) at 4605 Cass Avenue, inside the First Unitarian Universalist Church. www.emeac.org

“This re-sale is a fun event where families can make money, save money, re-use and recycle the items they’ve already spent hard-earned dollars on. It’s win, win win!” said EMEAC Policy Coordinator Alisha Deen-Steinder.

A Mom-2-Mom sale is like a large flea-market or indoor garage-sale where anyone can sell gently used children’s & teen items from their home. Shoppers pay only a $1 entrance fee and can browse through hundreds of used items at garage-sale prices. There will be 30-35 tables with children’s items. Clothes sizes will be from infant all the way up to teen. Large items like strollers and kid’s bicycles are also welcome. Delicious baked goods and coffee will be available also. Proceeds go to support EMEAC's Stand Up Speak Out (SUSO) programming.

“We are also going to have the Young Educators Alliance. Some of them are going to be selling their items, so teens are definitely welcome,” said EMEAC SUSO Youth Coordinator William Copeland. “Right now we get a lot of funding from grant sources, which are great, but we want to start doing more independent fundraisers to help support our Young Educators Alliance, our in school programs and for the policy work that we do.”

It costs $20 to rent a table to sell items. Anyone interested is encouraged to beat the crowd and arrive early for the $2 Early-Bird special from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Beginning at 9:30, the doors officially open at the $1 entrance fee.

The Mom2Mom Sale concept has taken off in churches and schools every Saturday morning all around the Detroit-Metro area, but very few such sales have been located in Detroit. This is a great way for to keep money in the community.

“Full-priced children’s clothes, shoes, toys, games can cost a fortune, and it’s nice to have a one-stop place to get cheap, quality used clothing for my family.” A Royal Oak mother of two said.

Contact Alisha Deen-Steindler at 248-269-3662 or Alisha@emeac.org to reserve a $20 table.

Who do the proceeds of the sale go to?

Stand Up! Speak Out!

Stand Up! Speak Out! (SUSO) is the advocacy arm of the East Michigan Environmental Action Council. SUSO programs and activities advocate for environmental justice in Southeast Michigan through legislative policy initiatives while encouraging community involvement through youth and adult education and training.

SUSO is also home to the Young Educators Alliance a small group of young adults (aged 14-24) who come together to identify issues in their environment and work collectively on solutions, using their creativity and personal insight. YEA advocates for healthy environments in Detroit in a way that fosters leadership and holistic development. Young people learn to identify injustices, place them in a historical context, and propose alternatives that involve community input, community organizing, and/or advocacy. The program aims to build a “pipeline for community activism” in which young people come to see themselves as community activists and learn to network and engage with existing communities of activists. SUSO also partners with EMEAC’s ReMedia and Greener Schools programs to conduct environmental education classes and trainings in Detroit schools for students in grades 6-12.

EMEAC Supports State-Level Anti-Idling Legislation

2012-02-29T09:39:00.003-05:00

DETROIT -- EMEAC sent in a letter of support for Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood’s statewide Anti-Idling Legislation, SB 819 & SB 820.

Detroit was instrumental in laying the groundwork for anti-idling policy in the state. The City of Detroit was one of only three cities in Michigan to already have local laws on the books regarding anti-idling.

The EMEAC Policy Team worked very hard to get an Anti-Idling ordinance at the city level passed in Detroit (2010) and continues to make sure that the ordinance is enforced. After being involved in discussions around these bills at the City of Detroit Anti-Idling Workgroup, the Policy Team felt supporting the statewide initiative was the next logical step. To date, twenty states have enacted similar anti-idling legislation.

“We have been working with Hopgood's staff to incorporate Detroit-specific issues and to make sure the bill is similar to our citywide ordinance.” Said Policy Coordinator, Alisha Deen-Steindler. For the most part, EMEAC’s suggested amendments and concerns were all taken into consideration and reflected in the latest draft of the bill.

What the Bill Would Do:

SB 819 & 820, introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on November 10, 2011, would prohibit heavy diesel trucks (over 8,500 pounds) from idling more than five minutes within a one hour period, or 15 minutes for loaded buses (or 30 minutes for ones waiting to unload), with certain exceptions for emergency, health and safety, inspection, maintenance and other necessary purposes. Drivers and truck owners are subject to fines of up to $500. The fine revenue would go to local governments. Also, SB 820 spells out how the measure could be enforced by local volunteer “parking officers”.

“Enacting a statewide idling policy will improve air quality and make for a cleaner environment by reducing emissions, will help businesses cut costs associated with wasted fuel and unnecessary engine wear and tear, and will improve government efficiency by creating a streamlined regulatory structure,” said Senator Hopgood.

5E/Heru celebrate building reopening by hosting January DFY gathering

2012-02-29T08:59:00.001-05:00

Tanesha Fashion performs "It's Me"

DETROIT – The 5 Elements Gallery and the Heru Organization were joined by the rest of the Detroit Future Youth (DFY) groups in celebrating the reopening of their non-profit visual art and hip-hop culture gallery on January 28 in Detroit's historic Corktown District. Approximately 70 community members from the 12 DFY member organizations and their supporters turned out for the event which featured workshops centered around 5E/Heru's seven power principles, performing arts, hip hop fashion exhibits and a special meal prepared by local family-owned caterer Sunflower Mama.

“We now have our building back to do our programming in a consistent space,” said 5E's Piper Carter. “We had been like nomads bringing our technology and learning into various environments, which was great as far as exposure for ourselves and our youth. Now we will have a space they can call their own, and they are very excited about helping take care of the building as well as continuing the workshops and field trips.”

DJ Sicari Ware turns over the wheels of steele to 5E Youth

The 5E Gallery was founded by Detroit Disc Jockey Sicari Ware in 2008 as a creative outlet for the city's art and music communities. Its mission is to increase public awareness and appreciation of Detroit's contemporary visual arts and music communities through exhibitions and educational programs. 5E and The Heru work collaboratively to support and mentor young up-and-coming local artists.

The groups believe that contemporary art and Hip Hop transcend international boundaries and involve all forms of visual expression, including painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, illustrated books, photography, architecture, design, film and video. They also embrace new art forms, which reflect and explore the artistic issues of today, but are yet to be developed or understood.

“It was awesome to see the 5 Elements Gallery space open again,” said DFY Coordinator Alia-Harvey Quinn. “5 Elements Gallery has been a partner on the deepest level, before the Detroit Future work even formally began. As a member of the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition, 5 Elements Gallery helped create the vision for this work. It has been an honor to support them and the work they do with young people.”

DFY Youth discuss principles during a breakout session

Following an opening reception catered by Akila Muhammad's Sunflower Mama's Vegan Catering featuring locally grown organic food, the gathering broke out into workshops to discuss each of the groups' seven power principles. Those principles are: cultivating self knowledge and awareness, recognizing self as the beginning of community, deliberately practicing positive and productive expressions, respecting organic learning and all intelligence, positively creating reality to empower others, nurturingly inspiring accountability, and growing substantial infrastructure to help the community flourish.

The gathering then reconvened to creatively share their reflections on the principles. The innovative ways of presenting those reflections ranged from call-and-response, to skits, to improvised rhyme saying. That was followed by a presentation on collaborative economics by Detroit Future's Jaun Martinez, who is also a member of the Beehive Collective. Cooperative economics is one of the core principles shared by DFY, 5E and The Heru. As part of the DFY Collective the groups have been partnering to develop cooperative economic models developed by area youth.

“It was informative, interactive, completely in line with our principles as well as the principles of the Detroit Future Collective,” said Carter. “It was fun for all.”

The fun didn't stop there as the event was highlighted by a non-stop fashion show accompanied by DJ Sicari's music with 5E/Heru artists King Kold, Taneesha Fashion, Bryce Anderson-Smalls and Kadiri “Sirius” Dobey taking the mic. King Kold performed “Let 'em Know.” Young Teneesha stole the show with her performance of “It's Me,” and Bryce and Kadiri brought down the house with a new version of their food justice anthem “Bootleg Food.”

5E member struts his stuff during fashion show

“As far as 5E/Heru we are structuring our programming more,” Carter said. “We will have slightly more formal skill learning with regard to media creation, software, principle building, media literacy, constructing messages, building issue based campaigns, refining media skills, critiquing our work, researching facts, etc. Our way is more organic and we will continue with this organic style of facilitating as well as include a consistent time for structured learning activities.”

The January gathering marked a milestone in the progress of the DFY Network. Coordinators said they are looking forward to deepening the work of the network for the remainder of the programs funding cycle.

“One of the overarching goals of Detroit Future Youth is to facilitate deepened relationships among the partners,” Harvey-Quinn said. “We do this largely through gatherings, which are hosted on a rotating basis by one of the partnering organizations and attended by all the other organizations. I think this gathering proved that relationships are deepening.

“It was great to see youth from different organizations, backgrounds, neighborhoods, and ethnicities dancing and having fun together. And for Detroit Future Youth, working to deepen relationships is not just about creating feel-good-moments; we work to deepen relationships to increase our capacity and sustainability. At the end of this 16 month funding period, because of the time spent together, these groups should be comfortable attending each others workshops, sharing curriculum, partnering, asking for support and offering support. Facilitating deepened relationships means that our work will continue even if funding is unavailable.”

For more information on the groups involved in this event visit: 5egallery.org, theheru.org, detroitmuralfactory.com or youth.detroitfuture.org or Sunflower Mama at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SunflowerMamas-Vegan-catering-and-Gluten-free-soups/375886795760794?ref=ts&sk=wall.

Whole Note Healing Collective a work in progress at CCC

2012-02-29T08:39:00.004-05:00

Photo by Metal Mountain Arts

DETROIT -- The Whole Note Healing Collective is a cooperative community space organized by activists, healers, health practitioners and health and healing justice organizers. The collective includes leaders and advocates in Yoga, Reiki, Acudetox (Ear Acupuncture), Eco-psychology, Massage, Full Spectrum Reproductive Services, Belly Dance, Conflict Resolution and more. All members of this diverse group have multiple skills, offered as gifts to the community at large and are leaders in their own right.

Whole Note is a work in progress (and always will be). Currently, they are doing extensive research on health & healing initiatives around the country and gathering information on principles, guidelines, and operating procedures. All recommendations are welcome. In the meantime, Whole Note is working on designating space at the Cass Corridor Community Commons (C3) and offering select services.

Services available

Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that a "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

Reiki was rediscovered by a Japanese man, Dr. Mikai Usui. Its history is ancient and the concepts are present in several cultures.

While individual treatments will always be available, Whole Note will also be offering group Reiki healing in a shared, community space. Reiki Thursdays will be a collective healing space because we are inspired to heal together. Reiki Thursdays will be offered in one large room with individual treatment areas set-up for separate treatments. Stay tuned for more information.

Individual or group Reiki treatments can be scheduled by emailing: Reikithursdays@gmail.com.

Healing Belly Dance

Belly Dance classes are offered on Monday, Friday and Saturday. They are taught with a focus on empowering women (and others) to connect with their brightest self. Basic Belly Dance techniques are taught by using North African rhythms and encourage participants to accept their bodies just as they are. Belly Dance is for every woman's/person’s body.

For more information, contact Sanaa at thehealingbellydancer@yahoo.com 313.478.3920.

Update and Upcoming

The Good Vibrations Wellness Fair and Fundraiser has been postponed until April. Plans are underway for a city-wide fast and holistic health fair fundraiser. As details for this event and others become available, they will be posted in Whole Note’s calendar: http://wholenotehealing.wordpress.com/.

DFY Reimagines Leadership at Detroit Future in December

2012-01-25T08:12:00.000-05:00

Examples of Emergence

DETROIT -- Organizations and community members from across Detroit came together on Saturday December 10th for a day of discussion and community building. Featuring two events put on by Detroit Future Youth (DFY), the day focused on examining what kind of leadership is necessary to change and rebuild Detroit. DFY is facilitating a network creation process that aims to strengthen and deepen youth social justice organizing in Detroit by partnering with and supporting youth programs that focus on justice based education and multimedia creation.

The day began at The Cass Corridor Commons with the Reimagining Organizing, Movements, Leadership event. Centering the voices of community members, the event asked participants to imagine what cooperative, shared leadership, vision based (not just focusing on a specific “enemy” to stand against), small scale type of organizing might look like. Organizers took their inspiration from the scientific theory of “emergence,” where the patterns and systems that arise out of groups of individuals working together with no one directing and no one able to predict what pattern or system will emerge from the groups working together. Birds flocking together or schools of fish swimming together are examples of emergence in nature.

Contrary to the standard opinion that without a central leader making decisions for everybody else, chaos would ensue, the theory of emergence points out that complex and significant work is accomplished repeatedly throughout the natural world without having a central leader. But it’s not that there is no leader--it’s that every player in the “emergence” acts as a leader. Or, as co-organizer Adrienne Maree Brown succinctly stated, “We need a leaderful movement instead of a leaderless movement.”

The second event of the day shifted over to the Allied Media Project’s office at the Furniture Factory. Focusing on youth leadership, participants shared a meal together, then broke into groups to work through various questions like, “What makes a great leader?” and “When have you been a leader?” Youth in the room were overflowing with answers, pointing out that, “Great leaders believe in the people they’re working with,” “They step in and help others work out their mistakes,” and “They are trustworthy and trusting of others.” Youth also noted that great leaders don’t always try to lead; that they also give up control and let others lead as well.

The day finished with music and poetry performances from community members. Invincible performed songs off her new project, “Complex Movements”. Youth string players from Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s Rosa Parks program helped her to perform her song “Apple Orchards”, and Rosa Parks youth dancers demonstrated their moves for the song “Detroit Summer”.

Other performers included: King Cold, Jade, DJ El Nina, Tanisha, DJ Sicari, and Bryce from 5E/Heru. Phresh Pharoah, Tederial Hall (youth co-host), Domonique Baul and Dontai Mitchell represented from Vanguard. Patrick Geans and Kadiri Sennifer represented from EMEAC, and Isaac Miller from Detroit Future Schools also performed.

The intergenerational performances helped to illustrate what entire communities can do when they move together.

Durban Climate Change Summit report back: 'We have to do it ourselves.'

2012-01-24T19:47:00.005-05:00


EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey (far left)

DETROIT -- Following attending the 2011 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban South Africa, EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey expressed both disappointment with the official outcome, and encouragement with the networking done as a delegate for the Grassroots Global Justice (GGJ) alliance during her January 12 report back to the Detroit environmental Justice community at the Cass Corridor Commons.

"We basically felt like this was a farce and that nothing came out of it. We realized that if anything is going to get done, we have to do it ourselves," Maxey said. "There was a press conference at the end basically to call out the United States and Canada because they basically stalled negotiations."

The UNFCCC's 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP) was designed to uphold the 1997 Kyoto Protocols aimed at reducing the world's carbon emissions and reduce climate change. The UN's stated purpose for having the annual COP is to assess progress toward implementing the Kyoto Protocols, an international environmental treaty signed by 191 nations and requiring countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent between 2008-2012. Of the signatories to the treaty, the United States is the only one not to ratify the treaty, and Canada has stated its intention to withdraw all together.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, "The Durban conference ended on (December 9, 2011) with a last-ditch deal whereby developed and developing countries will for the first time work on an agreement that should be legally binding on all parties, to be written by 2015 and to come into force after 2020." http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/12/durban-climate-change-conference-2011-southafrica

The Protocol was initially adopted on December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, and entered into force in February of 2005.

"If you read the news the entire time we were there, it said India and China stalled the negotiations, and kept things from going forward, but the U.S. was behind the scenes making sure that no decision came out of it," Maxey said. "Most countries wanted the Kyoto Protocol to continue however the U.S. and Canada did not. Canada pulled out of negotiations and the U.S. threatened to."

Maxey, who also attended last year's COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico as part of the GGJ delegation with EMEAC Executive Director Diana Copeland, was also concerned to see the U.N. leave in place controversial "carbon trading" agreements such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation Degradation (REDD) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

"Their solution is basically to monetize and commodify trade pollution around the world. That is the majority of what happens inside COP," she said. "Within COP there is a lot of negotiating and lobbying. It is similar to local politics except on a much larger scale.

"REDD essentially is where polluting countries or developed countries like the U.S., Canada, and those of the EU can purchase credits in developing countries like Ecuador or the Philippines. We purchase carbon credits from them, and continue to pollute here in the U.S., in communities like Southwest Detroit. REDD is also affecting forest communities in poor developing countries. Indigenous peoples who have lived on their lands for hundreds of years are being removed or tricked into selling their land."

Similar to her experience at COP 16, it was outside the conference halls among other grassroots organizations and activists from around the world that Maxey found solidarity in what South Africans call "civil society spaces." During their stay, GGJ stayed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which lies among hills in South Durban. While there the GGJ delegation (consisting of 14 people from California, New York, Oregon and areas across the U.S.) met with members of the South Durban Environmental Alliance who took conference attendees on a "toxic tour" of the area.

"Oil refineries are polluting a lot in Detroit along with other industries. It's basically the same in South Durban. That's where their polluters are," Maxey said. "They have paper mills. They have refineries. They are located close to schools and their environmental regulation is a lot more lax than ours. You can see how close the homes are to the refinery. Maxey opened her presentation by showing slides comparing the oil refineries in South Durban to the ones here in Southwest Detroit. She also met with people from India, Central America and Africa who were fighting their own environmental justice struggles similar to Detroiters around food sovereignty and waste incineration.

"New Africa launched a food sovereignty alliance. I think food sovereignty seems to be the issue that is really hitting everyone everywhere. I think we can learn a lot from other people in that regard," she said.

The learning also extends to India where "waste pickers" are fighting to keep out incinerators in favor of people-powered efforts at zero waste.

"I also wanted to be in consolidation with the other Zero Waste groups," Maxey said. "The waste pickers and Zero Waste movements are in alignment because we are both being threatened by incinerators. Companies are coming into these developing countries to put in waste-to-energy incinerators, and these wastepickers are saying 'we don't need you, we can handle our country's waste just fine without you' ". International wastepicker groups tout the idea of zero waste, and work to recycle and compost as much trash as they can. There is a lot the U.S. can learn from these developing countries.

Other issues addressed at the grassroots level were uplifting real solutions to environmental injustice and the threat of climate change by groups like La Via Campasina and the Indigenous Environmental Network. Together with other grassroots organizations from around the world, they began the conference with a 10,000 person march through Durban and a press conference afterwards.

"We are a national alliance of grassroots organizations. We are working to building a popular movement for peace, and democracy in a sustainable world," Maxey said. "Our overall goal was to ask the U.S. State Department to set real emission reduction targets, and follow the Cochabamba Peoples Agreement. The Agreement sets a target of reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent. We also wanted the U.S. to stop pushing false solutions such as carbon trading.

Greener Schools Family Dinner Nights engaging students and parents around healthy eating

2012-01-24T19:34:00.004-05:00

DETROIT -- Building off a successful start to close 2011, more EMEAC Greener Schools Family Dinner Night events are in the works at Nsoroma Institute and Palmer Park Preparatory Acadmey (P3A) in early 2012 according to program coordinators Sanaa Green and Priscilla Dziubek. Both schools have hosted a pair of the special workshops aimed at educating the community on the dangers of childhood obesity and the pending 2012 U.S. Farm Bill.
"Family Dinner Nights have gone pretty well," said Green. "We've done two at Palmer Park Preparatory Academy and then two an Nsoroma. Each one has been considerably different. We hope to communicate some of the primary considerations of the Farm Bill. We want to show the parents how the Farm Bill affects them directly. It affects school lunch. It affects the foods we are able to buy."
The Greener Schools team hosted the first P3A Family Dinner Night October 27. It included a review of and discussion of the teen produced video, "Green Pepper and the Liquor Store." On November 9, the Greener Schools team hosted the initial Family Dinner Night at Nsroma. Before the end of the year, there was another December 14 and 15. Up to 20 people attended and the student prepared dinners.
"More students attended than we expected. We thought it would be just adults. Some students were great contributors to the conversation about the Farm Bill," Green said. "
"At P3A we talked about the Farm Bill and the school lunches and the eighth graders were very interested and concerned about the having the healthy choices that they want for lunch. They were very energized about it and Family Dinner Night was a way to get what we were teaching the students in class and share that with the parents. The ultimate goal is to reduce childhood obesity, so there has to be family involvement,"
The Family Dinner Nights at Nsoroma Institute, an African-centerd charter school in east Detroit, has been particularly well received organizers said.
"I think the main difference between P3A and Nsoroma is that at Nsoroma a part of their curriculum is talking about food," Dziubek said. "They do food sovereignty work. At P3A we have the garden and the children come to the lab and work on all our environmental projects, so we are trying to target some of the younger kids.
"We have the preschool program (at P3A) where parents come every day but the parents are very busy. We've had a couple of people that have come to both of them, but that's just what we have to start building the relationships that we have to get more parents involved. We are working in the schools, and we look at the Family Dinner Nights as an opportunity to draw in more of the community and get more information out through the community."
Nia-Joy added that Nsoroma's emphasis on culture has made the Family Dinner Night's there particularly enjoyable.
"Especially at Nsoroma, the parents are really interested," she said. "They came and stayed the whole session. We also had a lot of children come and they participated in the discussions about the Farm Bill and contributed quite a bit to the discussion.
"The culture Nsoroma is different too. It's a charter school so the parents like to be engaged in the philosophy of the school. Since they are already interested in healthy eating and healthy living, they already like the notion of food justice. When they come in everyday, they are involved in the culture of the school. Even though we haven't had an overwhelming number of parents come, we've been pleased with the turn out.
The next round of Family Dinner Nights are being planned for February and March. The exact dates are yet to be finalized but the community event at Nsroma will be catered by Peoples Community Kitchen, which is one of EMEAC's partners in the Cass Corridor Commons. The Environmental lab at P3A is actually the former home economics room and has plenty of preparation space. Eighth grade students at both schools will help prepare the meal as part of the youth leadership development initiative.
"What we are going to do next is move to having Angela Newsom from Peoples Community Kitchen to actually prepare the main course," Green said. "She's going to come and prepare the meal and give recipes on healthy eating that their parents can use for themselves.
"The eight graders are actually being trained now to work with the pre-schoolers and the kindergarteners. We are working to get the message out about the importance of good health and fighting against childhood obesity to not only the students but also the parents. If we can sandwich that information between the youth and their parents,

YEA Team hosts Feed1 Teach1 at Cass Community Commons

2012-01-24T19:26:00.004-05:00

YEA Team kicks off Feed1 Teach 1 2011

DETROIT -- Approximately 70 people from the Detroit Metro area came out last month to the Cass Corridor Commons for the Young Educators Alliance (YEA) Feed1 Teach1 special community conversation and dinner focusing on the recent public assistance cutbacks enacted by Governor Rick Snyder.
"The Feed1 Teach1 event couldn't of been better, it turned out exactly how we planned it," said YEA Team Leader Siwatu-Salama Ra. "We are a youth leadership team that understands the importance of equality and justice for our community, and the knowledge that when a bias time reaches us as a people, we have the resources to pull together and educate ourselves. When Governor Snyder Announced the Cash Assistance Cut backs, the Young Educators Alliance felt that the time was now to hold a community event to first have a conversation and second to determine what action should be taken."
The event began with a special meal prepared by the YEA team with the support of People's Community Kitchen Detroit. The YEA team then did a series of presentations around the social justice effects of the cutbacks, and later held a panel discussion with YEA Team members who range in age from 21 to 15.

YEA team members are Salama Ra, Roger Boyd, Paris Smith, Raven Roberts, Anthony Grimmett, DeRaina Stinson, Sabrin Salaam, Donovin Murray, Elayne Elliot, Noelle Frye and Malik Harris. The team worked with Peoples Kitchen Detroit to prepare the special meal served during the event.
"(YEA) facilitated a great dialogue about the effects of recent welfare cuts, and what we can do to feed ourselves without having to rely on the government," said EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey who also works with YEA through EMEAC's Stand Up Speak Out (SUSO) program. "I think the event was really well received by the community.
"For some of them this was their first time facilitating large groups, and the facilitation training they received from Diana and William Copeland beforehand was a real help. I was especially proud of some of the YEA team members like Malik Harris, who are usually really quiet, that took the opportunity to speak up about welfare cuts."
Following the panel discussion, YEA Team conducted two popular education exercises. Team members later broke into pairs to lead separate small group discussions on several topics of concern for those in attendance. Attendees at the event ranged a wide selection of community members including attorneys, educators, activist, parents, civil servants and homeless families.

Anthony Grimmett and Paris Smith at breakout session

"A part worth mentioning that went on behind scenes is that, before the Feed1 Teach1 event started, there was a moment when the whole team stepped outside with flyers in hand," Salama Ra said. "They were encouraging people off the streets to come and be heard in addressing the welfare cut backs while enjoying a delicious meal supporting healthy home cookings for Detroit families. During the last minute outreach we pulled in more community members, activists and one lawyer who was delighted to stay in touch and provide services.
"I definitely want to brag on The YEA team for doing such a hard task so beautifully. There were three months of planning and getting organized. Every YEA session for two months was filled with strong dialogues around the new governmental plan which helped the YEA team comfortably speak about the subject. During the Feed1 Teach, the YEA team did a substantial amount of facilitation, and it opened a safe space where everyone's voice was heard."

Siwatu leads closing discussion

The evening ended with everyone coming back together to hear report outs from the smaller group discussions. Afterwards, community members shared some closing thoughts and SUSO Youth Program Coordinator William Copeland shared a poem.
Special take home food bags with the recipe and ingredients for the Feed1 Teach1 meal were also available after the event.
"Everyone Coming together during such hard times and listening to one another making connections was definitely important," Salama Ra said. "Knowing there are people ready and willing to make a change to better our communities and promoting independence from governmental reliance is also important. Young people and older people coming together, having conversation, explaining to one another the type of support they need from each other to keep the strength to move forward is what's needed right now. We ended the event with the comment of 'Lets not stop here! Let's keep the conversation going. Let this not be the last time we meet. That sent the message to everyone that they are welcome back to the Commons and support EMEAC programs."

Building relationships; not gentrification is the way to enter community

2012-01-24T19:02:00.001-05:00

Siwatu Salama-Ra (left) on Model D Gentrification panel

Since I arrived in Detroit just over a year ago, it's been hard not to notice that the question of gentrification has been one of the city's more hotly debated topics. About a month ago, my youthful colleague Siwatu Salama-Ra, EMEAC's youth team leader, ably shared her perspective as a born-and-raised Detroiter at an event sponsored by Model D on December 14 at the Virgil Carr Center.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend that event in support EMEAC's point person with the Young Educators Alliance (YEA) but it was heartening to read via Twitter later how Siwatu held her own in the discussion with a decidedly pro-gentrification panel and audience. Then again, Siwatu is the daughter of one of Detroit's matrons of environmental justice, the Sierra Club's Rhonda Anderson, and as such she's been exposed to Detroit's trench battles all her life.
I'm sure Siwatu derived some of her poise and grace in addressing the issue from particular incident which happened over the summer when Siwatu and the YEA team tried to visit the North Cass Community Garden during EMEAC's Summer Camp activities. The YEA team has since gone on to win the Spirit of Detroit Award for their role in the city's Youth Environmental Green Summit and hold an innovative youth-led community discussion on Detroit's future called Feed1 Teach1 in December. They got a first hand experience with the ugly side of gentrification when they were denied a visit to the garden on the pretext that "there had been some recent thefts" for which the garden's guardian somehow surmised they were or would be responsible for.
When a meeting was arranged later by community members to discuss the incident, a spokesperson for the "community" garden said that while she was sorry for the incident, the North Cass Community Garden did indeed NOT see themselves as part of the community -- rather elites coming into the community -- and that despite the garden's name, no one should mistake that the North Cass Community Garden wasn't in fact a community garden.
So after reading a particularly well-written piece headlined "Lost in Detroit: A Gentrifier's Story," by Tommy Simon on HuffPost Detroit, I thought I'd weigh in on the subject as someone else who recently moved into the city.
While I enjoyed reading Simon's piece very much, and appreciated the way he seemed sensitized to the criticisms of the current move toward gentrification in the area formerly known as the Cass Corridor, there was a sense of entitlement implicit in statements like:
"I am not saying you should feel worse for me than the single working mother... who has to decide between buying medication for her ailing mother or food for her children. I am simply saying that I want to be an employee... I want a job. And not just for me, but for my droves of partially employed friends, who are also gentrifying Detroit."
Wasn't the whole purpose of bringing in a creative class that they would find ways to create economic opportunities for themselves? Maybe that's what the elites at the North Cass Garden call what they're doing, although there's no shortage of other successful urban farms which manage to pull it off without iron gates and or elite status. As for Mr. Simon and friends, I'm not sure whether they consider themselves elite or not, but there definitely seems to be the same sense of entitlement and privilege.
In essence, what we got from this enterprising young writer and humorist was a very unique and creative job application. For that you've got to give him props, but on second look his cluelessness about how to respectfully enter a community speaks to what's wrong with the same gentrifying mentality that doomed the initial roll outs of the Detroit Works Projects.
For starters, I'm sure Simon and his "droves of partially employed but well-educated friends" were well aware coming into Detroit that the "good old days called the 90s" were made obsolete when many of their suburban parents supported political candidates that supported the exportation of the city's manufacturing base and tax holidays for the businesses whose record profits derived primarily from those jobs going to slave wage-having, no-union having, no-environmental regulation-having countries around the globe. So announcing yourself as a Tommy-come-lately who deserves a job at a time when thousands of hard-working, well-educated Detroiters are losing theirs may not be a successful strategy.
Of course, Mr. Simon and his friends are only going on what they've been told by the true gentrifiers. These are the same real estate and banking interests that have played the political shell game for decades by preying on white fears of integrated communities and profiting handsomely off white flight, giving us the urban sprawl we have today. Now that they've run out of room going outward, the game goes back to buying up undervalued real estate in the city and luring the children of suburbia back into the city with a narrative that casts you all as prodigal sons and daughters returning as saviors who will clean up the city and make it livable again just by gracing us all with your presence.
The only problem is that the slick ad campaigns the true gentrifiers are taking out in newspapers in New York and other over gentrified, over priced cities where many citizens increasingly can no longer afford to live, are selling you rotten tomatoes. They appeal to your pioneering heritage with the idea that, like the whole continent once was, Detroit is in Tommy's words "a land of opportunity and open space." Sure we all do want to live in safe and clean communities, but it would be helpful if political leaders understood that the tax dollars paying their salaries would best invested first in the people and programs that have already (again in Tommy's words) "become a part of their neighborhood, support their local businesses, and work hard like everyone else." Investing first and foremost in the people who have a proven, genuine stake in the city would seem like a much better way to spend the city's money.
As for us commoners moving into the city, the way for us to become Detroiters is by identifying ourselves with the residents that are here, as opposed to the gentrification crowd. From my own experience as a New Age Arkansas traveler and global nomad, I've always found it much more satisfying personally and professionally to enter a community by focusing on building relationships. Frankly I can't identify with anything that presumes I'm owed anything just by virtue of my presence alone. As a college educated veteran of two branches of the U.S. military, I often found myself working for below average wages all too often. My payoff was in the service to that the particular community and the relationships that I built in the process.
Whether it was as a navy chaplain's assistant in Oakland, California, a literacy program coordinator and later a corporate trainer in Silicon Valley, a journalist in rural Arkansas, a sports writer in Memphis, a teacher in the Caribbean or an environmental justice advocate in Detroit, I've always seemed to manage to find a home and employment even in the worst of economic circumstances. But make no mistake about it, that's always been possible by building relationships and getting to know people who challenged me to move beyond my comfort zones.
So the one thing I would suggest to would-be gentrifiers like Tommy and friends is don't believe the hype. Detroit doesn't need elitist gentrifiers who are looking for opportunities to benefit only themselves, but citizens who will get in the trenches and help rebuild the city from the ground up. I gave up a rewarding job making twice what I do now in a unique and beautiful part of the world to come to Detroit. In the interest of full disclosure, it was because I happened to fall in love with "the prettiest girl on the west side." To which her reply was "Only the west side?" Still I truly believe that there's no better way than to enter community than building relationships.
Since being here, I'm amazed at the quality of people and opportunities I see every day. Those sustainable opportunities are being created at the human level, but of course, you have to have your feet planted firmly in the ground in order to see them. From on high, they are much more likely to miss them.

DFY set for monthlty gathering with 5E/Heru around cooperative economics

2012-01-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

5E and the Heru will host the January DFY gathering

On January 28th, the art and media based organizations 5 Elements Gallery and Heru in partnership with Detroit Mural Factory will team up with Detroit Future Youth to host the latest monthly gathering of youth centered Detroit based organizers. The gathering will be the 8th in a year long series of gatherings that aim to help youth organizers become more familiar with the work of other youth organizers in Detroit. This month's gathering will focus on 5e Gallery, the HERU and Detroit Mural Factory's collaborative run youth leadership project called the BUSinESS Program, whose work focuses around cooperative economics. Cooperative economics as these organizations define it is an economic system whereby individual communities can be self-sustaining and autonomous.
"We have assessed that our community's greatest need is to be able to depend on it's community members and local natural resources for positive sustainable growth and development,” said Heru organizer, Bryce. “Our communities want to live abundantly through the practice of 'working together' to create mutually-exclusive revenue-generating endeavors, with zero dependence on or hinderance to economic growth based on the lack of fiat currency.”
In an effort to better demonstrate how cooperative economics can work within the community, the event will include among other highlights, a community marketplace. The marketplace will encourage community members to practice the skill of "going to market" as both consumers and sellers by bringing products with them to the gathering that they can then trade with others in a fair and equal way. But the marketplace is not simply about “economic trade.” It will also help to grow and develop a new understanding of individual and community identity. As Bryce says, "The community marketplace is necessary because through these, we grow in our practice of identifying as creators, skilled persons, entrepreneurs, and simply establishing community marketplaces serves as physical proof that we can and will create our own economic opportunities."
A highlight of the gathering will be a fashion show that will feature the outfits and various fashion skills of community members. The show is expected to be fun, but also to act as a real life situation that can best demonstrate how community members can use media for their own means. As Bryce says, "being that fashion for us is considered a form of mass-media (using textiles, apparel, and design brands to communicate specific social messages) this fashion show/concert was a great, natural, and highly engaging way for us to fuse our respective organizational capacities, create products cooperatively, and further the community conversation on what cooperative economics looks like and how easy, effective, and impactful it is to work collectively.”
The gathering is being co-organized by Detroit Future Youth (DFY), a program that aims to strengthen and deepen youth social justice organizing in Detroit by partnering with and supporting youth programs that focus on justice based education and multimedia creation.
As always, youth will take center stage in the gathering. Not only will they be participants, but they will also help to organize and run the fashion show and will even be doing music performances. As Bryce notes, centralizing youth is essential to helping to change Detroit for the better.
“Youth are the key players in the creation of a divine Detroit being that they literally are the population whose future will most directly be affected by our present adult decisions. It is the youth, with their unbridled imagination and perception of invincibility, that will fearlessly create new ideas to shape our Detroit's new path of love, community, and sustainability.”
The gathering will be held from 4-8 pm at 5e Gallery (2661 Michigan Ave). Prior to the youth gathering community members of all ages are invited to attend a community dialogue at the space from 12-3pm. Both the gathering and the community dialogue are open to the public, but people are encouraged to RSVP to youth@DetroitFuture.org to insure enough space and food is available.
Next month's gathering will be held on February 25th and will feature the work of Detroit Impact.

5E, Nsoroma take home top honors at 2011 Green Screen Youth Film Festival

2011-12-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

Representatives of Nsoroma Institute, Five Elements
Gallery and the Ruth Ellis Center receive their awards
following Green Screen V

DETROIT -- Approximately 200 community members turned out to attend EMEAC’s Fifth Annual Green Screen Youth Environmental Film Festival on November 17 inside the General Motors Theater of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. “The Launch of the Detroit Youth Food Justice Taskforce” presented by The Five Elements Gallery took home top honors while “The Defenders,” presented by the Ashante Moja Class of Nsoroma Institute, about community members waging a legal campaign against the Detroit Incinerator took home second place honors.

“We had a record number of supporters for this year's Green Screen and for that we are extremely grateful,” said EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady. “This was a very exciting Green Screen as we were celebrating its 5th anniversary which is a milestone of sorts! The decision to hold it at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History reflected our commitment to supporting Detroit and was exciting for the young people to have their work showcased in such an elegant setting. From the responses I got, Green Screen V was a hit for youth and adults alike.”

EMEAC's Lottie Spady, left, and Piper Carter address
the Green Screen audience

Also winning awards during Green Screen V were the Ruth Ellis Center for “Not Alone and Our Shoes” in the Best Environmental Justice Documentary Media category about anti-bullying efforts on behalf of Lesbian Bi-sexual Gay Trans-gender and Queer youth. EMEAC’s Young Educators Alliance won the Innovative Media EJ Media Award for “The Liquor Store and the Green Pepper” about access to quality food outlets in Detroit. The Most Creative Food Justice Music Video went to The Heru Organization and Five Elements Gallery featuring the Gardening Activism Media and Education Summer Camp for “Bootleg Food.” The Inter-Generational Media Award went to the Palmer Park Academy Environmental Lab for their oral histories project featuring the Gardening Angels of Hannan House.

Detroit Summer’s LAMP Project won the Innovative Environmental Solutions Category for “Another Detroit is Happening.” The Innovative Food Justice Media category was won by The Lathrup Village Children's Garden 4H and Video Club for “Green Fridays” on the subject of healthy eating choices. Project Achieve’s “Green Screen Project” on relandscaping Southwest Detroit won for Best Innovative Environmental Justice Media. The Innovative Environmental Media Solutions and Best Youth Artistic Approach to EJ Media went to Nosroma Institute for “The Pollution Haters,” “The Pollution King,” “From the Present to the Past,” and “Stop Polluting My Earth!” The Nsoroma MC’s also won the Best Environmental Justice Video for “Pollution! Solution! Revolution!” which was also themed around the Detroit Incinerator.

The Defenders

“I know the group Zero Waste Detroit was very excited to see so much youth media around the incinerator and it was very encouraging to see the work being undertaken by Project Achieve to build awareness around environmental justice issues in River Rouge,” Spady said. The Lathrup Village Children's Garden 4H and Video Club never disappoints, and their entry, Green Fridays, which ‘turned over a new leaf’ for school lunches was well received.

“It was very exciting to see how our young people express themselves through music and song and the music video category was rocking with all hands in the air to Bootleg Food and Pollution! Solution! Revolution! But what I feel is one of the key evolutions of Green Screen is the definition of ‘environment’ and recognizing that it is all of the elements that comprise where you live, work, play, and learn and your ability to be safe, happy, and healthy there. The entries from Ruth Ellis Center reflecting the challenges LGBTQ youth face around bullying really shared a timely and sensitive look at safety as environment.”

Sponsors for the 2011 Green Screen V event were Alldrink, Allied Media Projects, Avalon Bakery, Barnes & Noble College WSU Campus, Boggs Center, Building A Movement, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Food Policy Council, Detroit Future Youth Network, Earthworks Urban Farms and Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Great Lakes Bioneers, Gregg Newsome, Detroit City Council Member Kenneth Cockrel Jr and the Detroit City Council Green Task Force, Hugh McDiarmid, IHM Sisters of Monroe Michigan, John King Used and Rare Books, Kathryn Lynch Underwood, Laura Lein, Lou Novak, Marwil Bookstore, Inc, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Mike Spencer, Motor City Brewery, People's Community Kitchen Detroit, Project South, Robinson Oil Company, Inc, Starbucks, Sugar Law Center, WSU Blimpie, WSU La Pita Mediterranean and Zero Waste Detroit. Together these individuals, organizations and businesses donated over $2,400 to support EMEAC’s environmental justice work in Southeastern Michigan.

The Nsoroma MC's Michael, Antonio and Sean
in Pollution Solution Revolution!

Having established Green Screen as a Detroit-based event, EMEAC plans to host next year’s youth film festival inside the David Blair Grassroots Community Theater at EMEAC’s new home inside the Cass Corridor Community Commons, formerly the First Unitarian Universalist Church, at the corner of Forest and Cass Avenue. The facility is currently being refurbished under the direction of long-time Detroit cultural arts organizer Oya Amakisi, who has organized the annual Detroit Women of Color Film Festival and run the Detroit Grassroots Community Arts Theater.

“By Green Screen VI, we will be housed in the David Blair Grassroots Community Theater in the Cass Corridor Commons. Green Screen will have landed so to speak,” Spady said. “I see that leading to more community screenings throughout the year as well. Our media production workshops keep growing in reach so, I look forward to having at least one entry for each of our collaborative partner workshops next year!”

Peoples Water Board concerned about possibility that Cox decision opens door to water privatization

2011-12-01T12:13:00.001-05:00

DETROIT -- Despite a long history of legal decisions to the contrary, specific language handed down in the November 4 federal consent decree by Federal Circuit Judge Sean Cox could lead to the eventual privatization of all the assets of the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) according to members of the Detroit Peoples Water Board Coalition.

On page eight of Cox’s ruling, the following sentence that is found on the root cause committee letter adopted by Judge Cox.

“As a by-product of this decision, it is also clear that DWSD cannot be expected to fully comply with the Charter provisions related to Privatization (Charter Section 6-307)."

“That is very scary. That is unconstitutional. That destroys the Home Rule Charter Provision. It also effectively renders the voice of the people null and void,” said Peoples Water Board Commissioner at large Charity Hicks. “He’s effectively taken the door off the hinges to privatization the Detroit Water and Sewage Department’s Municipal Agency.”

The DWSD Home Rule Charter has very clear and direct language that says that the assets of the municipal authority of the peoples of the city of Detroit shall not be sold or transferred without the people’s consent directly. The charter also states that the DWSD, which provides water at discounted rates to much of the greater Detroit metropolitan area, must operate on a non-profit basis. Since the early part of the last century, special interests outside of the city have unsuccessfully sought to wrest control of the water system from the city.

Cox’s decision appears to be a clear departure from existing case law.

“What he’s effectively doing is creating a pathway to strike off and sale pieces of the system or the whole system in tact to private industry,” Hicks said. “What he’s doing is vacating the charter and that provision of the charter that says you can’t transfer or dispose of the people’s assets without the people’s permission.”

Cox’s decision was based off recommendations made by a root cause committee set up to look into the city’s compliance with a federal consent decree handed down in 1977 over the city’s violations of the Clean Water Act. PWB members say that instead of addressing pollution concerns, the judge along with city council members Charles Pugh and Gary Brown, who comprised the root cause committee, rendered a letter undermining the charter and attacking public unions.

Members of the Detroit Peoples Water Board
protest earlier this year

“This is nothing but a back room deal between Mayor (Dave) Bing and two City Councilpersons [Charles Pugh and Gary Brown], approved in secret by a Federal Judge,” AFSCME Local 207’s attorney, George Washington told the Michigan Citizen. “It has nothing to do with ending pollution and everything to do with busting unions under the authority of a Federal Court order.”

Hicks agreed.

“The City of Detroit’s Water and Sewage Department has been under a federal consent decree since 1977. That’s over 30 years of federal over sight. On Friday the fourth of November, the federal judge who is over seeing the case gave an opinion based upon a committee that he selected,” Hicks said. “Who’s on it is Chris Brown representing the mayor. The president of the Detroit City council, Charles Pugh. The president pro tem Gary Brown and James Fausone, representing Wayne County on the Board of Water Commissioners. Those four people met over a 60 to 90 day period and crafted together this memo supposedly underlying the root causes of the federal consent decree.

“The Detroit Waste Water Treatment Plant was violating the Clean Water Act. That’s how we entered into the federal consent decree that’s lasted over 30 years. But what happens is rather than talking about the abatement of pollution, they went straight for the jugular of the waste water treatment plant and the water system itself by talking governance, control and authority.”

In addition, the ruling literally destroyed all the collective bargaining agreements of all the employees of the water board by saying they will have to separately negotiate with the administrator according to Local 207 Secretary Treasurer Michael Mulholland.

“They didn’t mention pollution at all,” Hicks said. “They didn’t mention any strategies to come into

compliance with the Clean Water Act. They didn’t mention green or gray infrastructure. They didn’t mention any plan afoot to help strengthen the water department’s ability to buffer run off and comply with the Clean Water Act. It was all about blame the charter. Blame collective bargaining, as if that was the cause of the pollution.

“Those things have nothing to do with the pollution. We are polluting because we are not doing the system’s work to stop the pollution. But rather than deal with how we operate and look at why we are polluting, they just are out to destroy the city’s governance.

Hicks said the Peoples Water Board is seeking community support from all of Southeast Michigan to oppose any privatization of the city’s water system.

“We would like the community to help us keep the municipal enterprise agency that serves 120 communities,” she said. “Two to three million people receive their tap water from this source which is held in the commons and free from privatization.

“We want the water system that impacts our lives. We brush our teeth. We wash clothes. We all inhabit this region and the water should be held in the public trust. It should be free from privatization. That’s just point blank. Private concerns are private concerns, but because the water is a public concern, it should be publicly held. Nobody has the right to privatize such an important resource as water. Nobody.”

“What’s really interesting is we are are gearing up for a battle to maintain DWSD as the municipal enterprise agency that is run for the benefit of the public and not for the benefit of private interests. The Peoples Water Board is still working on access and affordability. We are still working on pollution and conservation, but right here the battle is about water being held in the public trust. There is this belief being propagated by private interest that the public is inefficient. There’s this belief that the public is corrupt. There’s this belief that the public is inept. All of that is false. Just because because a municipal authority that is not for profit controls an asset does not make it inefficient, corrupt or inept. Some things should be held in the public trust.”

Youth Food Justice Taskforce launches at North End Garden

2011-12-01T11:52:00.006-05:00

Ms. Sheila Johnson, Anthony Grimmett, Roger Boy
and EugeneMoore talk with community members
at the launch of the Youth Food Justice Taskforce

DETROIT -- The Detroit Youth Food Justice Taskforce officially launched on November 6 with a special work day event at the Moore Community Garden in Detroit’s North End neighborhood. Youth Food Justice Taskforce members were joined by the garden’s founder, Eugene Moore, other community members and youth from the Five Elements Gallery in hopes of revitalizing a neglected community resource.

“Of course we are just getting started,” said North End resident and co-founder of the Youth Food Justice Taskforce Anthony Grimmett. “This is a time for learning before we actually go out and start making moves in terms of food justice. I’m really excited to get out and to do as much as I possibly can.”

Grimmett, EMEAC Volunteer of the Quarter Roger Boyd and DeRaina Stinson are spearheading EMEAC’s foray into developing youth leadership in the city’s food justice work. All three are on EMEAC’s Young Educators Alliance (YEA) Team and will be working on upcoming events like the YEA Team’s Feed One/Teach One event focusing on organizing a community response to the recently enacted public assistance cut offs. The group has also worked to put together a series of Family Dinner Night events with local schools like Palmer Park Academy and Nsoroma Institute.

Eugene Moore of the Moore Community Garden

“They are really eager to take the lead and getting other young people to be a part of this organization,” said Sanaa Nia-Joy of EMEAC’s Greener Schools Program. “EMEAC is building up the foundation for the youth food justice taskforce. Once we have the foundational principles together and start deconstructing the Farm Bill, we’ll focus on developing a logo and trying to establish an online presence. Then, I think we will get more people in.”

During the launch the group worked on building a catch basin for the garden, putting the produce to bed for the winter and preparing the soil for the spring growing season. Their plan is to once again turn the garden into a valuable community resource by increasing the productivity of the garden and enlisting community members toparticipate in it’s upkeep.

If all goes well, the group envisions the garden being a source of fresh produce for the local food pantry, The Storehouse of Hope.

“The key thing was we focused on becoming more rooted to the Earth in that space where the garden is located,” Sanaa said. “We’ve put work into the community garden. We’ve put in a water catchment system, which is almost completed. We’ve put the garden to bed and we hope to expand the garden next spring to supply vegetables for the Storehouse of Hope. It’s just a few blocks from the garden.

Sanaa Nia Joy YFJTF EMEAC liason

“It went really well. I feel like it’s still in the process of jelling. We had the two young men that started this off with EMEAC and then the (Five Elements Gallery) came in with a couple of other youth. Our plan is to get the flyer out by December – especially to the Detroit Future Youth members that may be interested in participating. There were a lot of bright ideas that came out of the meeting with myself, Anthony and Roger. They are both artistic and they plan on creating somethings for the Youth Food Justice Taskforce as an earned income strategy.”

“Maybe that’s something they can set up as a cooperative. They’ll have the pride of making money from something they would have created that takes food justice from an adult perspective to a youth perspective. That could really let them put their mark on it which is really what youth leadership development is about. We want to create an environment where young people can thrive by using their gifts and talents in a way that furthers the mission.”

DFY received at special Green Room event prior to Green Screen V

2011-12-01T11:48:00.001-05:00

DETROIT -- With several of their member organizations submitting entries for the Fifth Annual Green Screen Youth Environmental Film Festival, Detroit Future Youth came together for their November gathering with a special Green Room reception to examine local environmental justice issues at the Plymouth United Church of Christ on November 17. Approximately 60 youth and community members representing the 12 organizations of the DFY Network came out to a special dinner prior to Green Screen and to take part in a series of EJ specific workshops.

“I thought the event went very well,” said DFY Coordinator Alia Harvey-Quinn. “One of Detroit Future Youth's goals is to foster inter-sectional movement building across social, media and environmental justice issues. So, I am very pleased that Green Room activities were meant to introduce people to environmental justice and to the work of EMEAC. I hope organizations that don't explicitly do environmental justice work are now beginning to see how it is inherently relevant to their mission and incorporate environmental justice work into the work of their organizations.”

Green Room participants rotated between three workshop presentations given by EMEAC staff. The workshops were the Recycle Relay, which looked at the benefits of curbside recycling in the city; the Tap Water Challenge, which is a taste test questioning the belief that bottled water is superior to tap water; and the Flip Camera Shuffle, which focuses on empowering community members to make their own media and tell their own stories.

“It’s always a great learning experience to work with DFY and it was energizing to host this event and give them a chance to get a closer look at the work we are doing here at EMEAC,” said EMEAC’s ReMedia Program Coordinator Patrick Geans-Ali. “The Green Room event kind of set the tone for what turned out to be our most successful Green Screen to date. The contributions to this year’s lineup by the Ruth Ellis Center, Detroit Summer, The Five Elements Gallery and The Heru played a big part in making it so.”

Both EMEAC and DFY are looking to build on their collaborations around youth media justice issues going forward. The opportunity to introduce EMEAC’s comprehensive approach to environmental justice, which includes all aspects of urban and rural environments as it relates to the human impact those environments have on people, allows for greater collaboration with all organizations concerned with social justice issues.

“While there was definitely a significant DFY presence in the Green Screen lineup, I think many more DFY organizations could have entered,” Harvey-Quinn said. “Over half of the organizations in DFY create films with their youth. However, I don't think all of them felt like their films were 'green' enough to be in the film festival.

“The fact is -- the vast majority of films created by DFY organizations deal with injustice, be it educational, economic or social, and many of these injustices would not exist if the setting was five miles north of Detroit. Even though we have explained the fact that that environmental justice work is broader than the physical work of bettering the natural environment, I think events like the Green Screen, which did feature environmental justice films that weren't solely about the physical environment, are now bringing that fact home for many people.”

The Green Room event closed with EMEAC Executive Director Diana Copeland and Associate Director Ahmina Maxey presenting a comprehensive look at EMEAC’s work in Southeast Michigan. Green Room also featured a live Twitter feed where attendees could tweet about the evenings events.

“I thought the event went really well. The turnout was really great with lots of DFY organizations present,” Maxey said. “It was exciting to have the opportunity to share the work EMEAC does with so many Detroit youth, and also to hear their ideas and feedback as they learned about environmental justice. In addition, I think having a live twitter feed during the event was a fun way to include social media in our work. Using the website monitter.com we were able to send live feed tweets at hashtags #greenscreen and #D_FY during the workshop.

“I would like to just thank Alia, Ilana (Weaver), Kim (Sherobi), Charity (Hicks), Diana, Sanaa (Nia-Joy), Patrick, Roger (Boyd), Siwatu (Salama-Ra), Alisha (Deen-Steindler), Paris (Smith), Raven (Roberts), Adrienne (Brown), and Angela (Newsom) for making the Green Room such a success! But really, the Green Room is a great event that as an organization we can really use again. The Recycle Relay, Tap Water Challenge, and Flip Camera Shuffle are great introductions to our three programs.”

Unitarians, EMEAC, MWRO strategize on standing up for families

2011-12-01T11:24:00.002-05:00

Gilda Jacobs gives her keynote address during the
Standing Up for Families conference

DETROIT -- With the recent government cut backs to cash assistance programs for poor families in the state of Michigan, the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Netowrk (MUUSJN) joined with the East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and other community groups in a series of workshops on November 20 to strategize about community responses at the Cass Corridor Community Commons or the First UU Church of Detroit.

Unitarian Universalists from congregations in Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Birmingham and Ann Arbor were among those that came together to address how they can stand up for families in the wake of what appears to be a first wave of austerity measures being imposed through out the state.

Gilda Jacobs, President of the Michigan League for Human Services, said, “Michigan has a crisis of conscience about the way it treats low income families." Jacobs, a former state representative, added that the state is cutting 25,000 families off public assistance during her keynote address. That is in addition to disabled persons who will now be cut from assistance after five years according to DHS Director Maura Corrigan.

Janet Peplin speaks during the Stand Up for Families
panel session as EMEAC's Charity Hicks, Kim Sherobi
and others listen on

“The Standing Up for Families and Kids workshop, co-sponsored by EMEAC, the Michigan UU Social Justice Network and three UU congregations, provided an anti-dote to that crisis of conscience," said MUUSJN Director Randy Block, "Workshop participants were introduced to the tough realities. They identified strategies to assist low income families and to challenge harsh policies that oppress them."

EMEAC's Charity Hicks agrees.

“None of the (politicians) really are confronted with the lived experience of people because they are cut off,” said Charity Hicks who also represented the Detroit Food Justice Taskforce and the Peoples Water Board Coalition during the workshops. “(Jacobs) talked about facts and how to measure the impact on people. She talked about how the average person affected by the cuts will be a seven-year-old child. That’s a second grader.”

UU discussion leader Raja Badran

Following Jacobs’ keynote, Janet Peplin of the Grosse Pointe UU Church spoke about their efforts to collect and distribute food to people in need. Hicks then spoke on the lived experience of local residents under going foreclosures and evictions. Hicks was followed by MWRO Co-Chair Marian Kramer on their efforts to organize a “Resurrection March” picket line each Thursday at noon outside the State of Michigan Building at 2044 West Grand Blvd.

The 68 people in attendance then broke up into separate groups to brain storm around action strategies and priorities going forward. The groups focused on two main topics: advocacy and community service.

“Afterwards, we talked about the need to be aware, to participate, to be present and to lift up the voice of people who are affected,” Hicks said. “We took questions on the end of wars. We talked about how mechanizations and computers have thrown people out of jobs. With those jobs not coming back, how do we restore community? People were interested in how to serve community. We had a question on some things that are currently working to promote the kind of values that we want to live.”

Maxey among 28 Michiganders presented with Voice of Justice Award by Sugar Law

2011-12-01T10:29:00.005-05:00

Ahmina Maxey and Dr. Tom Stephens on a recent EJ panel
discussion

DETROIT -- EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey was one of 28 Michigan residents presented with the Maurice Sugar Voice for Justice Award by the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice on November 16 during a special "Essential Advocacy for Community Justice" reception at the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. Maxey and 27 other private citizens of the state were recognized for their roles as plaintiffs in a legal action challenging Michigan's controversial Emergency Manager Law.

Joining Ahmina in receiving the award were Libby Brown of Jackson, Lori Christenson of Southfield, Jay Clancey of Negaunee, Betsy Coffia of Traverse City, Barbara Davenport of Pontiac, Barbara Ford of Detroit, Evelyn Foreman of Detroit, Dave Frederick of Montague, Hon. Juanita Henry of Benton Harbor, Dave Ivers of St. Clair Shores, Paul Jordan of Flint, Emma Kinnard of Benton Harbor, Maryion Lee of Flushing, Edith Lee-Payne of Detroit, Leslie Little of Detroit, Michelle Martinez of Southwest Detroit, Michael Merriweather of Ann Arbor, Pat O'Connor of Pontiac, Lisa Oliver-King of Grand Rapids, Tameka Ramsey of Pontiac, George and Brenda Reeber of Ludington, Sister Suzanne Sattler of Detroit, Marcia Sikora of Farmington Hills, Kym Spring of Grand Rapids, Jacquie Steingold of Detroit and Irene Wright of Pontiac. Their range of occupations include a Catholic nun, college professors, educators, psychologists, social workers, community organizers, wetlands biologists, college students, homemakers, business agents, a registered nurse, an anesthesia technician, an electrical contractor, an IT professional and retirees.

"They have all been phenomenal," said Sugar Law Executive Director Tova Perlmutter. "We have 28 people from all over the state. Some of them are from extremely beleaguered communities that already do have an emergency manager. Some of them are from communities that are at risk of having emergency managers. Some of them are from communities that probably won't have to cope with that because they are affluent, but every one of these individuals believe that this is an affront to their rights as a voter in the state of Michigan."

Also known as Public Act 4 or the "Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act", the Emergency Manager law stipulates that if the Governor designates a financial emergency for a city, he can appoint an Emergency Manager who has total control over the city’s operations—not just the finances.

When an Emergency Manager is in place, the governing body and chief administrative officer of the unit of local government are prohibited from exercising any of their powers of offices without written approval of the Emergency Manager, and their compensation and benefits are eliminated.

Within 45 days of appointment, an Emergency Manager must develop a written financial and operating plan.

In addition to other powers, an Emergency Manager may reject, modify, or terminate collective bargaining agreements, recommend consolidation or dissolution of units of local government.

Detroit, which has an 80 percent African American population by some estimates, is among the cities in the state under the threat of being imposed with an emergency manager. Benton Harbor, which has an over 90 percent African American population, is among those already under the measure's authority.

"Although I did not grow up in Detroit, it has a place in my heart like nowhere else," Maxey is quoted as saying in the event's program. "I want to come back to my people, my culture and my family's home and am working hard to see Detroit rise up as a great city. However, I am fearful of living somewhere where I have no democratic rights as a citizen. This law squanders my rights as a citizen of Michigan, a resident of Ferndale and a potential Detroiter."

Sugar Law's challenge to the law is currently in litigation at the lower court level. However, Governor Rick Snyder is attempting to head off the challenge by having the case go directly before the state supreme court according to Perlmutter.

"Right now we are in a kind of weird state because the governor has asked the Supreme Court to grab the law suit away from the lower court and to take and just go straight through to fast track it," she said. "They want to short circuit it at the supreme court level. They Supreme Court has not decided that they are going to do that.

"It’s kind of interesting because there was supposed to be this rush, rush demand, but it’s been three months since he even asked it. It’s going to be another month before the Supreme Court even gets answers to the briefs that they requested on whether they should take the case."

In the meantime, Sugar Law plans to pursue the action on behalf of the citizens of Michigan.

"In the meantime, the trial court judge is moving ahead with it," Perlmutter said. "We’ve introduced requests for discovery. The state has said, ‘We don’t have to provide any information about how we run the state.’ We said, ‘Yeah you should,’ and we won on that issue.

"Obviously, that’s just the first procedural issue in a long complicated set of facts. Basically, the governor wants it to go straight to the supreme court because that’s how you eliminate the fact finding part of the operation. It’s just saying, ‘Let’s not make an actual decision based on the way it’s affecting people’s lives. Let’s just do what we want.’"

Whether or not the legal challenge falls on deaf ears to the state's judicial or political systems, Sugar Law, a national non-profit organization dedicated to defending the rights of working people and their communities since 1991, is hopeful that their challenge to the EM law will at least raise awareness in the court of public opinion around what many believe to be an affront to the basic principles of democracy on which our society is founded.

"We went into this as a lawsuit, but also as a public education campaign," Perlmutter said. "It's part of how we operate because we truly believe at the Sugar Law Center that we don't just take on cases for a victory. We take on cases to work with the people in the community to try and work on issues that matter to them.

"We have tried from the beginning to explain to the press and to the public that this is an emergency. It's an emergency for Democracy. Fiscal issues are not an emergency. The emergency for people is around their own lives. I think our legal director, John Philo captured it best when he said, 'This law is about the belief that the only people who should have voting rights are the people with wealth.'If you don't have money, Democracy is a luxury that you can't afford.'

"We don't believe that and we don't believe the people of this state believe that. We need help in getting the word out and that's part of the reason why we are doing the case. (The plaintiffs) have all given their time and their energy. They are spreading the word about this and putting lots of energy into defeating this outrage."

Peoples Water Board addresses water concerns at 2011 Great Lakes Healing Our Waters Conference

2011-12-01T10:11:00.003-05:00

Melissa Damaschke of the Sierra Club and Lila Cabil
of the Rosa Parks Institute

DETROIT -- The Detroit Peoples Water Board presented their concerns around water access, affordability and quality to a national audience on behalf of Southeast Michigan at the Seventh Annual Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Restoration Conference which was held October 12-14 at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel.

A panel of five speakers representing the nine-organization coalition held the “Organizing for Clean and Affordable Water” Workshop in the Woodward Ballroom on October 13. The speakers were Melissa Damaschke

Priscilla Dziubek

(Detroit Sierra Club - Great Lakes), Lila Cabbil (Raymond & Rosa Parks Institute), Priscilla Dziubek (East Michigan Environmental Action Council), Gwen Gaines (Michigan Welfare Rights Organization), Erma Leaphart (Sierra Club) and Lynna Kaucheck (Food & Water Watch).

“We’ve had some discussions about how we can come together and make a difference,” Cabbil said during her opening presentation. “The importance of these organizations is that they represent different perspectives in the community. By having a very diverse coalition, we’ve had some really excellent ideas. Our intention is to very much become a grassroots organization with some non-traditional leadership.”

The People’s Water Board is a coalition of labor, social justice, and environmental organizations
based in Detroit. They work together to confront the devastating lack of access to water faced by tens of thousands of low-income people who have had their water shut off; water pollution due to aging wastewater infrastructure; and the effort of corporate interests to gain control of Detroit’s water system. You can listen to the panel discussion from the Healing Our Waters Conference at http://conference.healthylakes.org/conference-updates/watch-live-great-lakes-now-live-stream/.

“I thought the conference went really well,” Dziubek said. “There were actually three events about water all held simultaneously here in Detroit during Great Lakes Week - Healing Our Waters Conference, International Joint Commission Biennial Meeting, and U.S. Areas of Concern Annual Meeting. Pretty much every group working on water issues in the Great Lakes Basin was represented."
“During our workshop, response to our presentation was very positive and a lot of good questions came from the audience. We also heard the audience tell their own local stories about water issues in their own communities. One main theme that was generally agreed on was about holding water as a public commons so that it’s available for everyone – especially for future generations.”

The Peoples Water Board meets the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Michigan Center for High Technology 2727 Second Avenue.

EMEAC lends voice to Grassroots Global Justice 2011 Congress in Raleigh

2011-10-24T10:14:00.000-04:00

RALEIGH -- EMEAC holds space in several important collaborations and alliances committed to revealing and addressing injustices against poor and working people and the environment. One such group is Grassroots for Global Justice [GGJ], which is an alliance of U.S.-based grassroots groups who are organizing to build an agenda for power for working and poor people. In September, Development Coordinator Ife Kilimanjaro, represented EMEAC at GGJ's 2011 Congress in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ife, along with over 250 members and supporters, helped to shape GGJ's focus over the next year by discussing and offering recommendations for revision of its proposal called No War! No Warming! Build an Economy for the People and the Planet! These three issues were selected by GGJ staff and members of the Coordinating Committee for their overlap, the opportunity they offer to define and articulate alternatives to capitalism-in-crisis, and their impact on and implications for local, national and international organizing and movement building. Congress participants debated each of the three areas in separate working groups over two days to recommend goals, objectives and actions for the upcoming year and presented them to the larger body on the last day.

During the morning of day 2, representatives of international social movements - World March of Women (Brazil), FASE (Brazil), Hemispheric Social Alliance (Canada/Mexico), Anti Privatization Forum (South Africa), South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (South Africa), and Alternatives (Maghrib) - participated in person and via skype to discuss their organizations and recent victories, offer their perspectives on GGJ's proposal, share their views on the state of social movements at the international level and how they've dealt with the challenge of alliances in their work.

In the afternoon, Congress participants engaged in a rally in support of working people and the poor at the Republican party headquarters. This action was picked up by the local news station and can also be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ggjalliance#p/u/7/coIF1nzNoyg .

On the last day of the Congress, members voted on 3 resolutions: offering support for Mexican Trade Unions by condemning the attacks on the independent trade union movement and freedom of association in Mexico; affirming several food sovereignty statements that support the people's democratic control of the food system, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and people's right to define their own food and agricultural systems; and supporting the Hemispheric Social Alliance's statement on unity to stop the economic crisis and build a different economy. Support for each was unanimous.

Videos of presentations and interviews can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/ggjalliance .

Peoples Kitchen Detroit holds skill share on tomato canning

2011-10-24T09:49:00.002-04:00

DETROIT – The preservation of good food choices and the sharing of good relationships are all at heart of what the Cass Corridor Community Commons (CCCC) is all about. Throughout the upcoming months – if not years – friends of the Peoples Kitchen Detroit (PKD) can get a taste of both thanks to a special tomato canning skill share held recently at PKD inside the CCCC space of the First Unitarian Universalist Church.

“Our tomato canning skill share was a great success,” said PKD’s Angela Newsom “We had a wonderful turnout, everyone had a great time and walked away with jars of delicious locally grown tomatoes to enjoy throughout the winter in soups or sauce.”

A skill share is a no-to-low cost way to share time, skills and resources with others in a community. People with varying degrees of knowledge on a particular subject - in this case, canning tomatoes - come together to work on a project. This provides an opportunity for those with no or little knowledge to learn a new skill and ask questions of seasoned veterans. It also allows for those who know the skill to expand their knowledge with new techniques or ideas. Relationships are built and communities are strengthened through working together and sharing resources.

The diverse group attending the tomato canning skill share were EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady, who is also an administrator of the Detroit Food Justice Taskforce, Candice Coleman and Kanezia Smith of Creative Community Pathways, Blair Nosan of Suddenly Sauer, Natali Perkins, Priscilla Dziebek of EMEAC’s Greener Schools Program, Carolyn Leadley of Rising Pheasant Farms, Ana Howrani Heeres and Sarah Sidelko of the CCCC’s Fender Bender.

The group set up to process the tomatoes like an assembly line after all the tomatoes were chopped and cooked down in a large pot. The tomatoes were funneled into jars, wiped, lids put on, and placed into a hot water bath. Labels were made including the date, which is very important. The newly transformed tomatoes were then cooled the next day.

Newsom says the event blends well into the work of the CCCC and Detroit Food Justice Taskforce of which PKD is also a founding member.

“These skill-shares fit into the work of both People’s Kitchen Detroit and the Food Justice Task Force in many ways,” she said. “One of the foundations of a community kitchen, like PKD, is the intention to bring people together around food. In addition to this, these skill-shares usually are connected to excess food from farms and gardens around the city, so we’re helping farmers and gardeners move some of their produce. Through the preservation of this excess food we’re also taking a resource that typically has a short shelf life and preserving it so that it is available during the winter months or when we need it sometime in the future.

“These classes also provide us the opportunity to work together differently and to explore small examples of alternate or new economic models. By pooling our community resources, excess tomatoes, jars and lids, kitchen space and equipment, chopping, cutting and washing dishes, to create an environment where everyone walks away with some food and the know-how to do it again, we inspire new ways of thinking and living that open up new possibilities.”

Of course, sharing with friends is always an occasion for heart felt thanks.

“We are so thankful to everyone who came out to the event and who have supported our work over the last five years,” Newsom said. “We’d also like to thank the 1^st UU congregation for the donation of the buildings to the Commons and for welcoming PKD with excitement and open hearts.”

Fender Bender a key cog to what the CCCC is all about

2011-10-22T16:25:00.004-04:00

DETROIT -- As the reality of the Cass Corridor Community Commons builds around the framework of social justice in Detroit in the halls of the First Universalist Unitarian Church where EMEAC’s offices are now housed, it’s only fitting that there be an organization like Fender Bender which is dedicated to bending society’s the rules while mending what’s broken be squarely in the mix.

So it is that the group of female bicycle mechanics founded by Sarah Sidelko ride into the fray on their mission of promoting gender equity, environmental

sustainability and healthy lifestyles all around the love of cycling.

Fender Bender's Sarah Sidelko talks with EMEAC youth
during a tour of the Motor City Brewery during the
Gardening Activism Media and Education summer camp

“When you are not given access to do things, you don’t even know how much you might love it and how that can actually transform your life later,” Sidelko said. “For me, getting involved in building bicycles gave me a sense of confidence. It gave me a sense of power and ableness in my life to go out and do things. It made me feel like I was strong and that I could carry things at home on my own. It’s really simple and basic things that other people may not think of as a challenge or obstacle every day in being a woman.”

Sidelko has taken that sense of empowerment and become only one of a handful of licensed female brewers in all of the United States. When she’s not plying her trade at the Motor City Brewry just around the corner from the CCCC, she and her fellow Fender Benders are busy giving bicycle repair and maintenance workshops, group rides or educating others on the virtues of cycling with a special outreach to the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer (LGBTQ) community.

“Fender Bender is a group of female bicycle mechanics who currently do bicycle mechanic training currently with people from the LGBQT community,” Sidelko said. “We do have programming that is accessible to everyone during events and bike rides.

“We’ve been asked to do bicycle trainings around workshops, but we like to do trainings around women and the LGBQT community so that they can have a safe and nurturing space where we can have a space to work on bikes and learn mechanic skills and just engage with things such as tools and mechanics where as women we might not necessarily feel we were able or allowed because of these stereo typical set of rules we are kind of born into.”

Fender Bender’s mission of empowerment does extend to the broader Detroit community around the principle of social justice. The group has worked with EMEAC in the past around quality of life and environmental justice issues during EMEAC’s initial Gardening Activism Media and Education summer camp where young people got a tour of the Motor City Brewery to learn how beer is made and a demonstration of the group’s smoothie bike to demonstrate the conjunction of healthy eating and healthy living.

“We want to promote projects and activities that are about the uplifting and the empowerment of Detroit and its residents,” Sidelko said. “We like things that are about the engagement of people on a face-to-face one-to-one level. We like activities that promote exercising our bodies and going on rides, and things that help us really connect with one another every day. We also want to get at some of the racial things that go on underneath because even in something like cycling where everybody has a common ground that all people can connect on, we sometimes have all these other barriers that prevent us from connecting in our lives.

“I was organizing a biker auction and I thought (about the smoothie bike), ‘Wow what a cool way to use these interactive pieces. It’s a great way to introduce environmental issues, social issues and quality of life issues. In a lot of countries where people don’t have all these advanced technologies, people really do have to come up with some very practical ways of processing their foods. Whether it’s coffee grinders, corn huskers and water irrigation systems, there are all these different ways to use pedal power. It could be like your brake from gardening. There are no emissions. There are no waste. It’s powered by old bicycles and uses vegetables from your garden to replenish yourself with things that are actually nourishing.”

All in all, Sidelko’s Fender Bender mission and goals have put them on the path to be in alignment with the mission of the Cass Corridor Community Commons.

“We are honored and feel really grateful to be invited into a presence like that where people are able to work together for something sustainable and really have each other’s back,” she said. “It’s good to work around people that will help you get yourself back up again whether it’s emotionally or physically. It’s great to be able to work with other groups of people around those over arching principles of social justice.

“(EMEAC) is doing it on all these other different levels like food and gardening and we learn a lot from each other about how all these things come together. You realize that in many ways the work we do is not so separate.”

DFY to gather in Southwest Detroit’s Young Nation on Halloween Eve

2011-10-22T16:16:00.004-04:00

DETROIT – On the eve of the annual Feast of All Saints celebrations, there will be a gathering of the Detroit Future Youth (DFY) Network as part of the second annual Angel’s Night event sponsored by Young Nation of Southwest Detroit.

Youth from all 12 member organizations of the DFY Network will gather from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 at The Alley Project (TAP) 9233 Avis Street where they will join youth and adult community members in Southwest Detroit for food and a series of interactive workshops on the decriminalization of youth and street art demonstrations.

“This is something (Young Nation) does as a response to the criminalization of youth on Angel’s night,” said DFY Coordinator Ilana Weaver. “They create a safe space for youth to gather and be able to have a good time without being harassed. We are bringing out the entire youth network in solidarity with the work they are doing in Southwest for this gathering. It’s all about countering the violence against and criminalization of youth in southwest Detroit.”

Young Nation is a community-based organization that seeks to empower youth from Southwest Detroit through positive forms of creative expression. Young Nation follows a program model that speaks to the community’s passions, facilitates interaction, raises awareness, and inspires action. The organization takes a unique approach to youth development by attempting to affect change by inspiring young minds through example and engagement. Implicit in this approach is that youth are involved in participatory processes where the principles of positive youth development are promoted with the goal of young people discovering where their passions intersect their community’s needs.

Young Nation Youth Coordinator Erik Howard

“This year’s expanded focus will be on offering street art education and experience to participants through a series of interactive workshop stations,” said Young Nation Youth Coordinator Erik Howard. “At the end of the day attendees will be familiar with some history and techniques of street art as well as ways it can be used to support youth and community development.”

Angel’s Night came about as a way of providing constructive and positive examples of youth activities in the community during Halloween festivities. The event seeks to counter the narrative that youth activities on the holiday tend to be destructive and negative.

“The other part that sometimes gets left out of conversation but not out of the motivation of the young person is to vandalize, or do something they are ‘not supposed to,’ Howard said. “Without guidance and direction the youth’s testing and understanding of structure and boundaries may not evolve beyond mere participation in deviant behavior. However, through positive relationships with peers and adults this exploration can be a healthy exploration of rules and limitations that results in an understanding of how to work within and outside of what is provided and toward innovation without the extreme legal or physical risk.

“We want to provide practical knowledge and experience in street art and its ability to be utilized as a tool for youth and community development to others in the network.”

DFY Coordinators Ilana Weaver and Alia Harvey-Quinn

Weaver agreed that criminalization of youth in the city remains a serious problem and that the Detroit Future Youth team was looking forward to examining these issues.
“This provides another perspective on youth activism in Detroit,” she said. “We hope to be adding to those perspectives with this gathering.
“Street art is criminalized although it’s basically a safe place for youth to express themselves creatively through graffiti and other arts. We are really going to be highlighting that as a tool of resistance as well as highlighting their website www.insidesouthwest.org. It’s an incredible outlet for the youth in southwest Detroit to talk about the issues that are pertinent to them and their communities.”

GM Theatre inside C.H. Wright Museum to host 2011 Green Screen Youth Film Festival

2011-10-22T16:08:00.004-04:00

EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady, second from right,
stands with (from left), Leah Spady, Sabrin Salaam and
Maria Ryen outside the Charles H. Wright Museum
of African American History

DETROIT – The General Motors Theatre inside the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will serve as the venue for the fifth annual Green Screen Youth Film Festival sponsored by the East Michigan Environmental Action Council on November 17 in Detroit. Green Screen 2011 is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. and will be preceded at for 4 p.m. by a special Green Room youth gathering for Green Screen filmmakers, actors and participants along with young people from the 12 organizations of the Detroit Future Youth Network inside the nearby Plymouth United Church of Christ.

“We really wanted this year to mark the fifth anniversary of Green Screen with a gala event at a location that really reflected our commitment to Detroit and its history,” said EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady. “The young people have always got really excited to see their name up on the marquee. I think they’ll be even more excited to know that their work is going to be featured at the GM Theatre. We think we have a venue that’s fitting of the event.”

Green Screen provides a forum where students from across southeast Michigan and beyond showcase short films with environmental themes. These films allow young filmmakers to express what they think is most crucial to their health and to the natural environment. Some films also focus on making the world, their school or neighborhood environmentally healthier.

November 1 is the entry deadline for Green Screen 2011, which celebrates youth voices and emerging environmentalism. The three-to-five-minute short films, created entirely by young artists and aspiring young activists, span a range of environmental and social issues.

The films are judged for cinematic merit, relevance to Southeastern Michigan, and creative messaging. The panel of judges will consist of independent directors, environmental activists, youth activists, and a journalist. Now in its fifth year, EMEAC gets statewide inquiries about this exciting event, as well as requests for film making workshops and demonstrations through out the year.

“This is also the fifth year for the Green Screen and it’s exciting that it has lasted for five years,” Spady said. “It’s special that it is still well received and it is looked forward to. It keeps growing in number and in size with the amount of media entries with the scope of topics that are covered. That was of the atmosphere and vibe that the event is to us. It’s all about the young people that are in it as part of the community.”

Until this year, Green Screen had been held each year at the Main Arts Theater in Royal Oak. Organizers expressed gratitude for the hospitality and support received at the former venue and thanked them for helping to build Green Screen into a sustainable community event.

“We really were happy and appreciative of them having us host the event there for the last four years,” Spady said. “With EMEAC’s focus on the work in South East Michigan and in particular Detroit with Detroit’s environmental justice issues, we really felt that it was time for the venue for this event to reflect that commitment to Detroit.”

Those sentiments were naturally extended to the young film makers and environmental activists themselves. In cooperation with the Detroit Future Youth Network, the special pre-event green room activities will be put together to provide youth with a forum to learn about and discuss environmental issues concerning them and dialogue with each other.

“In the past, we have always had some hour durves where all the young people, their parents and their teachers would all have something to eat, then go in and see the films,” Spady said. “But, they really didn’t have a chance to interact with one another.

“Through our partnership and work with the Detroit Future Youth Network, each month the organizations in the network get to get together and exchange ideas and express what’s special about their organization. They also talk about ways to collaborate, so we decided to tie that monthly event to the front end of Green Screen so that they would have a chance to see all of the people who were involved in the media making.”

Anyone interested entering a film for Green Screen 2011, sponsoring a film, volunteering or making a donation of support should call 313 559-7498 or visit www.emeac.org. Guidelines for Green Screen are as follows.

Films may be up to 5 minutes in length.
Film must be about an environmental issue facing your community, city or county.
Topics may include but not limited to;
1. Environmental health
2. Alternative energy
3. School bus emissions
4. Urban sprawl
5. Brownfields
6. Recycling
7. Climate change
8. Stream and wetland protection
9. Trash/ recycling
Film must be suitable and appropriate for an audience of all ages. Films that promote violence will not be accepted.
There are no restrictions on the art form of your film. Films may be live action, animation, claymation, still photography or any combination.
Entry must be in Mini DV or Quick Time movie file on a DVD (other formats or VHS may be accepted but you need to call the EMEAC office in advanced and submit project 2 weeks before deadline).
Entry must be labeled with film, title, filmmaker's name, e-mail and phone number.
Participants must fill out and return an application form.

YEA receives Spirit of Detroit Award for work at 2011 Detroit Green Economy Youth Summit

2011-10-22T16:00:00.004-04:00

http://www.detroitgreenyouth.org/summit

Members of EMEAC's Stand Up Speak Out Program
Young Educator's Alliance from left, Donovan Murray,
Paris Smith, Sabrin Salaam, Raven, Noel Frye and
Anthony Grimmett

DETROIT -- The EMEAC youth group, Young Educators Alliance (YEA), was recently awarded with the Spirit of Detroit Award at City Hall on October 11 for their work at the 2011 Detroit Green Economy Youth Summit in September. YEA team members Siwatu Salama-Ra, Roger Boyd, Paris Smith, Knydra Jefferson, Anthony Grimmett, Donovan Murray, Noel Frye, Elayne Elliot, Sabrin Salam, Malik Harris and Raven Roberts each received certificates in recognition of their volunteer efforts for the event.

“I’m really excited and I think it definitely shows that our work is appreciated and recognized as youth leaders,” said Salama-Ra, EMEAC’s Stand Up Speak Out Program Youth Leader. “I’m real proud of the Young Educators Alliance. It was hard work going to the planning meetings in addition to the actual summit itself. Even though we got in late on the planning, they had a lot of work still to do, so we took a lot of responsibility. We didn’t plan on it that way when we walked in, but we were up to it.”

In addition to their volunteer efforts on the planning committee, the YEA team helped in facilitating events, coordinating entertainment and publicizing the event via social network media. The group said they especially enjoyed bringing their very own flavor of positive energy to the event.

“As far as the summit itself, it was real cool,” Salama-Ra said. “I did some emcee work and I tried my best. We did a little dance thing to break the shells of people. We had the live twitter feed going on. We hash tagged it out and we were almost close to becoming a trending topic on twitter. We didn’t quite get there but that was cool because we had a lot of tweets going out to Detroit Future.”

The Spirit of Detroit Award can be requested from any city council member on behalf of person, event or organization for “outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit.” The certificates were signed by all nine city council members and awarded at Councilman Ken Cockrel’s office.

DeRaina Stinson and Ahmina
Maxey show their Spirit of
Detroit Awards

“This award shows the commitment of the YEA team to the City of Detroit,” said EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey who also directs SUSO. “It shows that they are committed to the betterment of their city, and that working through the lens of environmental and social justice, they are raising awareness and creating solutions.”

EMEAC was also presented the award as a sponsor of the summit. Maxey was also recognized for her work on the planning committee.

YEA has worked on several other events since their official formation in June. The YEA led a cleaning up Cass Park, facilitated a Cook Eat Talk community engagement session around food issues at Vanguard Community Development Corporation, held a community mediation session with the North Cass Community Garden around the negative affects of gentrification, and meets regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to discuss upcoming events.

“They have not only raised their awareness around issues, they are also actively working to be involved,” Maxey said. “Up to this point YEA has gone through the process of learning about environmental, educational, food, and many other justice issues in Detroit.”

In addition to participating in the planning of the 2012 Detroit Green Economy Youth Summit, the YEA team has several other projects planned in the coming months. Upcoming events include a “Feed One Teach One” community meeting around the recent public assistance shut offs affecting numerous families with children in the city and across the state.

“We definitely want to take some actions around the welfare shut offs happening now,” Salama-Ra said. “A lot of us are affected by it. All of us have at least one person in our families who depend on their bridge cards for assistance from the city. We want to take action around that with our Feed One, Teach One event coming up in November.

“We are doing some outreach to community members because we are all one step away. So whether you are homeless, working class, middle class or whatever it may be, we hope people will come out and talk about strategies on how to meet our needs. Whether people needs clothes, shoes, food or whatever, we hope to have something that may help.”

EMEAC volunteers and staff enjoy special volunteer night at CCCC

2011-10-22T15:48:00.001-04:00

EMEAC Volunteer of the quarter Roger Boyd, left,
speaks at Volunteer Appreciation Night as EMEAC
Youth Leader Siwatu Salama-Ra listens on

DETROIT – In the course of doing environmental justice work in a city like Detroit, it is unfortunately a rare occasion when the staff of community organizations like EMEAC find casual time to share with the selfless people who dedicate their own free time to lend a hand in helping to improve the quality of life for their fellow citizens. Volunteers give freely of their free time to help community groups further their mission but it happens to be in the course of helping others.

In recognition of that service and in honor of the volunteers themselves, approximately 60 volunteers and staff members came out on September 30 for EMEAC’s first Volunteer Appreciation Night gathering in McCollester Hall of the Cass Corridor Community Commons Space inside the First Universalist Unitarian Church. The event not only was a forum for staff members to express their appreciation for the efforts of volunteers, but it was also that special occasion when staff and volunteers could enjoy time in community with each other.

“Volunteer night went very good,” said EMEAC Volunteer Coordinator Kim Sherobi. “People had a good time although it was a cold rainy night. I think that kept some people out and we didn’t get as many people as we expected, but overall I think it was good. Still the food was great and the company was great.”

Several volunteers were recognized for their exceptional work in helping the various EMEAC programs through out the year. Nineteen-year-old Roger Boyd was recognized as EMEAC’s volunteer of the quarter for his work over the summer with the Stand Up Speak Out Young Educators Alliance team, the Gardening Activism Media and Environmentalism (GAME) summer camp and the Youth Food Justice Taskforce.

“Roger came in and really stepped up for us this summer,” said EMEAC Communications Coordinator Patrick Geans-Ali. “He’s been the kind of young person that leads by example. He’s been one of the best youth leaders on our YEA team. He was a consistent presence through both phases of GAME Camp and he is taking a leading role in the development of the youth food justice taskforce.

“It’s a real credit to the city and the community in general to have young men like Roger representing Detroit. He not only has the kind of natural ability we see in so many of our young people but he’s also a very hard worker who is trying to put those gifts to use benefiting his community.”

EMEAC's Sanaa Nia Joy raffles off prizes

Other volunteers receiving special recognition were Talib Bexler of the Youth Build Program, DeRaina Stinson with ReMedia, Ms. Gligor of Detroit Institute of Technology, EMEAC’s Americorps Interns: Ashley Foresyk, Sharmin Salaam, Maria Rien and Madeline Smith and many others.

“It’s not that any one person does everything because we need the help of so many, but I want to give a shout out to Deraina,” Sherobi said. “She helped us put the video together. DeRaina spent a lot of time getting the piece together so we want to thank her, but everybody stepped up.

“I want to thank the volunteers themselves for coming out and helping to put the event together. I always think about for instance Ms. Gligor. She always steps up. As a teacher from DIT/Cody she brought at least one or two students who showed up. She’s very committed.”

Other activities at volunteer night included the raffling of over a dozen prizes, a slide show in honor of the volunteers and their work, a special presentation by M'lis Bartlette, a landscape architect student from the University of Michigan, who helped design and supervise the school landscaping under EMEAC’s Greener Schools Program and a special meal provided by CCCC partner People’s Kitchen Detroit.

“Talib volunteered several times at P3A and DIT and Nsoroma,” Sherobi added, “They’ve helped us get the gardens together, so I was glad he came out. He also won one of the prizes in the raffle. He really appreciated that and I had another volunteer tell me how much that was appreciated and of course, they are always appreciated in return.”

More than anything, EMEAC staff said it was good to be able to interact with their volunteers and get to know them on a personal level.

MSU's M'Lis Barlette gives a presentation on the
landscaping projects at DIT and P3A

“M’Lis has done a lot with the landscape design. She’s very committed. Her father helped in the landscape design. Her partner, who is a local farmer, he helped. He’s a really nice guy and of course M'Lis shows up and she just absolutely loves what she does,” Sherobi said. “Without her help, it couldn’t have happened and the wonderful thing about it was that I got a chance to even get to know her more personally. She got a chance to meet my partner, who also does urban gardening. We all got a chance to sit down at the table and talk farm talk. That was fun. It gave us all a chance to interact on a personal level.”

Fifth annual Green Screen Youth Film Festival makes call for entries

2011-09-21T12:36:00.001-04:00

DETROIT – Entries are currently being accepted for the upcoming fifth-annual Green Screen Youth Environmental Film Festival sponsored by East Michigan Environmental Action Council.

“We are really hoping that the entries feature a wide range of environmental and environmental justice issues pertinent to Southeast Michigan and will show a deepening involvement of youth in these critical issues,” said EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady who also directs the ReMedia Program. “We also are looking forward to food justice having a larger presence based on the work being done throughout the city around food.”

The festival is a celebration of youth voice and emerging environmentalism. The three-to-five-minute short films, created entirely by young artists and aspiring young activists, can span a range of environmental and social issues.

The films are judged for cinematic merit, relevance to Southeastern Michigan, and creative messaging. The panel of judges consists of independent directors, environmental activists, youth activists, and a journalists. Now in its fifth year, EMEAC gets statewide inquiries about this exciting event, as well as requests for film making workshops and demonstrations year round.

“This is the 5^th year anniversary of EMEAC’s Green Screen. We are looking forward to celebrating this fact with a gala “Green Carpet” event,” said Spady who has guided the festival since its inception. “Each year the number of participants has increased, and with the collaborations we continue to build, this year will reflect even more meaningful relationships.

“We are kicking off with a Green Room where we invite young people city-wide to participate in a fun get-to-know-EMEAC pre-Green Screen event featuring the Tap Water Challenge, Recycle Relay, and Environmental Media Mash Up”

Once the event itself begins, young people will enjoy a unique opportunity to share their creative vision around how to address some of the more pressing environmental concerns of the day. Over the years, Spady says she has also been inspired by how youth voice can effectively reach adults.

“The goal is to showcase youth environmental media in such a way that guests begin to understand the importance, value, and relevancy of youth voice in the environmental justice and food justice movement. Also, they are moved to further support this work through skill sharing, mentoring, and monetary donations,” she said. “We’ve come so far in the creation of youth media that is highlighted at the Green Screen, yet we could do more to inform the ongoing conversation by developing youth leadership.

“Our next challenge is to move the event beyond a once a year showcase, to increase the visibility of this body of work for citizen’s education so young people see more people that look like them as experts on environmental issues. We’d like to see youth become peer educators on the topics of air quality, waste management, water access and affordability, and food justice.”

The date for this year’s Green Screen is November 17. Exact details regarding the location and time are still being worked out. In the meantime, organizers are hoping that community support from local businesses and organizations continues to grow each year.

“There are many way to support the efforts of Green Screen,” Spady said. “Please consider sponsoring a movie, sponsorship of the event, food donations, or just come out and attend. We hope to build our membership and longstanding relationships through this work.”

Deadline for entries is November 1st, 2011. Anyone interested entering a film for Green Screen 2011, sponsoring a film, volunteering or making a donation of support should call 313 559-7498 or visit www.emeac.org for Green Screen entry guidelines.

Community voices emerge loud and clear from recent EPA EJ Conferencence in Detroit

2011-09-21T12:32:00.004-04:00

Lottie Spady and DeRaina Stinson present at the 2011
EPA EJ Conference at Wayne State University

DETROIT – In the midst of an all out assault against environmental and social justice protections through out the country, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) couldn’t have picked a more appropriate place or time to bring together citizens and community groups concerned about both environmental and social justice causes. The EPA did just that on August 23-26 at the Detroit Renaissance Center and Wayne State University in the form of an Environmental Justice Conference, which if nothing else gave local citizens an opportunity to voice their concerns and strategies around these two critical issues facing the Detroit.

“I would say at this point the portion that dealt with the "Detroit Story" was key,” said Rhonda Anderson, of the Detroit Sierra Club’s Environmental Justice Office and an organizer for the conference. “It was an opportunity for residents to speak to the issues of EJ from their perspective, to tell the story of EJ themselves, and lift their voice. This is the new age of media, social media, social justice and the people speaking their voice. It’s not someone else speaking for them.”

The theme for the conference was “One community. One environment.” It targeted community organizations, indigenous organizations, community members, community advocates, government officials, university level professionals, faith-based organizations, businesses and other stakeholders interested in learning about opportunities to work toward environmental justice in their respective communities.

Detroit Sierra Club EJ Officer Rhonda Anderson
gives an EJ Tour of Detroit

Topics of discussion during the conference were community capacity, strategies for addressing pollution sources, the Federal Interagency Working Group on EJ, environmental workforce development training and job creation, funding opportunities, Title VI Human Rights Delegation Agreements, an EJ Tour of the city, the role of youth and social media in EJ, and sharing tools and resources toward greater accountability. Still in a city like Detroit – disproportionately affected effected by EJ issues due to the combination of demographics and a worsening economy, EPA officials seemed caught off guard at times by the level of concern among local citizens and those from abroad.

“The first day with the EPA on the panel in the large open forum was highly charged with emotions,” said Maria Ryen, a graduate student at the University of Michigan who spent her summer interning with EMEAC’s ReMedia program. “There were a few hundred participants in the room with a few mixed panels that consisted of EPA staff and others. One of the initial speakers brought on some heavy criticism of EPA accountability, and from there it really became the topic raised by almost every person allowed to speak. Another man, representing indigenous communities in Alaska, came to publicly ask that they make cultural considerations in their actions with indigenous tribes in the state. Another woman representing Puerto Rico, questioned why the EPA was not involved in relief effort from floods of recent hurricanes, which were heavily contaminated with toxins and effecting largely poor and underserved communities.

“The second day, Grace Lee Boggs spoke to the very issue of government accountability when she said something along the lines of 'don't wait and don't rely on these government agencies and academics to help.’ She stressed that community organizers and local empowerment was really the key to battling successfully for environmental justice. After what I had seen the first day, I could really understand why.”

Anderson, who has been involved in community work for over a decade said she agreed that local activism and empowerment is the key to addressing local issues.

“I've attended many conferences over the course of my activist/work life. While this one could have been better, it was rewarding simply because it dealt with the work I do around EJ,” she said. “Right now the EPA is faced with survival. With attacks from the Republicans and big industry, they are simply having to hold on. I believe many of us will say that the EPA has been limited or restricted in the ways in which they assist EJ communities, but without the Clean Air Act, water and so on, what chance do we have to protect our communities?

“As we strengthen our communication skills and media skills we will become more able of doing many of these things for our selves. Over the 11 years that I've worked here in the Detroit area, I've worked with a number of communities. We created the E J Community Committee consisting of leaders in the communities where I've worked. The purpose of the committee was to create a support system for the communities, to bring them together so that they do not stand alone.”

Panelist enjoy a break at the EPA EJ Conference

Anderson praised the work of local leaders like Jay Henderson, President of the Riverbend Community Association, Theresa Lewis, a leader in the Master Metal campaign, Vickie Burton of the Greendale/Drixdale Community Association, Rev. Sandra Simmons and Dr. Charles Simmons of Northwest Goldberg/Hush House. Anderson also cited the courageous work of Dr. Deloris Leonard, Theresa Landrum, Vincent Martin, Mr. & Mrs. Roland Wahl, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Lucille Campbell, and a host of other community leaders from the 48217 community, which was declared to be the third-most polluted area in the U.S. by a recent University of Michigan study.

The role of youth was not overlooked at the conference as EMEAC’s Associate Director Lottie Spady and ReMedia Environmental Justice Fellow DeRaina Stinson took part in a panel discussion on the role of youth and social media in the fight for environmental justice in Detroit.

“It was nerve wracking. I was kind of nervous; I have to admit,” said the 22-year old Stinson who also attends Wayne State. “We talked about social media and how the youth use media to do environmental justice work.

“We did a slide show and showed some of the movies that we’ve made with ReMedia. We talked about social justice in the context of the media and how youth use social media like twitter to connect. We just wanted to acknowledge what the youth are doing because that’s what is happening now.”

By the end of the conference, Ryen acknowledged that the informative panel discussions did provide significant benefits to attendees.

“The following small panel discussions in the different tracks were really inspiring and it was clear that individual organizers, whether they had the EPA EJ or not, are extremely resourceful and amazing networkers,” she said. “Each panelist was able to give meaningful advice and even audience participants began small conversations on strategizing to solve obstacles that organizations were running into. If anything, I think the fact that the EPA provided a national forum where the government was present but allowed all these agencies to network was very meaningful in itself.”

Anderson added that she hopes that there were several positive lessons to be taken away from the conference. Not the least of which was that local organizations and community groups need to rally together now more so than ever.

“We could have worked more closely together. We could have approached the conference with a united front,” Anderson said. “The only organization that went as a coalition was Zero Waste. What experience, skills, power can we pull together by working together? Well, I see an awesome opportunity. EMEAC brings some awesome skills of media application, food justice, and youth. The Ecology Center has Brad VanGuilder an expert with an awesome background and the skills of his co-workers. MEC and Sandra Turner Handy, have a strong background in politics, organizing and EJ. Southwest Environmental Vision, Detroiters Working for EJ, and the Green Door Initiative are faced with the same challenges along with the EPA. When we are shortsighted the community suffers, and that’s something I think we really should keep in mind going forward.”

EMEAC Volunteer Appreciation Night coming up September 30

2011-09-21T12:29:00.009-04:00

EMEAC volunteers like Ms.
Forshatta Scott will be
recognized on Sep. 30

DETROIT – The East Michigan Environmental Action Council will be holding a special volunteer appreciation event on September 30 at 6 p.m. in McCollester Hall inside the Cass Corridor Commons spaces of the First Universalist Unitarian Church.

“We are appreciating the volunteers and supporters of EMEAC,” said EMEAC Community Partners Coordinator Kim Sherobbi. “We want to recognize all their efforts to help us become the community hub that we want to become. We want to honor them in terms of the support they’ve been giving us.”

In addition to special awards of recognition for the volunteer work done with the various EMEAC programs over the past year, the event will also feature fun activities such as performances, entertainment and refreshments.

“We will have some entertainment, music and possibly poetry,” Sherobbi said. “We will have food and drinks. We will also have some giveaways. I’m not sure if it’s going to be by raffle or by individual gifts yet. We’ll also have some acknowledgements of their work.”

All in all, the event will also provide an opportunity for EMEAC staff, partners, community members and volunteers to socialize and deepen their relations around the work of community building among people supporting the common cause of improving the overall environment in the city. It will also be an opportunity for EMEAC partners to familiarize themselves with EMEAC’s new location and mission of building the Cass Corridor Commons facilities at First UU.

“We want to introduce them to our new space and then enjoy each other’s space with some camaraderie and by getting to know each other not just as EMEAC staff and volunteers but person to person,” Sherobbi said. “That is going to be a day not only to honor them but also for them to get more familiar with what we do as an organization.

“That way they may be able to develop ways to volunteer further and help us in a capacity that they might not have before to help us serve the community better. Hopefully, we can provide an environment for them to contribute in ways that are just as good as what they had before if not even better.”

Detroit Future Youth make presence known at Earthworks Harvest Festival

2011-09-21T11:23:00.002-04:00

DETROIT – Youth from the various programs affiliated with the Detroit Future Youth Program made their presence known from start to finish at the 2011 Earthworks Harvest Festival on September 17 at the Gleaners Food Bank Banquet Hall. The Harvest Festival began with a social hour and garden tours of the Earthworks facilities. It also include food stories by the Earthworks Youth Farmstand and closed with a special musical performance by the Rosa Parks Youth Violas and Violinists accompanying local hip hop artist Ilana “Invincible” Weaver, who is also a co-coordinator of the DFY Program.

“I think it went really well,” said Weaver’s DFY co-coordinator Alia Harvey Quinn. “It was youth lead and people definitely contributed to parts of the agenda. They got a chance to showcase the work that they were excited about, so it went well.”

That sentiment was shared by the Earthworks staff as several comments were made commending the increased youth presence at the event.

“It was huge. It’s unlike any of the other years that we’ve had,” said Earthworks Youth Program Coordinator Denis Rochac. “It’s becoming more and more young people oriented. I think that’s where the power should be. It’s a very powerful thing when we invite the youth to lead because they are going to lead this movement. They are the ones that are going to take us where we want to go.”

Earthworks is a program of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen whose mission is to create a just food system. Earthworks promotes sustainable agricultural practices, nutrition education, media justice with local youth and adult leadership for ownership of Detroit’s food system.

Youth Farm Stand member Makea (left)draws
a ticket during the raffle as Shane Bernardo
holds the raffle box.

The DFY Program, of which Earthworks is a member, is made up of twelve organizations that are committed to working together to strengthen and deepen youth social justice organizing in Detroit. The program facilitates trainings, gatherings and retreats between the twelve organizations so that the organizations can continue to focus on their work while also building relationships with the other partners in the program.

DFY got a first hand look at the operation as Earthworks youth led them on a tour of the organization’s facilities. The youth visited the Earthworks offices, the soup kitchen, gardens and hoop houses, which are green houses where various vegetables are grown in a semi-controlled environment.

See more of the DFY trip to Earthworks at http://communicatinginthed.com/2011/09/20/detroit-future-youth-and-earthworks/

“Our young people led two groups and the tour went great” Rochac said. “It was really exciting to see our younger youth actually take those leadership roles and that they are really excited about the space they’ve done a lot of work in and grown up in.

“Our hoop house was a big hit. Everyone was able to harvest some tomatoes. Mostly I think everyone got excited about gardening and food sovereignty. We did a walk-the-line workshop around food sovereignty, and I think that really sparked some good discussions around access and who is controlling the distribution and the access around food currently. Hopefully we can make that paradigm shift because lot of the visiting youth had questions.”

After the tour, the youth made their way over to Gleaners where they joined the larger gathering for the rest of the program. The program included an introduction by Earthworks Youth Farm Stand members Makea and Quinn, a welcome by Earthworks Farm Manager Patrick Crouch, and a prayer by Father Jerry Smith, Executive Director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. After dinner Julia Putnam of the Boggs Education Center led a discussion on youth leadership. That was followed by the Food Stories from the Farm Stand and a crowd-stirring closing with Invincible and the Rosa Parks Violas and Violinists.

DFY Coordinator Ilana "Invincible" Weaver and the
Rosa Parks Youth Violinists perform

The Farm Stand is an entrepreneurship program that teaches youth between the ages of 12 and 17 how to grow their own food and sell it at local markets themselves. During the Food Stories, Earthworks youth shared an inter-generational oral history project that documents local history around food through interviews and storytelling.

“The Harvest Festival is more a friend raiser than a fund raiser,” Rochac said. “This is the time of year where we all come together. We invite all our friends to have a meal from the bounty of our garden. We ask our friends who are preparers of food to help us out with this party, and that’s what it is. It’s a party.”

Senior Engagement Program unites generations through gardening

2011-09-21T11:14:00.001-04:00

Robin Massey gives a gardening presentation
during the Senior Engagement program at P3A

DETROIT – Gardening by nature is the science of making things grow, but in the context of EMEAC’s Greener Schools Senior Engagement Program, it is having the affect of shrinking the generational gap in Detroit. The Senior Engagement Program’s Gardening Angels are now entering its second year of existence, but if the success of its first year is any indication there is a harvest of intergenerational connections ahead for the students of Palmer Park Preparatory Academy and the senior gardeners from Hannan House.

“That’s been working out really well because the Hannan seniors have a gardening club and they have a garden,” said Senior Engagement Program Coordinator Priscilla Dziubek. “They also have transportation, so they’ve been coming over once a month to Palmer Park Preparatory Academy where we have a group of sixth graders that are working with them throughout the year.”

The program has consisted of P3A students meeting with the seniors to share oral histories of their gardening knowledge and experience, as well as hands-on gardening lessons. The hope is to transfer and preserve that knowledge and experience through recorded conversations with the youth. The students will then work with EMEAC’s ReMedia program to turn those oral histories into a special documentary or short film.

“We are doing oral histories using flip cameras. The students are asking the seniors about their lives from the time that they were kids,” Dziubek said. “They are asking them what their gardening experiences were and what it was like in the city of Detroit for them as young people.

“EMEAC's programs are now all meeting to determine how we can best leverage our capabilities and to figure out how we can best integrate all of our youth programs going forward. The Gardening Angels are definitely a part of that.”

Greener Schools staff with seniors

The seniors in turn are volunteering their time to help students at P3A and Detroit Institute of Technology learn the how-to's of gardening. Rachel Jacobsen of Hannan Foundation, has been instrumental in bringing seniors from the Hannan Gardening Club, the residents of St. Martha’s Presbyterian Village of Michigan and the local communities to work with the students of both schools.

“We have some sessions where the seniors give the lessons. We’ve had some sessions where the students give the lessons,” she said. “We've recorded quite a bit of the histories and we’ve been doing quite a bit of learning also.”

Blair Theatre being refurbished as part of the Cass Community Commons Space

2011-09-21T10:42:00.001-04:00

http://dblairtheater.blogspot.com/

D. Blair

DETROIT – Renovations are underway and volunteers are being sought to help with the refurbishment of the D. Blair Grassroots Community Theatre inside the new Cass Corridor Community Commons Space of the First UU Church. Renovations are under the direction of Oya Amakisi of the Detroit Grassroots Community Arts Theatre and will include refinished floors, repainted walls and state of the art equipment among other improvements.

“The Detroit Grassroots Community Arts Collectives believes in the beauty, strength and love of Detroit,” said Amakisi whose organizations has been a long time host of the Detroit Women of Color International Film Festival. “We are invested in being a positive asset to our community. Imagine our new space with refinished floors, the walls painted, a state of the art stage and more. The multiple decks add an eclectic look that allows flexibility in an intimate setting.”

Members of the Cass Corridor Community Commons chose to rename the theatre in honor of David Blair, an internationally renown spoken word artist, musician and activist who passed away in August. The theatre has a flexible multilevel space that can easily meet the needs of the types of diverse community-based gatherings commons members envision using it for.

The theatre will also be home to the Detroit Liberation Library. The library was started during the United States Social Forum held in Detroit in June of 2010. People from all over the United States donated books focused on social justice, cultural arts and more.

The library will also include adult literacy training, tutoring and computers for research and job searches. Lecture series and book signings from up and coming progressive artists and activists will also take place. The library will also host the Detroit Intergenerational Classes featuring seasoned activists from the labor, civil rights, and black power movements.

D. Blair Grassroots Community Theatre Director Oya
Amakisi, upper left, oversees work party in August

The theater will have visual, literary and performing arts. The Commons envisions experimental plays, film festivals/presentations, workshops, lecture series, concerts, community forums, fundraisers and more being held at the theatre once refurbishments are complete. Some examples of long-standing events that will take place in the revamped space will be the Children’s Fun Film Saturday, the Detroit Women of Color International Film Festival, EMEAC’s annual Greenscreen and jam sessions featuring some of Detroit’s top blues, hip hop, jazz, spoken word, rock, soul and classical music artists.

Since the theatre hardly been used in recent years, Amakisi says there is much work to be done. Work parties are being planned in the coming months and volunteers are needed.

“We need volunteers for our Working Party,” she said. “We will clean and paint. Volunteers will get delicious snacks. At night we will have a party featuring some of the top deejays in Detroit. All volunteers get in free. We will sell fish, chicken and vegetarian dinners, but we need volunteers for renovations and clean up.”

Anyone interested in volunteering for Blair Theatre work parties should email amakisi@gmail.com.

School landscaping projects coming into fruition for the fall

2011-09-21T10:38:00.004-04:00

Sign at outdoor classroom at Nsoroma

DETROIT – Work on four landscaping projects at four Detroit schools has been all but completed as the EMEAC Greener Schools Program closes out its Ugliest School Yard Projects at Palmer Park Preparatory Academy, Detroit Community Schools, Detroit Institute of Technology and Nsoroma Institute.

“Most of our projects were completed this summer,” said EMEAC Volunteer Coordinator Kim Sherobbi. “DCS and DIT were our newest projects. Of course, Nsoroma and P3A projects that were started last year, didn’t need as much work done at the end of the school year. The other two schools were a little more labor intensive, but all of them have gone well.”

The projects at the elementary level schools, P3A and Nsoroma, involved the construction of an outdoor classroom space as an alternative learning environment for students and teachers. The projects also included other environmental enhancements. For instance, volunteer Eddie Stucky helped students at P3A build sitting benches and a trellis will be added to the outdoor space this fall.

At Nsoroma, an Afro-centric charter school, environmentalism and alternative learning models are nothing new. Sherobbi says she’s hoping that the school’s new outdoor space will fit nicely into the school’s cultural context.

Lizzy Baskerville works with a DIT student this summer

“Nsoroma often uses space outside the school walls to conduct classes and they were doing that before EMEAC got involved, so to actually have a space which was created and implemented by the students is something special for them.

At Nsoroma, they walk in the morning in meditation. It’s usually in quiet but sometimes it’s in conversation. It’s important for their students to can connect with nature and get centered. Along this walk, the students created a meditation path which includes an outdoor classroom. The art teacher assisted her students in creating a sign for the outdoor space.

At both P3A and Nsoroma, MES Lab instructors Sanaa Nia Joy and Priscilla Dziebuek encourage teachers to use the outdoor classroom so students can enjoy the environment and nature while learning.

The high school level projects at DSC and DIT involved projects that were likewise designed to enhance the atmosphere of the respective schools.

Sign at Palmer Park Academy

“DIT students who participated in the project wanted to change the appearance of their school entry way,” Sherobbi said. “They wanted their peers to start school in a positive frame of mind and hoped that the landscape design would help.”

Meanwhile at DSC, the students decided to go with a project that brought back a piece of the school’s past journey to its present location.

“DCS built a beautiful gazebo,” said Sherobbi. “They only have a few finishing touches to add to it. They had a gazebo at their former school building and I think they miss that gazebo so they used their money from the Ugliest School Yard to build a new one.

“DCS did most of their work. They are pretty self- sufficient. (Former Greener Schools Director) Lizzy Baskerville did a lot of work with them over the summer. They just wanted to add to their landscape and beautify. In the process, the students picked up lessons in math and science and also in working with each other.”

In the process of recapturing that lost piece of their past, students often found knowledge that will help them build their future.

“When I was talking to one of the administrators, Candyce Sweda at DCS, told me a story about a young man who learned a math lesson,” Sherobbi said. “Ms. Sweda had explained to him the importance of using calculations and getting measurements. At first, he was like, ‘Oh I can do it.’ So, she kind of let him do his thing. Then afterwards when he couldn’t quite get it done properly, he look at here and said, ‘Oh. I guess that’s why we are supposed to measure.’

There are all kinds of stories that were coming up throughout the process. There are some lessons in terms of how do we really make sure that community is a more an integral part of the process. There is some ownership in the schools and community but from everything I’ve heard that is something we may need to spend a little bit more time on.”

Cass Corridor experiment would save a church and mitigate gentrification's excesses

2011-09-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

http://metrotimes.com/columns/a-commons-idea-1.1195774

STIR IT UP

A commons idea

By Larry Gabriel

PUBLISHED: AUGUST 31, 2011

A commons idea for the Cass Corridor

The Cass Community Commons flies in the face of convention on a couple of counts. For one, the newly created enterprise in the First Unitarian-Universalist Church's three-building complex at Cass and Forest embraces the name and sensibility of the old Cass Corridor just as the rebranding of the area as Midtown seems to be taking off.

Another unconventional aspect is how the commons was created. The UU, which has been struggling with dwindling membership and economic woes for years, gave its three-building complex to the East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC), which organized the commons. Giving away prime real estate nestled between Wayne State University and the Medical Center is an unusual and probably desperate move to save the church, but it just might work. Part of the deal is that the church can continue to meet and have services in the sanctuary, and as a member of the commons community the church has a say in future choices about the facility.

"The idea of handing over so much value struck some church members as odd. It was a big decision," says Robert Johnson, a church board member. "There is a chance for a lot of symmetry here. The UU church is focused on social justice issues. EMEAC is a social justice organization as well.

"We're getting back to being a church rather than a group that maintains a church. There's so much potential."

All that potential came into focus when the church put out a request for proposals to take over the facility. EMEAC's proposal struck a chord with the church board and membership, which voted in favor of the transaction earlier this summer.

The Cass Community Commons also speaks to a point of contention that has smoldered beneath the veneer of development in the area: How do you accommodate the new with those who were there already and hung in through the worst of times? EMEAC, for example, had offices on Canfield in the Medical Center area but development "priced us out of being there," says Lottie Spady, associate director of EMEAC.

"That is one of the reasons why we were so hopeful for this project, to be a community anchor and community hub," Spady says. "Gentrification is happening alarmingly fast. There is Midtown, which is good in and of itself, but those business owners don't necessarily look like the people who have been there of long standing. Goodwell's, the Spiral Collective — how are they going to survive the gentrification that is washing through the corridor now?" (Goodwell's is a grocery, and Spiral includes an art gallery, a bookstore and other enterprises.)

Maybe the commons will make a difference for some of the ground-level entities. The commons spiritually embraces the whole area, and it will house a number of progressive enterprises. The Sugar Law Center has offices there, and entrepreneurial ventures such as Detroit Grassroots Cultural Arts Center, the People's Kitchen Detroit, the Detroit Media Arts Cooperative, Whole Note Healing Space, and Fender Bender Detroit (a bicycle venture) are all in the mix or expected to move in. There are plans for a multimedia collective, a theater space and youth summer camps.

"We are creating a common space for the movements around social justice, food justice, environmental justice and digital justice to educate, strategize, and strengthen the underrepresented and unrepresented voices of our youth, elders, communities of color, and those that differ in their orientation and abilities," Spady wrote on EMEAC's website. "Maintaining the structural expenses of a large building is a challenge, but it's one that has been anticipated and we are planning accordingly."

Much of this is old hat for the church building. The UU has always been a progressive force in Detroit. It championed liberal religious freedom in the 1800s, and supported the civil rights and anti-war movements of the last century. Viola Liuzzo, the civil rights activist killed in Alabama in 1965, was a member of the congregation. In the 1960s and '70s and '80s the Cass City Cinema collective screened independent films there, the Community Concert Series featured local artists' performances and the Detroit Lesbian Organization held meetings and social gatherings there. Although he only rented the space, Alice Cooper rehearsed his Killer album in the church basement.

Activist-philosopher Grace Lee Boggs held her book release party there in the spring and the memorial for poet-musician David Blair was held there in July. So the community is already used to attending events there. In fact, some of the church members are already active in some of the organizations moving into the commons.

EMEAC has a "green team" that has inspected the historic buildings and has a plan to retrofit them and make them more environmentally friendly. Potential changes include windows, insulation and heating elements. The organization is exploring solar and geothermal options. The church house was built in 1891, the sanctuary in 1916 and the classroom building behind them was built in stages from the 1930s through the 1950s — so it's going to take some work to modernize the facilities. I lived and worked in the building as a caretaker from 1976 to 1983, and I still wonder how much asbestos I might have inhaled working in crawl spaces and the like.

So there's plenty of change in the air for the space. The plan is for it to be a true community that shares resources rather than a group of discrete businesses.

"It's built around the concept of the commons, the things that we collectively own in community," says Spady. "I was baptized there as a Unitarian. One of EMEAC's founders was very much so involved. There were a number of folks that we worked with in various activist organizations who were involved there. We intentionally went back to the Cass Corridor concept. There is a piece of history there. ... It's a manifestation of the relationships that we've been growing over the past several years. This is the realization of a dream. The conversation started at the [2010] Social Forum about the need for a justice hub, a community beehive of activities that can be fed in all kinds of ways, emotionally, socially. This is in many ways the outcome that is supposed to happen when you work with community."

I love the idea, but there is one thing I hope doesn't change. There is a gate and a wall in the church driveway that a partner and I built in the summer of 1978. Every time I pass there I look at it and think, "I built that." It's a little personal legacy that I'm proud of. The EMEAC folks say they're thinking about what to do with the space behind the gate. If their plan necessitates taking it down, I'll be disappointed but I can live with it. Community building is more important.

EMEAC officially receives donation of First UU Complex; announces opening of Cass Community Commons

2011-08-22T12:59:00.003-04:00

DETROIT – The East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC) will officially assume responsibility for operation of the First Unitarian Universalist Complex on August 15 after the First UU Board formally donated the facilities to EMEAC in July. EMEAC’s plans for the complex include the creation of a Cass Community Commons consisting of fellow social justice minded community organizations and environmentally retrofitting the facilities while continuing to allow the First UU congregation full use of the worship and meeting facilities.

“Our vision is to transform the UU space into a multi-use facility and Detroit grassroots organizing hub,” said EMEAC Director Diana Copeland. “This Cass Corridor Community Commons space will embody the principles and values of the Unitarian Church and our environmental and social justice principles.”

Not only will the facility be used for First UU services and EMEAC administrative office space, it will also house several grassroots organizations which are partnered with EMEAC.”

Entrepreneurial ventures by collaborative partners in addition to meeting space for grassroots events and activities will also be accommodated. Some current tenants at the facility like the Sugar Law Center for Social and Economic Justice will remain at First UU. They will be joined by EMEAC partners like the Detroit Grassroots Cultural Arts Center, The People’s Kitchen Detroit, The Detroit Media Arts Cooperative, Whole Note Healing Space, and Fender Bender Detroit.

“We are creating a common space for the movements around social justice, food justice, environmental justice and digital justice to educate, strategize, and strengthen the underrepresented and unrepresented voices of our youth, elders, communities of color, and those that differ in their orientation and abilities,” said EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady. “Maintaining the structural expenses of a large building is a challenge, but its one that has been anticipated and we are planning accordingly. There will be many opportunities for the community to support this effort by way of events, campaigns, and outreach efforts. We hope that going forward community members would please consider connecting with EMEAC and First UU to share resources around the maintenance of this vital community resource.”

Experts in environmental retrofitting has been consulted to meet the task of environmentally retrofitting the facilities. We Want Green Too will begin the process by conducting an energy audit and complete building inspection. That information will be used in determining the specific renovations needed. EMEAC will then turn to its “green team” of experts specializing in green design and construction. The team includes Ken Moody & Associates, Community Green Builders and We Want Green Too along with individual experts like Architect Carlos Nielbock, green construction professionals Mutope A’Alkebu’lan, Cornelius Williams and Chazz Miller.

Further retrofits such as insulation, window fitting, heating, solar and geothermal options will be considered as well.

“What excites me most are the many opportunities available to us now because of the facilities in the building,” said EMEAC Associate Director Ahmina Maxey. “The building has so many spaces that can be put to great use through the Cass Corridor Community Commons and the programming, events, and activities that will be offered. These include a theater, kitchen, common room, etc.

“I feel like we are bringing more life back into the walls of First UU. The building has such a rich heritage and presence, being a place of celebrations, weddings, services, youth events, etc. and that energy is still present and reverberates in the walls. Although some of this activity may have slowed as of late, I'm excited to be blessed with the opportunity to bring this energy back to the building through our work.”

The EMEAC team sees the establishment of the Community Commons at First UU as a critical move toward ensuring that current residents and community-based organizations of the city have both a presence and a voice in the face of the rising tide of gentrification sweeping over what is now called Midtown.

“This effort is made even more significant with the tide of gentrification that is flowing through the Cass Corridor, starting with its re-naming as "Midtown,” said Spady, a life-long resident of the city. “Businesses and entities that work specifically on behalf of the community, which stand to be displaced by these actions will be instrumental in the creation of economically sustainable areas. We are operating on the premise of community empowerment by lifting up the invisible capital that is deeply embedded in Detroit's history of resiliency, innovation, perseverance, and soul.”

Detroit Future Media Youth Program holds first gathering at Ruth Ellis Center

2011-08-18T15:19:00.002-04:00

HIGHLAND PARK – A diverse group of over 50 Detroit youth, representing 12 community organizations attended the first gathering of the Detroit Future Media Youth Program on July 26 at the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park. The Ruth Ellis Center honors the life and work of the late Ruth Ellis who was one of the country’s oldest known "out" African American lesbians. Over the course of her 101 years, she was a pioneering activist for the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community in the Detroit area and beyond.

The Ruth Ellis Center is one of only four agencies in the United States dedicated to homeless LGBTQ youth and young adults. Among their services are a drop-in center, street outreach program, transitional living programs, and emergency housing shelter.

“The great thing was seeing youth who seemingly have little in common, relating to each other based on the similarity of their struggles and hope for the future,” said DFM Youth Program Coordinator Alia Harvey-Quinn. “Twelve organizations brought their youth out to support the event. We had over fifty youth of all different races, nationalities, attractional orientations, economic backgrounds and ages.”

Youth enjoyed pizza and social interaction before engaging in several workshop around identity and tolerance. The gathering was addressed by local LGBTQ activists Dr. Kofi Adoma and Michelle Brown before sitting down to a public screening of two films produced by and featuring Ruth Ellis Center Youth leaders.

That was followed by a panel discussion on the films. The first film was titled “Put Yourself in Our Shoes” and aimed to reach people who have bullied, teachers, administrators, and community members. The second film, “I, You, We Are Not Alone”, targeted LGBTQ youth who have survived bullying in hopes of breaking isolation.

“The most important part of this gathering was the exploration of identity and self image,” Alia said. “The workshop focused on the ways individual self image impacts community self image. When a community is proud of their self image even when society views their identity negatively, that can be a revolutionary act that transforms society. The workshop uplifted commonalities, celebrated differences, and set the tone for a safe space for youth to be themselves.

“The event also featured a premier screening of a film that Ruth Ellis Center's Out and Upfront program created around the bullying crisis and how it impairs the educational experience of homo-attractional youth. It was inspiring to see young people stand up to correct an injustice that plagues the community.”

DFM Youth Coordinators said that the Ruth Ellis Center gathering set a positive tone going forward to their next gathering which will take place at Vanguard on August 27.

“One of our goals is to grow a youth led movement,” Alia said. “We'd love to engage youth in critical dialog around issues that affect their community and support them to really fight for change. This is one step down a long road of intersecting movements and building relationships across boundaries to ultimately work together for change.

“We are looking forward to more justice based media creation, more movement building, and more youth working together to transform our city.”

EMEAC SUSO's Youth team interns at Project South’s CPI

2011-08-18T15:03:00.004-04:00

YEA Team members Siwatu Salama-Ra, Will Copeland,
Noel Frye, Knydra Jefferson, Paris Smith, Sharmin Salaam
and Roger Boyd at Project South in Atlanta

ATLANTA – A group of six Detroit youth participating in the EMEAC Stand Up Speak Out Program’s Youth Educators Alliance (YEA) attended the Community Power Institute (CPI) internship program sponsored by Project South in Atlanta last month. The YEA Team, led by SUSO Youth Coordinator William Copeland and Youth Leader Siwatu Salama-Ra, attended four weeks of intensive workshop training based on Project South experience and curriculum for young people ages 13-22.

“The trip was excellent,” Copeland said. “Project South welcomed us fully and the YEA youth immediately stepped into various roles of facilitation, outreach, and discussion. Towards the end of the trip, Project South was hosting a youth people's movement assembly on educational justice and the YEA youth were able to participate to a great extent in the planning for the assembly.”

The YEA team making the trip south consisted of Noelle Frye, Roger Boyd, Knydra Jefferson, Paris Smith and EMEAC Americorps intern, Sharmin Salaam. At the CPI, the group addressed the weaknesses of public and private school systems by engaging other young people with relevant history. They also learned community organizing skills in hopes of developing a new generation of leadership prepared for active participation in their communities and in organizing to bridge the generation gap.

CPI interns were responsible for variety of tasks related to the CPI; including research, popular education, facilitation, and development work. They also gained public speaking, community outreach/networking, administrative and grassroots fundraising skills.

“The goals that were set for the Young Educators Alliance visit to Atlanta's Project South CPI and experience working along side one of our partner youth organization that suffer from many similar community issues that we face in the city of Detroit, and problem solve,” said the 20-year-old Salama-Ra. “The most rewarding part was to witness the CPI youth and Detroit’s YEA introduce "Educational Justice" to the community. We conducted dialogue around what is being taught in the schools and asked whether it's beneficial for the students to live their lives the way they are meant to be lived.

“Everything was youth led, from the planning to the actual facilitation of the workshops. Youth did everything from the registration table to the ending comment, and the serving of the food.”

While the trip fulfilled EMEAC’s goal of giving the YEA youth organizers an “out of the box” experience that allowed them a new view on youth organizing and social justice activism, Copeland said he is looking forward to seeing Detroit youth play a greater role in shaping the city’s future.

“I am hoping to bring back more techniques for youth leadership and youth organizing,” he said. “I hope that YEA in particular can become even more expressive of youth culture. I hope to bring the organizing of Up South Down South to EMEAC so that our whole organization can make effective alliances & partnerships with Southern social justice organizations. Lastly, I hope that participating in such a large project with as much energy as the Education Justice PMA can raise the ambitions of our youth towards bigger and bolder organizing efforts.”

For her part, Salama-Ra said she felt the group came away from Atlanta inspired and that the experience exceeded expectations.

“The trip to Atlanta was such a big success due to the meeting of the different young people who are passionate in creating a new world, a new system,” she said. “When closing the assembly, few of the ending comments between the Up South- Down south partnership was to take advantage of the resources we have to assist in making our jobs easier.

“We learned about writing proposals in our behalf, and looking towards long term goals. We learned about possibly founding our own schools that express the goals that came out from the Youth CPI PMA. We talked about principles from the students Rights Bill, and teachers having classes that touch on the different learning styles students have in supporting the goal of a full 100% graduation rate. These are just a few ideas coming from Detroit's YEA team and Atlanta's project South. This would be considered a next step and an over all goal for change in our school systems.”

Detroit Future Media graduates first class of community educators, entrepreneurs and activists

2011-08-18T14:17:00.002-04:00

DETROIT – Over 30 Detroit residents became the first class of graduates from the Detroit Future Media Workshops last Saturday in the Allied Media Projects Theatre. In all, 34 community members completed a total of 22 weeks in advanced specialized media training followed workshops in entrepreneurship, education or community organizing with the overall goal of building a community media economy in the city.

Three-hour classes twice a week in video production, audio engineering, web and graphic design made up the first part of the coursework. Students then completed the second half of the coursework designed to compliment their current occupations or career goals related to education, entrepreneurship or community organizing. Graduates are now charged to pass on those skills in the various communities of Detroit to create jobs, foster cooperative economics and support community based media organizing.

“There were so many challenges setting up this program at such an accelerated pace and not having a precedence in setting up a program like this – especially with the class structure that we decided on,” said DFM Program Coordinator Joe Namy. “We knew we wanted to make the classes as diverse as possible – intergenerational and inclusive of a variety of skillsets and backgrounds. It’s very hard to keep such a diverse group engaged and committed, but in the end I feel like this was our biggest success. This is what made the program so rich. We allowed for a space where our elders and youth and everyone in between could interact and engage each other all around media.”

Completing the education track were Isaac Miller, Joseph Rodriguez Tanner, Martha Obringer, Matthew Cross, Jason Graves, Triana Kazaleh-Sirdenis, Michael Polk, Renee Newman, Jason Graves, Dr. Conja Wright, Sanaa Green and Vanden Spady. Completing the entrepreneurial track were Amos White, Dr. Angela D. Allen, Barry Thomas, Dr. Charles Simmons, Craig Peterson, Deleana Hill, Eddi Gonzales, Fernando Parraz, Jon Blount, Karen Gates, Lydia Debnar, Matthew Love, Nathaniel Mullen III, Piper Carter, Sean Thomas, Stanley Kirk, Tiwana Carmichael and Tonya Warren.

Graduates of the social justice track were Corey McCord, Paul Abowd, Moudu Boqui, Rhonda Anderson, Sarah Coffey and Patrick Ali. Of the 34 participants, some only completed the media portion of the training.

Instructors in the various courses were Janel Yamashiro (web/education), Imad Hassan (video/education), Ron Watters (graphics/entrepreneur), Darren Vaugh (audio), Marisol Teachworth (education), Diana Nucera (entrepreneur) and Jenny Lee (social justice).

“It takes a special kind of instructor to be able to facilitate this,” Namy said."Our instructors have all said they learned as much as the students throughout this process."

Local activist, Rich Feldman attended both the opening ceremony for DFM and the graduation. He reflected on the accomplishments of the program, saying, “As I watched people's faces (graduates, family and friends) and felt their enthusiasm, I remember the filled room in February or March when we were just inaugurating this historic initiative. The sense of pride, the sense of accomplishment, the commitment to each other, the critical connections, relationship born and nurtured, the visioning of community and a responsibility to define our collective future was all present. It was special hearing the words, the clapping, the energy while seeing the graduation scarfs as a symbol of birthing of another dream moving hopes into reality."

Detroit Future Media is a program under the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition. The DDJC is comprised of people and organizations in Detroit who believe that communication is a fundamental human right and works to secure those rights through activities grounded in the digital justice principles of: access, participation, common ownership, and healthy communities.

Namy added that the DFM’s first graduating class is only the first step in the program’s work to build a better future rooted in the idea of uplifting the citizens of Detroit’s inner city communities.

"We're currently working on our in-school program, placing some of the DFM participants as teaching artists working with 12 teachers in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. After this we will focus on our next round of workshops, which we expect to start around October/November. In the meantime we'll be having some additional community events, if people are interested in finding more about our programing they can email me and I can put them on our mailing list, joe@alliedmedia.org.

"We're also developing a web platform through which graduates of Detroit Future Media will have profiles and can market their curricula, trainings, goods and services to the wider Detroit community. Keep checking detroitfuture.org to stay in touch with us."

CHIRP Grant awarded to eight community groups in Detroit

2011-08-18T14:09:00.006-04:00

DETROIT – The Child Health Incubator Research Project (CHIRP) is a partnership of eight organizations working to challenge the food myths and social and economic realities that threaten to undermine the health and well-being of young children in Detroit. Members include Building Movement Project, Catherine Ferguson Academy, Creative

Community Pathways, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Feedom Freedom Growers and People’s Kitchen Detroit and Oakland University’s Department of Psychology at Riverview Institute in Detroit.

CHIRP is supported by a five year $4.5 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Childhood Obesity Prevention Program.

CHIRP will create a vibrant learning community with innovative programming rooted in a holistic, justice-centered approach to eliminating childhood obesity in our community by drawing on members’ expertise in diverse areas such as environmental and food justice, food security/sovereignty, community development and self-determination, family and child development and achievement, nutrition and healthy child-friendly food preparation, critical media literacy and production.

“Typical strategies to address childhood obesity presume access to certain resources and information, that standardized interventions will be effective and that health can be defined by standardized measures without regard to culture, economic or social circumstances. In Detroit, we know otherwise,” said Principle Investigator and Project Director, Kerry Vachta of Oakland University.

“We know our children don’t always have access to what some communities may take for granted and that parents don’t always have the same options. But we also know there are resources here – from urban farms that provide affordable access to fresh organic produce to a plethora of child-centered institutions and extensive community and family support networks. Those resources create an entirely different potential health landscape for Detroit’s children than even many Detroiters are aware of.”

The goals of CHIRP are to surface and harness those resources; transform existing assumptions among and about Detroit families regarding food and health; recognize and challenge the inequitable distribution of risks and resources that plays such a critical role in the health of Detroit’s children; ensure every Detroit family has access to the best information, activities and resources to support healthy children; and to share what we learn locally and with communities across the nation in similar circumstances.

To that end, the group will also create a Handbook documenting the effective activities for distribution locally and nationally. An interactive map of the city will allow parents to enter a location and learn about resources that can support their efforts to create a healthy lifestyle for their children in their own neighborhood.

As Lottie Spady, Associate Director of East Michigan Environmental Action Council, explains, “We have so many pressures and so many demands that it’s important to learn how to integrate this information into our day-to-day lives.

“Somehow we’ve been convinced that maintaining that pace and our other obligations is more important than our health. We need to challenge those notions about what our priorities should be, about what we eat and how we live. To do that, we have to challenge what the media tells us about what is important and what is in the food we’re eating and feeding to our kids!”

Angela Newsom, Project Director for People’s Kitchen Detroit, points out, “Many of those ideas are myths – we can provide healthful food for our children and families in no more time than it takes to pick up fast food – and often at lower cost!”

Mrs. Newsom is a local chef who will help Detroit parents develop the knowledge and skills to create healthy, child-friendly daily meals. Ms. Spady’s program activities will foster critical awareness of the messages in popular media about food and health and empower young people to create their own media that tells their own food stories. Others will help young children and their parents develop skills to grow their own fresh produce, engage teens in mentoring to alter consumption preferences and trends among both teens and younger children, and improve access to fresh produce through Detroit’s food pantries.

Food Justice Taskforce debuts ‘Cook Eat Talk’ documentary and zine

2011-08-18T13:49:00.002-04:00

DETROIT – Over 60 community members turned out to the historic Eastern Market on August 17 for the Detroit Food Justice Taskforce’s community screening of the “Cook Eat Talk” documentary and Cook Zine. Both the documentary and the brochure chronicle the work of the DFJT during the first-year planning phase of their work and leading up to a series of community engagement sessions aimed at addressing food security, sovereignty and justice issues in the future.

“I was very pleased with the number of folks that turned out – old faces and new,” said DFJT Administrator and EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady. “That really reflects the relationship building we’ve been doing over the past year and beyond.”

The screening was held at Shed No. 5 at Eastern Market. Community members enjoyed special food and beverages provided by DFJT Member, Peoples Kitchen Detroit. Peoples Kitchen also distributed copies of the latest Cook Eat Talk zine – version 3.0. The zine serves as a companion piece to the documentary and not only tells the story of the Food Justice Taskforce in words and stills from the documentary but also includes health conscious recipes from the community members and lists the 10 principles of food sovereignty.

“We wanted to share the story of the Food Justice Task Force and lift up some of the strategies that we’ve learned along the way,” said DFJT Coordinator Gregg Newsome of the Peoples Kitchen. “Cook Eat Talk is a community gathering facilitated and supported by Food Justice Task Force partners. Theses gatherings share a new strategy for mindful, respectful and mutually beneficial community engagement.

“For me, the emergent, non-prescribed format, was quite significant. I think that this was facilitated by our decision to embrace and celebrate each community’s invisible capital and honor their specific interests and self-identified needs. Rather than entering communities with a cookie cutter program, Cook Eat Talk offers menus, choices and has a flexibility that communities and families need in order to establish a healthy relationship with food.”

Overall, DFJT members said they were pleased with the feedback from community members that attended the screening and look forward to the next phase of their work.

“I think they were received extremely well as seen by the number of peole that purchased zines,” Spady said. “We really wanted to make the zine assessable to everyone,

Some of the input that I got from the people that saw the documentary said that it brought the work to life better than a written report ever could. So, I was really pleased with how things went overall.

“Based on the community’s input gathered at each Cook Eat Talk session, the taskforce will be expanding into a network of community food justice hubs that will work on behalf of each community. We’re looking forward to that process and providing training and support to each of the local communities.”

Link to EMEAC Newsletter

2011-07-18T06:16:00.000-04:00

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DIT’s Ugliest School Yard project nears completion

2011-07-17T16:03:00.003-04:00

The Greener Schools Program’s Ugliest School Yard Project at the Detroit Institute of Technology (DIT) is nearing completion thanks to the efforts of a group of DIT students, staff, parents and volunteers over the summer. DIT’s Ugliest School Yard Project involves the relandscaping of the school’s entrance and will be completed in August.

“The students decided to landscape their school entrance in hopes to set a more positive tone for the upcoming school year,” said EMEAC’s volunteer coordinator Kim Sherobi who works with the Greener Schools Program. “The particular design was developed by DIT students with the help of M'lis Bartlette, a landscape architect student from the University of Michigan.”

Work began on the project during the school year as part of Greener Schools’ Ugliest School Yard Competition where EMEAC affiliated schools under take landscaping or gardening projects designed to enhance their school’s environment. Similar projects are underway at Norsoma Institute and Palmer Park Academy.

“The efforts of the project participants are going well,” Sherobi said. “At least 10 students have shown up to assist in the development of the project. Throughout the workday, everyone is making comments about how beautiful the design looks. Many drivers passing by have stop to make encouraging comments or give the thumbs up sign.

“Even the DPS police drive by as we are working and smile about our efforts and progress. The work days have given students and staff a chance to build stronger relationships. The teamwork and collaboration has been great.”

Sherobi thanked DIT principal Ms. Kovari and other staff members like Ms. Gligor, Ms. Scott, Ms. Wade and Coach Al for taking time to lend a hand and their commitment to seeing the project through.

“Special thanks should go out to the architect, M'Lis and her partner, Eric, for the guidance during the project,” Sherobi said. “Of course, to Lizzy for believing that the staff and students at DIT could complete the project. Let me not forget all the students, volunteers and any other staff members who helped.”

Peoples Water Board remains vigilant over water access issues in Detroit

2011-07-17T15:41:00.004-04:00

DETROIT -- Detroit’s high number of water shut offs and the potential privatization of the city’s water system continue to be a major concern for the members of the Peoples Water Board whose mission is for: access & affordability, protection, & conservation and the water system to be remain in the public trust free from privatization in the City of Detroit.

“The biggest issue over all these past two years and going forward has been the overwhelming loss of access to water for residential use via thousands of shut offs and the failure of the City of Detroit to implement the original Water Affordability Plan of 2006,” said PWB member Charity Hicks. “There’s also the threat and push towards a hostile takeover of the people of the City of Detroit's water infrastructure system and privatize it, via state action.”

Despite a long-standing history of maintaining sole control of its own water system while operating as a municipal non-profit-enterprise agency amidst persistent attempts by suburban interests, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing capitulated under the pressure of a well-orchestrated media campaign and political maneuvering to erode control of the city’s water system, which also services multiple outlying sprawling suburban communities. Although news of the future of the city’s water system has since disappeared from the headlines of the mainstream press, the People’s Water Board urges Detroiters to be vigilant on the issue so that Detroit’s water system doesn’t follow a growing trend among Rust Belt communities and move toward privatization.

“We knew it was coming because you can hear the chatter and the consistent privatizing and selling/transfer of Detroit assets,” Hicks said.

The Peoples Water Board Detroit started in 2009 from a series of meetings around access and affordability of water and pollution issues. The meetings were led by the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO) and the Sierra Club Great Lakes Program. The meetings centered around water-quality and conservation issues. Local labor groups were also involved in looking at the significant privatizing of the local water system.

The coalition decided in the spring 2009 to conduct a series of organizing meetings to set up a "Peoples Water Board" to research, advocate, and movement build around various water issues in Detroit. The coalition also felt it necessary to watch and monitor the existing municipal water board serving at the pleasure of the Mayor of Detroit. The People’s Water Board hopes to work with the Municipal Water Board of Commissioners to make our water affordable, fishable, swimmable, and kept safe in the public commons.

There are nine commissioners on the Peoples Water Board of Detroit and several observers. Gwen Gaines and Ann Grimmett, both of MWRO, work on water access and affordability. Melissa Damasche of the Sierra Club’s Great Lakes Water Program-Detroit, and Derek Grigsby of the Green Party also serve working on pollution control and conservation. Andre Martin of MECAWI and John Rhiel of ASCME 207 serve representing water being held in the commons free from privatization. The three at large positions on the board are filled by Priscilla Dziubek of EMEAC, Lila Cabill of the Rosa Parks Institute and Hicks, who also is one of the founding members and current secretary for the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.

The founding coalition members are: Sierra Club, MWRO, Rosa Parks Institute, AFSCME Local 207, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Detroit Green Party, and Matrix Theatre. Several persons, organizations and projects observe and work with the coalition in promoting awareness of water issues in Detroit. The newest group is Food & Water Watch has recently joined the coalition while several hundred individual supporters have signed on to the PWB mission statement.

“Water is life. The People’s Water Board advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water. We believe water is a human right and all people should have access to clean and affordable water. Water is a commons that should be held in the public trust free of privatization. The People’s Water Board promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources.”

“We have conducted a film series in conjunction with Detroit Public Library to raise awareness on water issues, stenciled storm drain covers to remind residents not to dump, petitioned Municipal Water Board to stop all residential water shut offs, represented the coalition at 2010 U.S. Social Forum Peoples Movement Assembly,” Hicks said. “We want to cross pollinate movement building by attending gatherings to relationship build. We also blog to tell our story, conduct email campaigns and write letters to the editor to voice our coalition’s position.”

“We’ve met with congressional and state leadership on water issues such as pollution, and infrastructure costs to learn about federal and state programs. We’ve toured the waste water treatment plant to understand our infrastructure needs and capacity while monitoring the permit process of DWSD. We’ve reviewed contracts, researched and reviewed the consent degree and federal over sight on DWSD. We’ve held a monthly informational picket at the monthly Municipal Water Board meetings, disseminated flyers and information. We’ve presented with Matrix Theatre on World Water Day 2009 with youth and community. We’ve held a poster contest for school children, tabled at River Days with the Friends of Belle Isle and other significant and powerful work. Over the past two years we hope we have raised awareness, engaged citizens and policy makers, and called the question on DWSD for greater transparency, democracy, and improvement in the quality of life of residents.” For more information on the Peoples Water Board Detroit, visit: http://www.peopleswaterboard.blogspot.com/

Octavia Butler and The Movement explored at AMC workshop

2011-07-17T15:33:00.001-04:00

By Adrienne M. Brown

Octavia Butler

At the 2011 Allied Media Conference there was an entire track on Science Fiction and Movement which had a lot of relevant content for an organization like the East Michigan Environmental Action Council. I want to share the planning notes of the Octavia Butler and Emergent Strategy session, which is in some ways inspired by the deep work EMEAC does. Enjoy!

Opening Thoughts:

The most successful strategies in black science fiction writer/prophet Octavia Butler’s books are emergent strategies – meaning the characters are themselves shifting conditions, or caught in shifting conditions, that allow new possibilities for their evolutionary work. Within that shifting work, they are emerging new strategies.

"Strategy is a word of military origin, referring to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Strategy is a comprehensive way to try to pursue political ends, including the threat or actual use of force, in a dialectic of wills – there have to be at least two sides to a conflict. These sides interact, and thus a Strategy will rarely be successful if it shows no adaptability.” - Wikipedia

In the organizing/non-profit world we currently live in, we are constantly encouraged to define strategy in the terms of the status quo.

As an organizational healer, I often see folks who want to make a change or impact on the world fall short the moment they try to become strategic. Though they might be trying to create a new world within the main space of their organizing, more often, I see groups fall into the familiar, functioning in a way that is counter to the values they espouse.

To begin anew in terms of organizational development and strategic planning, i think we need to first come up with our own definition for strategy: Think of the strategic plans, the strategies you see in the movement work…how would WE (who are seen as not strategic BECAUSE we are emergent) define strategic?

One key seems to be the ability to engage in emergent strategies.

Emergent Strategies in Octavia Butler:

"Emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions." - Dictionary.com

Instead of all of our work being focused on an end goal, a win, we need to see our strategy as a constantly emerging process where we apply lessons and advance our values and principles in our actions. For me, Butler's work gives us several examples of this type of strategy in practice.

In the Parables Series, the main character (Lauren) has to devise a new strategy after her post-apocalyptic intentional community is decimated by the futuristic radical right wing. Lauren is holding a spiritual vision, not just a political one. She ends up going door to door to share her vision, her philosophies. I think about this story a lot when I hear organizations tending towards institution building. Do you understand the philosophy you are trying to advance, and are you flexible enough to focus on the philosophy instead of the structure. In this instance, the emergent strategies are relationship building; taking whoever comes - seeing each person, regardless of class, race, ability, gender, sexuality, as a potential revolutionary; focusing on being philosophically/spiritually rooted as opposed to institution building.

I think the Xenogenesis series is the ultimate emergence book. Lead character Lilith wakes up all alone in an alien world, and becomes a leader in the process of evolving humanity by integrating with another species. As she goes through the process of figuring out her survival, it becomes more and more clear that the alien Oankali have power and they are the ones integrating her, and other humans, into their existence. Lilith has an immense capacity for grief and loss, and being alone (having already lost her family on earth). The strategies in this collection are Lilith's emergent learning and adaptation based on survival instinct - having survived makes you the strongest possible next leader.

This reminds me of one of the principles of Allied Media Projects, EMEAC's partner in Detroit Future Media: “The most effective strategies for us are the ones that work in situations of scarce resources and intersecting systems of oppression because those solutions tend to be the most holistic and sustainable.”

Perhaps most relevant to us is the strategy that brings the downfall of the evil body snatcher Doro in the Patternist series. His daughter Mary is able to conquer him by working with the full interconnected network of telepaths who have developed the capacity to flow all of their individual smaller energies together to bring down one massive oppressive and deadly opponent. Doro underestimates them because he cannot even understand what they are doing. The emergent strategy here is collective organizing with trust – Doro lost because he couldn’t be a part of the collective or the whole. The other strategy was clear understanding of the necessary roles – understanding the nodes who could connect the network, and who had enough energy to be drawn upon.

In the Patternist series, the revolution/counter-revolution is very present: within two books the liberated network of telepaths have evolved into the oppressive patternmasters – oppressing humans, who they call ‘mutes’ and battling a new human hybrid species created by an alien disease. The new species becomes the revolutionary force in the wild, an organic force that primarily exists in their bodies, not their minds.

So if we think of emergent strategy as intentional, strong because it is decentralized, adaptive, interdependent, and creating more possibility, rather than coming to a victorious end, it changes the way we approach our organizing.

Discussion:

The participants had several rounds of conversation to explore these ideas, around prompts such as:

- what would change if we applied these strategies to our current organizing?

- what would be the indicators of excellent emergent work in organizing?

- how would we evaluate emergent leaders?

- in a world where we focus on emergence, how do plans serve us?

We openly discussed how shifting away from long-term inflexible plans, and into long-term strategic intentions & aligned principles where we determine our next moves by reflecting.

Each participant was then asked to make a commitment to shifting into emergent strategy in their own work and life.

EMEAC is already doing this kind of thinking or and organizing. We invite you to join us.

Phase II of EMEAC Sumer Camp gets underway

2011-07-17T15:27:00.001-04:00

Kim Sherobi of Greener Schools and Maria Ryen of
ReMedia do an exercise with youth during Phase I of
EMEAC's GAME Summer Camp in June

The second part of EMEAC’s first in-house summer camp gets underway July 18 in McCallister Hall of the First Unitarian Universalist Church as approximately a dozen Detroit youth will receive intensive leadership development during Phase II of the Gardening Activism Media and Education Sumer Camp.

Phase I of the GAME Summer Camp concluded last month as a similar number of youth attended the 2011 Allied Media Conference and enjoyed several other environmental and media justice activities under EMEAC’s Stand Up Speak Out program. Phase II will be conducted by EMEAC’s ReMedia Program and will continue for six weeks through August 26.

“The Stand Up Speak Out team did a great job kicking things off last month and we’re really looking forward to trying to build on that for Phase II of GAME,” said ReMedia Coordinator Patrick Geans-Ali. “I was so impressed with the young people that participated in Phase I. All of them seemed to be young people that will make a difference in their communities going forward.

“I’m sure we’ll get a similar group for phase II and I’m excited seeing how they respond to the curriculum we’ve got in store for them.”

The second phase of GAME with the theme “Grow Your Own Media” will focus on developing campers’ leadership skills and educating the community around food justice issues like the U.S. Farm Bill 2012. Campers will be taught how to participate in and facilitate workshops on environmental, food and media justice issues before conducting a series of Cook Eat Talk sessions at the Detroit Science Center and Children’s Museum, Vangaurd CDC, Earth Works Capuchin Soup Kitchen and EMEAC with the Detroit Future Media Youth Network.

Phase II of GAME will also follow up on Phase I projects and activities like the Environmental Justice Tour with the Detroit Sierra Club and producing a film project based on Phase I activities at the Allied Media Conference. Other activities include development of the North End Community Garden, Biking expeditions with Sarah Sidewalk's Fender Benders, Niche market food entrepreneur training with Can-Did Revolution and an opportunity to be involved in the production of a music video with Detroit MC Kadiri Senefer and get first hand instruction from some of Detroit's most accomplished independent media makers Kodjo Vaden and Alecia Becks.

“Lottie and I really feel it’s important that campers get an opportunity to get some real hands-on learning while developing their leadership skills. At the same time, we want the kids to have fun in the process and that all these things go together.

“We’re hoping the young people come away from the camp having really picked up some valuable knowledge, skills and experience and then be ready to take those things they’ve acquired and use them going forward to uplift the community. If we can do that and have fun at the same time, it will be a success.”

Allied Media Conference 2011 another big hit for Detroit

2011-07-17T15:23:00.001-04:00

By DMEC Communicator

Attendees to a workshop at the
2011 Allied Media Conference

The 2011 Allied Media Conference wrapped up yet another fabulous conference in June. Highlights at this years conference included cooking workshops, a how to build a radio series, the addition of an entire dance track, and the expansion of the child care track.

But the thing that makes the Allied Media Conference special and different than other conferences is the emphasis on organizing being done in Detroit by Detroiters. This year's line-up of Detroiters included workshops designed to show connections between environmental justice and media justice, bus tours of the computer centers created by the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition (DDJC), and a Digital Justice Coalition meet up of digital justice organizations from across the country.

This year's AMC also saw the culmination of work started by the DDJC at the AMC two years ago. The Detroit Media Economy Collaborative (a project of the DDJC) saw two of its three programs (Detroit Future Media and Detroit Future Media Youth Network) start up in the first half of this year, and both programs had a presence at the AMC.

Future Media students from all four classes (graphic design, web, audio, video) led a skill share lab where conference attendees learned how to manipulate photos using computer software, shoot video, record beats and create websites.

Instructors for the Future Media program presented at a workshop that highlighted multiple ways to use popular education in the classroom. Detroit Future Media students from the graphic design class also demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills by selling several of the t-shirts they designed.

The Detroit Future Media Youth Network also made its debut, holding a workshop on networking that was standing room only (see here for more details).

The most exciting aspect of the AMC, is as usual, the energy of the participants. Seeing workshops on networking in Detroit crowded with people eager and willing to make change supports what organizers in Detroit have been saying for a long time: Detroit is actually rich in resources and more than capable of creating the changes it needs. As conference attendee, Mandy Van Deven states, (http://www.alternet.org/vision/151487/who_says_media_is_dead_5_takeaways_from_progressive_journalists_and_activists_at_the_allied_media_conference?page=entire) “Anyone lamenting conventional media’s expiration would do well to attend the summer conference and experience firsthand the excitement of a metaphorical phoenix rising from the ash.”

Eco Media Justice Track at AMC 2011 provides good food and feelings

2011-07-17T15:17:00.002-04:00

AMC 2011 goers enjoy the Field to Ford dinner at
Spaulding Court

The Eco Media Justice Track at the 2011 Allied Media Conference featuring an Environmental Justice Tour by the Detroit Sierra Club and a Field to Fork Dinner was another big success in its second year. The track began with on the second day of the AMC with a filled-to-capacity Environmental Justice Tour and a Field to Fork Dinner at Spaulding Court featuring the Green Guerillas out of Ithica, New York.

“This is my 5th year of involvement with the Allied Media Conference and have been amazed and pleased by its growth each year,” said EMEAC Associate Director Lottie Spady. “Not only was it the type of media organizing that is represented, but the holistic approach to justice work that is increasing its presence each year. This was the second year that the AMC featured an Eco-Justice Media Track and the first which specifically focused on food justice.”

The Sierra Club’s EJ Tour drew so many people that a significant number had to be turned away as a 50 passenger bus and two 15 passenger vans could not accommodate all the people wishing to attend the tour. The Sierra Club’s Rhonda Anderson, Spady and EMEAC Stand Up Speak Out Youth Leader Siwatu Salama-Ra each guided AMC attendees on the tour which visited the Detroit Incinerator, the condemned Michigan Central Train Station, the incomplete Ambassador Bridge and the industrial corridor of Southwest Detroit, which is home to several environmentally hazardous industries such as the Marathon Oil tarsands refinery, Great Lakes Steel, Severstal Steel, the Detroit Salt Mines, the Detorit Waste Water Treatment Plant and others.

Rhonda Anderson of Detroit Sierra Club's EJ Office speaks
to tour goers in Southwest Detroit neighborhood

During the tour the buses stopped at a residential neighborhood particularly hard hit by pollution in the area before returning to AMC to close the tour with a healing circle conducted by the Sierra Club’s Michelle Martinez.

“I thought the tour went very well,” said Anderson. “I regret we weren’t able to include all the areas we wanted to go to but the places we did visit were very poignant and impressionable on the participants.

“I think the opportunity to get off the bus and discuss what we were seeing was really good too. I also thin the healing circle to end it was excellent. After seeing so many negative things in the fight for environmental justice in Detroit people need something to lift their spirits and Michelle did a great job.”

The second day of the Eco-Media Justice Track saw approximately 50 people travel over to Spaulding Court where they enjoyed a tour of Brother Nature Farms by Greg Willerer before sitting down to a wholesome vegetarian dinner prepared by Chef Whitewater of New Mexico and Angela Newsome of the Peoples Kitchen of Detroit. During dinner attendees were treated to music powered by the Green Guerillas bio-diesel bus and an open mic poetry session.

Angela Newsom of People's Kitchen prepares dinner at
the AMC 2011 Field to Fork dinner

“I do think we are on to something with the Field to Fork Dinner and Open Lens/Mic Night though,” Spady said. “This year, in addition to the environmental justice tour that kicks off the Eco-Justice Media track, we had a youth food justice dinner at Spaulding Court featuring an interactive cooking demonstration by Chef Whitewater of Red Mesa Cuisine and Angela Newsom of the People's Kitchen Detroit.

“We saw firsthand where our food comes from with the tour of Brother Nature’s Farm then closed with a teen open mic with poetry and song. I am still hearing rave review of this event and the only challenges with it I see in the future will be how to accommodate the growing number of interested participants.”

Looking forward, Spady says EMEAC’s ReMedia program which she also directs is very much looking forward to future installments of the Eco-Media Justice track at future AMC’s.

“There were plenty of challenges in that we are national committee working largely via conference call to pull all of the details together,” she said. “There are always lessons to be learned around how to plan and prepare more effectively so things run smoothly, and ways to make it a more substantial yet enjoyable event for the youth.

Leslie Jones of the Green Guerillas gives a tour of the GG's
bio-diesel, solar-powered mobile media lab.

“I feel like we are really working to include the principles of environmental justice in the AMC and will continue to look for ways to challenge ourselves in this area. We are also mindful of how our activities can leave resources in the community that last beyond the conference. Next year we anticipate activities such as a composting toilet build and we hope to move the AMC into more of a zero-waste event.”
Leslie Jones of the Green Guerillas said she was also glad to see interest in the Eco-Media track grow so much in only its second year. Jones says that stretching the experience beyond the walls of the base of the AMC at Wayne State and moving out into the community could be a major reason why attendees are showing so much interest.
"This is the second year that Green Guerrillas Youth Media Tech Collective both attended the AMC and worked with EMEAC to coordinate the eco-justice track," Jones said. "We subtitled the track Survival & Sustainability this year because we are steadily encouraging everyone to connect the dots between environmental justice, social justice, and all the other movements in between that challenge the status quo by promoting people over profits, relationships over isolation, and health over
"We experienced a growing interest in our track this year, receiving positive feedback from both the eco-justice tour of Detroit and the teen farm-to-fork dinner open mic/lens field trip. With the support of AMC, we were able to offer conference participants a unique opportunity to go beyond the four walls of Wayne State and connect with the local community in real time on real issues with real talk."

Jones added that the Green Guerillas and ReMedia look forward to the challenge of breaking new ground at AMC 2012.

"We definitely want to continue to grow hands-on opportunities for participants to connect to eco-justice principles in their own lives," she said. "One of the things we are looking forward to for AMC2012 is a compost toilet community build to benefit Brother Nature's Farm (so he can host dinners like ours) and D-Town Farm (so they can save on porta-potty rental fees). This year we focused on food justice to promote the radical notion that we are what we eat. Additionally, our dinner was a zero-waste event. We did not even have a trash bag on hand! Next year, we want to take the conversation even further to raise awareness around resource use and waste. If we need to better understand where our food comes from, then we certainly need to be more cognizant of our waste stream. You cannot have one without the other. Connecting the dots, balancing the issues, moving past comfortable conversations, shifting our consciousness... AMC2012, here we come!"