Collaboration

 

 

Anthropological projects are inherently collaborative, since anthropologists work with and rely on others to produce knowledge.  As Joao Costa Vargas has pointed out, however, advocacy-oriented and activist anthropology entail modes of participation and collaboration that differ from the classic anthropological approach of participant observation.  [See  Catching Hell in the City of Angels (2006)].  Traditionally, anthropological investigations have often been developed to investigate concerns in the field without much - if any - input from the people with whom we work.  [See Robert Borofsky's critique of this kind of approach.]  By contrast, in carrying out advocacy anthropology, anthropologists form relationships with at least some research participants while working to achieve shared goals related to social transformation.  To capture the primacy of this shared agenda, Costa Vargas suggests that "observant participation"  better approximates the forms of social engagement that researchers develop in advocacy oriented anthropological projects (2006:18).  This reframing indeed better reflects the quality of the participation and the collaborative relationships that have been forged through the Tidewater Communities Project.   [To read more about how the Tidewater Communities Project builds on current trends in public and activist anthropology, please visit                                     .]

 

This project has involved different kinds of engagement and collaboration over time, in response to new developments surrounding the management of the Tidewater site.  Since the contamination on the property is located in the ground, efforts to manage the site's hazards have focused on containment:  a large fence circles the property and the public is prohibited from entering the site.  There are two primary processes of concern.  One is vapor intrusion, the movement of gas particles through the ground to new locales where they migrate into neighboring buildings and contaminate indoor air.   Another is the disturbance of the property through work on the site.

 

The project was initiated in response to the second issue, as harmful toxins were released into the air during work on the site in 2010.  In responding to this problem, I reached out to other parents, school officials, officials at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Rebeka Merson of Rhode Island College (a biologist who specializes in the impacts of chemical exposures on marine life), and Amelia Rose and Phil Brown of the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island.  After we learned about the contaminants that had been released into the air during this work, Jen Rossi (a parent of a child attending one of the neighboring schools), Julie Nora [the DIrector of the International Charter School (ICS)], Chad Galts (ICS Board member) and I created a school-based stakeholders group to advocate for more careful management of the site.  Soon after, Jen Rossi and I began to collaborate with Amelia Rose of the Environmental Justice League to reach out to other sectors of Tidewater's communities, including other schools and residents.  We conducted community outreach work (distributing informational flyers) and held several community meetings.  The Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island provided support (through an EPA grant) to hire a consultant to analyze the site and its hazards.  Through this support, we hired Elizabeth Limbrick of the New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) Technical Assistance for Brownfield Communities program to provide an analysis of the site, its hazards, and proposals for work on the property.  This support has been crucial in providing members of the community with the information needed to engage in discussions about the best strategies for managing the site.  The community organizing work led to the creation of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's (RIDEMs) first Public Involvement Plan (PIP) for brownfield remediation.  As part of the Plan, the property owner, National Grid, has adopted a series of new initiatives to communicate information about the site to the community. 

 

More recently, with the support of residents and parents, Amelia Rose and I pressed the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to explore whether there is a potential for any of the hazards on the property to migrate off-site and contaminate indoor air, through vapor intrusion.  This work has led to multiple studies of soil gas on the property, which produced evidence of a potential vapor intrusion issue at the Francis J. Varieur Elementary School.  The work has entailed collaboration with an expanded circle of stakeholders, including more members of the Varieur School community, representatives of the City of Pawtucket, and representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency.  You can learn more about this work here.

 

Finally, this project has involved policy-oriented advocacy work.  As part of this work, I have collaborated with a circle of community activists centered on the Environmental Justice League, including Amelia Rose, Steve Fischbach, Laura Brion and Greg Gerritt, and Jamie Rhodes, former director of Clean Water Action.  Policy work has involved a media campaign in support of Rhode Island's School Siting Law, and general advocacy for strengthening environmental justice in Rhode Island.

 

 

Acknowledgments

 

 

I am deeply indebted to Amelia Rose, who is currently executive director of Groundwork Providence.  I reached out to Amelia in the early days of this project, when she was serving as the executive director of the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island.  She helped me think through some of the basic issues surrounding toxicity, health, and the management of the property.  Afterward, she provided guidance in thinking about how to improve the management of the site and she helped devise strategies for reaching out to the different Tidewater communities.  Amelia has been incredibly generous with her time and support throughout the project, helping organize and carry out outreach campaigns, community meetings, and other activities to increase the role of the community in the decisions surrounding the management of the site.

 

I am also indebted to Jen Rossi, parent of a student at one of the neighboring schools.  Jen's support was especially crucial during the first several months of the project, in helping galvanize the support of others.  Julie Nora, Director of the International Charter School, has also lent critical support to this project.  She supported the creation of a school based stakeholders group, and generously provided access to the school's facilities for community meetings.  Thanks also to Chad Galts of the International Charter School's Board of Directors, and to Andrew Sandlin, Martha Murphy and Susan Murphy. 

 

I am greatly appreciative of Mr. Joseph Martella, of Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), who has been very responsive to the concerns we have raised about the Tidewater site.  Special thanks also go to Barbara Morin, of RIDEM, for her careful attention to the property and her fearless recognition of potential hazards.  Finally, many thanks to Elizabeth Limbrick of the New jersey Institute of Technology's Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities program for her crucial technical support.