CCED Flint
Projects
Neighborhoods Without Borders (NWB)
Tendaji Talks: CCED-Flint along with Flint Partners formed NWB in 2012. NWB is a community-based network that uses an asset-based approach to work on critical Flint neighborhood issues and their root causes. Our current and ongoing efforts centers on working to dismantle systemic and institutional racism. We do this by understanding and working on White power and privilege and understanding African American history in Flint.
Opening Doors: “Opening the Doors” is inspired by James Brown’s song, “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing.” His lyrics are powerful:
I don't want nobody
To give me nothing
Open up the door
I'll get it myself
A healthy, equitable community is one that offers complete social, physical and mental well-being at all stages of life and strives for justice and fairness in meeting the needs of all residents. Neighborhood Without Borders Opening Doors initiative is committed to promoting equity and addressing disparities and inequities. It uses CCED’s self-assessment or self-evaluation tools that help individuals know and rate:
- Individual skills and competencies needed to enact equitable community and economic development
- Organizational norms/practices, culture, and structure that reinforce equitable community and economic development
- Community practices that promote equity
Hugs for Unity: Simple public action to help change the narrative of Flint.
Community Projects (CCED Flint is a partner)
North Flint Food Market: Multi-sector, multi-year project to build and staff a co-op grocery store on the North side of Flint. Flint is a food desert. North Flint Reinvestment Corporation is the lead.
Flint Regional Food System Advisory Team: A 5-year project to create and equitable and sustainable Flint Metro food system.
ReCAST: A 5-year trauma reduction effort to deal with historical and water crisis trauma in Flint. MSU College of Human Medicine Flint is the lead.
Illuminating Community Change: A 3-year effort to reduce violence in the north side of Flint
Water/Lead Recovery (CCED Flint is a partner)
Communications Team: Tasked with creating trusted recovery communication to Flint residents, especially those who are hard to reach.
Research Initiatives (CCED Flint is a partner)
FFAR: Finding the Proper Levers: Identifying leverage points for transformation in urban food systems through participatory modeling. Co-P.I. – Steven Gray, Laura Schmidt, College of Ag.
PPHI: Pediatric Public Health Initiative addresses the Flint community’s population-wide lead exposure and help all Flint children grow up healthy and strong.
P.I. – Mona Hanna Attisha, College of Human Medicine
Community and National Networks (Key Relationships)
WOW Outreach and Community Action: a network of individuals and groups collaborating and engaging to eliminate the tolerance for violence in Flint. Its vision is a socially connected Flint working together to create safe neighborhoods.
Strategic Doing Core Team: guiding and management group of the National Strategic Doing Institute.
Brokering MSU Faculty/Staff Flint Engagement
University Outreach and Engagement works to support the development of partnerships between MSU researchers and the Flint Community. These partnerships combine scientific knowledge with community wisdom to address issues of concern as defined by the Flint community.
Environmental Justice Journal Commentary
CCED Associate Director Robert Brown, who directs our Flint CCED office, joined with his colleagues engaged in Flint in publishing a commentary in the online journal “Environmental Justice”.
This is a powerful commentary that provides important insights on seeking justice and restitution in the context of the Flint water crisis. We encourage our CCED partners and colleagues to read this affirming and insightful piece.
A Long Way from Justice: Reflections from Flint on the $600 Million Settlement Proposal
By, Benjamin J. Pauli (Kettering University) with Bob Brown, Leon El-Alamin, Latisha Jones, Claire McClinton, Mona Munroe-Younis, Juani Olivares, Dan Scheid, Nayyirah Shariff, Laura Sullivan, Monica M. Villarreal
Published Online:5 Oct 2020 https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2020.0048
PDF: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/env.2020.0048
Environmental Justice is the essential peer-reviewed journal exploring the equitable treatment of all people, especially people of color, low-income populations, and indigenous peoples. The journal specifically explores the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies, as well as equitable and fair access to healthy housing, safe water, transportation, food resources, natural resources, health care, and economic opportunity. Published bimonthly, Environmental Justice covers the adverse and disparate environmental burdens, exposures, and health impacts that affect marginalized populations all over the world. The journal facilitates open dialogue among the many stakeholders involved in environmental justice struggles, including activists, communities, nonprofit organizations, academia, youth, government, and industry.