DeepSummary
Dr. Ingrid Waldron, the author of the book "There's Something in the Water," discusses her community-based research project (ENRICH Project) examining environmental racism in Nova Scotia. She initially hesitated taking on the project due to her lack of knowledge about environmental racism but later realized her expertise in studying health inequalities in racialized communities could significantly contribute to understanding the issue.
Waldron emphasizes the importance of using community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods, which involve engaging with the affected communities from the outset, allowing them to drive the research questions and objectives, and ensuring their priorities are respected throughout the process. She also highlights the challenges she faced in building trust and relationships with some communities initially skeptical of outside researchers.
The conversation delves into the concept of spatial violence and how environmental racism cannot be separated from other systemic issues faced by marginalized communities, such as poverty, lack of employment opportunities, and discrimination. Waldron also discusses her collaboration with actress Ellen Page to create a documentary based on her book, amplifying the voices and experiences of affected communities.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Environmental racism is a real and pressing issue, particularly affecting indigenous and Black communities in Nova Scotia and other parts of Canada.
- Community-based participatory research methods are crucial for conducting research that truly represents and empowers marginalized communities.
- Environmental racism cannot be viewed in isolation but must be understood in the context of other systemic issues like poverty, lack of employment opportunities, and discrimination faced by these communities.
- The concept of spatial violence highlights how environmental injustice is interconnected with broader social and economic inequalities.
- Collaboration between researchers, community members, and influential figures like Ellen Page can amplify the voices of affected communities and inspire broader action.
- Persistence, integrity, and the ability to mobilize knowledge and resources in creative ways are essential for driving meaningful change on complex issues like environmental racism.
- Legislative action, community mobilization, and civil disobedience are all potential avenues for addressing environmental racism and advocating for environmental justice.
- The impacts of environmental racism persist even after the immediate health hazards are removed, necessitating ongoing research, support, and efforts to address the trauma and inequalities faced by affected communities.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Environmental racism is a term that was coined in the United States in the mid 1980s by Reverend Benjamin Chavez. And it can be defined as the disproportionate location or sighting of polluting industries and other environmentally hazardous projects in primarily indigenous communities, black communities, and other communities of color.“ by Ingrid Waldron
- “Community based research methods originated with health research. Actually, health research, perhaps more than a lot of other types of disciplines, is focused on interventions and making sure that the research you do has impacts on the ground in a way that other disciplines perhaps don't consider.“ by Ingrid Waldron
- “So my superpower is looking at the big picture and knowing how to distill it into parts, knowing how to bring people together and knowing how to make use of different mediums or different media in order to bring attention to an issue and knowing how to share it in creative ways and getting people to talk about the issue is perhaps a skill that I've noticed over the past few years.“ by Ingrid Waldron
- “So I'm hoping that the film inspires people to actually do something in their own small way in their communities. If you're looking to help people in Nova Scotia and help the indigenous and black communities here, please connect with me and I can put you in touch with them directly.“ by Ingrid Waldron
Entities
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Episode Information
Breaking Green Ceilings
Sapna Mulki
4/7/20
Author of the book There is Something in the Water, Dr. Ingrid Waldron is a powerhouse of a community activist and researcher. Using community based participatory research (CBPR) to examine environmental racism in Nova Scotia, Dr. Waldron took on the ENRICH Project in 2012. At first Dr. Waldron was hesitant as she didn’t know much about environmental racism. However, later on she realized that her research in “social, economic, and political inequalities that shape health outcomes in Indigenous, Blakc, and other racialized communities” could make a significant contribution to understanding the health inequalities in Nova Scotia.
It was only after Dr. Waldron’s book was published in 2018 that actress Ellen Page got notice of the work that needed to be done and expressed a desire to help the Indigenous and Black communities. After much discussion, the decision was to produce a documentary by the same name. The documentary premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was released on Netflix on March 27, 2020. We were able to dive deeply into Dr. Waldron's amazing journey and the results during this week's conversation.
Environmental Racism
When asked if the landfill contamination in Shelburne water was responsible for their high cancer rates, Dr. Waldron responded:
“It’s probable, highly probably. We did testing, we found contaminants in the well. Now, the issue is that, you could no longer have contaminants now, but you would have had contaminants in the past, do the people who are currently dealing with cancer, that might be a result of contaminants in the past. You also have to be careful about being conclusive. As a researcher, I have to stand back and say it is not conclusive but it is highly probable.”
Nova Scotia is historically the oldest and largest community of color in Canada, and continues to have the highest concentration of African Canadians in the country. “A study from Winnie Benton and Sandra Loppie (2001) found that African Nova Scotians had a higher cancer mortality rate than the general population, which they attribute to systemic forms of racism within various social institutions including the health care system” (Waldron, p.98).
Oftentimes, environmental racism acts in a cyclical nature. Low income and mainly black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) tend to be destabilized due to the myriad of injustices and social ills they are already experiencing, such as low income or under employment, that results in violently unfair policy decisions. Governments often place landfills, paper mills, and other hazardous projects in these areas without consulting the community, furthering the detriment to their personal health and environment.
Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR)
Dr. Waldron emphasizes the importance of community based research. This was originated in health research, a familiar area for Dr. Waldron, and allows the community to have direct say in how the research is conducted. It starts with engaging the community before the research even begins, informing them of the researcher’s intention and asking how the researcher can give back to them.
Building and maintaining trust and integrity is crucial. From there, the community prioritizes the research, proposes the questions they want studied, and how they want it shared. This creates a partnership where the community is allowed to speak for themselves. The difference between extractive research and research that empowers the community is vast.
Other Topics
- Spatial Theory of Racism
- Slavery in Nova Scotia
- Intersectional Analysis
- Gender and Environmental Injustices
- Social Determinants of Health
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Related Resources:
- There’s Something in the Water - Documentary
- There’s Something in the Water - Book
- The Racialization of Space and the Spatialization of Race Abstract