1 00:00:01,640 --> 00:00:04,800 When Samantha Hamilton tells. People She works in public. 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Health. She often gets a response a. 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,520 Little like this. So you're a doctor, right? 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:11,800 So you're a doctor. And I'm like, no, I'm not a 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,560 doctor. But public health includes the 6 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,720 issues of health, but looking at a community as a whole. 7 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,520 So public health folks are the ones that look at regulations 8 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,560 and policies that impact the population we serve. 9 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,960 The population Samantha serves is in Springfield, MA. 10 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,120 She's the director of Coalition Building and Community 11 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,280 Engagement at the Public Health Institute of Western 12 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,360 Massachusetts. We're here like again, maybe 13 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,760 shedding a light on what the problem is and also ways to 14 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,440 solve it. Springfield is a community 15 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,360 that's contending with issues that a lot of communities are 16 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,560 dealing with in the face of climate change, extreme heat and 17 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,160 localized flooding. Looking at the topographic map, 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,200 Springfield's climate issues get more complicated. 19 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,480 We live in a valley where pollution, the pollution we 20 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,960 create, stays here. That's one factor. 21 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,240 And a pollution like wildfires that come from somewhere else 22 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,800 also settles here. Then there's the old school red 23 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,920 line map. That showed where certain black 24 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,880 and brown folks could live where other folks couldn't, and that 25 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,360 population division still exist now. 26 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:27,280 To Samantha, the dotted line between the two. 27 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:28,640 Is crystal. Clear. 28 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,520 Sometimes we're talking about the issue of climate, but we're 29 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,080 also talking about the issue of justice and how that the quality 30 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,360 of air that we breathe or the conditions that we live in are 31 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,720 not just determined by our choice, but by the systemic 32 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,880 design, right? So unpacking that is important. 33 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,360 Unpacking it and helping the community understand that a 34 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,280 whole web of interconnected issues, from air quality to 35 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,040 housing to food access are all part of the public health 36 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,080 picture too. And this is maybe even more 37 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,840 important. There are also things that they, 38 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,160 as residents, can influence and improve. 39 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:11,000 So I'll say my biggest charge is that I do this work with the 40 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,040 voices of the community in the design, with the voice of folks 41 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,760 telling us how is it looking, what is does it really look 42 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,040 like? And using that information to 43 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,720 advocate for systemic change. Because Samantha says once 44 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,160 people understand the issues and have a tangible connection with 45 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:34,240 them, they do join the fight. Welcome to Path Breakers, a show 46 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,240 about what it takes to cut through the noise and red tape 47 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,920 and all of the other obstacles to progress. 48 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,520 I'm Tracy Pearson and I work on the communications team at the 49 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:45,920 Kresge Foundation. And I'm Jamie Bennett. 50 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,080 I work at the intersection of arts, culture, and equitable 51 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,200 community development. On each episode of our show, we 52 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,920 talked with a different path breaker who's forging a new way 53 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:57,720 forward. Today we have the pleasure of 54 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,880 speaking to Samantha Hamilton about truly engaging the 55 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,000 community and public. Health justice work. 56 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,560 And what happens when you make way for residents to lead the 57 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,800 conversation and form the problem solving and be the 58 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:17,320 guides for change? So just to start, would you mind 59 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,600 sharing your name, your title in the organization that you're 60 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,760 with? So I'm Samantha Hamilton. 61 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,880 I am the director of Coalition Building and Community 62 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,480 Engagement at the Public Health Institute of Western Mass. 63 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,120 Samantha, you're the director of Coalition Building for the 64 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,360 Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. 65 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,640 That's a whole lot of words, but what does that mean? 66 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,400 What do you actually? Do yeah, yeah, it is a whole 67 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:42,640 lot, especially the organizational title too. 68 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,120 But my role is a convener I and my job is to bring people 69 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,680 together and the end that that means organizing coalition 70 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,200 meetings, having design team meetings, developing this 71 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,960 resident advisory model where we have our structural format. 72 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,600 So there's a lot of planning and what I, what I do, a lot of 73 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:05,800 meetings and what I do, a lot of organizing and kind of strategic 74 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,480 thinking in what I do. So my, my brain could go micro 75 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:13,200 and then macro on a daily basis. Thinking about the logistical 76 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,519 details at like planning a housing resource fair, which 77 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:20,000 we're in the middle of right now to the big macro space of 78 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,600 supporting the requirements of our funders. 79 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,640 It's a, it's a little bit of everything, but I would say I'm 80 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,560 a convener. My goal is to bring people 81 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,680 together, and I do that in every aspect of what it means for them 82 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,360 to come to the table. Awesome. 83 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,920 I know. I was talking to Jamie about 84 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,720 your background and I noticed that you spent a pretty 85 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,520 significant amount of time in Springfield. 86 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,520 I wanted to ask you, how did you sort of find your way in 87 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,760 Springfield? And for someone who's never been 88 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:50,880 there like myself, could you describe it? 89 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:56,200 Yeah. So originally from Jamaica, my 90 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:01,480 family collectively immigrated together, all six kids and my 91 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:06,720 mom emigrated while my dad was here in 1993. 92 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:12,040 Oh, that's a long time. So I do not know why the family 93 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,040 put the on the map to come to Massachusetts. 94 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:20,200 And lo and behold, I did not land in the warm Florida sunrise 95 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,200 or the California coast, but in the Blizzard winters of 96 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,480 Massachusetts. So my childhood experience of 97 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,880 what America was was like a stark reality on what you see in 98 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:36,040 the movies. So that's how my family got here 99 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,320 as a collective looking for a better opportunities for a 100 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,560 better life, just pursuing that concept of the American dream 101 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,280 and opportunity. So lived here ever since I was 102 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:54,720 nine years old, and I'm 40 now, so most of my life has been a 103 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,920 Springfield resident. So I would describe Springfield 104 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,040 as a place of opportunity reflected with community 105 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,720 struggle. I lived in a community where 106 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,800 there was a lot of local gang violence and crime. 107 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,560 And in that, still there was safe places for young people to 108 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,280 go, safe havens for young people to have an opportunity to 109 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:19,120 explore their talents. So in a place that again has a 110 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,600 lot of community based challenges, there's also these 111 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,760 wonderful anchor institutions and organizations that provided 112 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,800 opportunity. So I would describe it as that 113 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,920 I'm an absolute optimist and when it comes to the work that I 114 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:39,160 do because that gives me the spirit to see the possibilities. 115 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:43,760 So we don't ignore that it's a struggling community, a 116 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,200 predominantly African American, Latino population. 117 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,560 We don't ignore that majority folks are struggling with 118 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,720 housing, education, health disparities. 119 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:57,720 We don't ignore the fact that mobility is short, there's no 120 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,800 direct ladder up to success and there's there's no direct 121 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,680 pathway. So most folks pave their own 122 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:09,040 way, but not necessarily show others how to get there after 123 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,760 they've succeeded. And in living in Springfield and 124 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,920 learning by the history, we learned that, you know, it was 125 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,240 an ex. I consider it an extractive 126 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,280 community. It's a place where investors 127 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,240 come in, invest, but also take that investment elsewhere and 128 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,720 not repurpose it back into the community to enrich and it 129 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,720 enrich it. So for that, I've seen that 130 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,840 there's industries that are here and then there's industries that 131 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,000 come and go. And how within that community, 132 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,440 does the Public Health Institute for Western Massachusetts find 133 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,080 itself? Yeah, so. 134 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:50,800 The organization, again formed probably when I was in high 135 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:55,360 school years, came about as an organization that wanted to 136 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,160 address the issues of public health and HealthEquity and 137 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,640 access. So within the organization, the 138 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,360 focus was on research and evaluation as well as coalition 139 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,120 building. So when it came about, it came 140 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:13,320 as a backbone institution that could bring together more 141 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:17,000 nonprofit organizations to come together and maximize impact and 142 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,200 power. They did this with initiatives 143 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,600 like food Access, work Around, Live Well, Springfield, Go 144 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,920 Fresh, Mobile Market. They did this with programs 145 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,760 around oral health education, which our executive director 146 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:35,600 piloted when she was working there before she took on the 147 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:42,960 executive role, asthma issues. So the organization either did 148 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,960 community based research to understand the impact of 149 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:51,040 HealthEquity and justice around those issues that evaluation and 150 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:55,280 or convene communities to tackle those social issues that are 151 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,120 impacting communities. I love that. 152 00:08:57,560 --> 00:09:00,480 And Samantha, Samantha, can I just ask a quick question? 153 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,120 Tracy and I have had a chance to talk with a couple of public 154 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:07,120 health folks. And you know, I'm someone who 155 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,880 when someone says health to me, I tend to think of my doctor, my 156 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,560 doctor's office, medicine, I'm taking thermometers, that kind 157 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:17,240 of stuff. But when we're talking with you, 158 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,600 when we're talking with public health colleagues, we end up 159 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,200 talking about housing, we end up talking about climate, we end up 160 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,440 talking about income inequality. Can you just for folks who 161 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:30,120 aren't familiar with public health, can you just help us 162 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,080 understand what's the difference between public health and 163 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:35,560 healthcare? Will you ground us in sort of 164 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:37,560 what is this public health you speak of? 165 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,920 Yeah, thank you for asking. And funny enough, the concept of 166 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,920 public health is seriously misconstrued and hard to kind of 167 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,160 wrap people's head around. So thinking about there is 168 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,720 someone in municipal government that looks at issues around 169 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,560 COVID and have those parameters to tell us instructions on what 170 00:09:56,560 --> 00:10:01,440 to do regarding our health to get tested, to go to a screening 171 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,800 space or something like that. There's someone there looking at 172 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,760 the overall general population saying here's where you could go 173 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,680 to receive health and services. And those folks in those 174 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:15,440 position help keep us healthy through those through those 175 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,080 roles. So there's a truancy officer in 176 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,640 the schools, but there's also and compliance officer regarding 177 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,600 code enforcement or health regulations. 178 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:29,520 Those folks are in those public health fields and are regulating 179 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,520 and ensuring their policies are held up and that the community 180 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:37,080 whole safety is considered. So those positions are what 181 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:41,440 folks do in the work that we do in coalition and community 182 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,160 spaces. We look at the health of a 183 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:46,960 community and ask ourselves how can we make it better. 184 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:51,080 And the issue of health goes beyond your doctor visit, but 185 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,920 but what is your health at home? So when I and when I say, hey, 186 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,520 we're looking at housing, we're looking at the quality of your 187 00:10:57,520 --> 00:10:59,880 housing that affects your health. 188 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,360 So whether you're at home and there is an issue of mold or 189 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,520 respiratory issues in your house, that's a public health 190 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,680 issue because we don't want you to go to sleep where you spent 8 191 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:13,400 hours taking in the the toxic mold. 192 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:16,080 But we want to make sure there's regulation in place that 193 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,600 requires that anywhere you live that they remediate and do not 194 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,640 buy or sell a home that has issues of mold. 195 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,880 So that protects you. So in some instances public 196 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:32,600 health support and protecting us from things that we typically 197 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,960 might not think about that impacts our health. 198 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:40,760 So issues again relating to awareness around quality of air. 199 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:45,360 So the organization has, is working on air sensor apps to 200 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:49,920 inform people on their power to, to lead with their own health. 201 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:54,480 So the organization is looking to put an air sensor. 202 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,040 There are air sensors in the state of Massachusetts. 203 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,080 They're on this platform collectively collecting the data 204 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,960 for us. And now imagine someone going on 205 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,600 an app looking at it and say, Hey, the, the air quality is bad 206 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:09,800 today. And because I have asthma or 207 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:14,120 COPD or any chronic health issues, I, it's recommended that 208 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:17,840 I might stay inside today so that I don't inflamed my health 209 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,760 issues and then caused me to then go to that doctor. 210 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:26,440 So in a sense, public health is preventative measures that helps 211 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:32,000 folks stay healthy so so that they don't run to the hospital 212 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,320 for care and live longer. So those are I don't know if 213 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,400 that is sums it up or explains what other great examples that I 214 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,120 have. I that explains it perfectly. 215 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:46,400 And so then my next question is, it sort of seems like you said 216 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:50,080 that in order to have true public health in Springfield, we 217 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,560 need all the people and all the institutions to be doing their 218 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:55,920 jobs properly for all of the people. 219 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:58,640 That if everyone, you know, if the schools were working 220 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,640 properly, if the system of housing transportation was 221 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,240 working properly, you know, we would have helped. 222 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,000 So what is the coalition it takes to do that? 223 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:08,520 What who are you bringing together? 224 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,600 What is what is the coalition that Springfield needs to make 225 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:13,440 sure that happens? Yes. 226 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,720 So our work is you look at sectors in different 227 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,720 departments. You want housing, folks, 228 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,720 education, you want folks in business sectors at the table. 229 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:27,440 You want residents involved, you want nonprofit organizations, 230 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:31,320 You want everyone that has a vantage point of what makes up a 231 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,840 city. So most of our partnerships 232 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,840 include grass ritual organizers, folks that works within 233 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,000 providing direct services or support. 234 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,200 So folks in mental health, folks in after school programming, 235 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:48,560 those safe havens that I was a part of that kept me safe and 236 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:50,280 also providing me with opportunities. 237 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,560 You want those folks involved in the conversation. 238 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:57,080 So within the organization, we seek out or put a call out to 239 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:01,560 say, hey, we're about to work on this issue around food access or 240 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:05,040 this issue around housing. Do you want to be at the table? 241 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,840 And if you're coming to the table, who else do you think we 242 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,480 should invite? The door is super wide and open 243 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:16,560 for organizations and, and individuals to come in and 244 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,280 provide their perspective on how we see the issue. 245 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:23,680 Because my vantage point is limited and having perspectives 246 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,760 from, you know, municipal government, it's important 247 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,960 because they are maybe in the, in the system in itself. 248 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,880 I frame it as you can't solve the problem outside looking in, 249 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:38,280 You know, you can't yell to the institution. 250 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:43,280 You need to fix this with a bias lens of not knowing how it's 251 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:47,040 currently functioning. So you do need to invite those 252 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,720 institutions, organizations to the table to understand their 253 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,800 limitations, their barriers, their own internal biases to 254 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:57,360 say, hey, can we collectively do something different? 255 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,880 Because even after we do the call and ask for someone to do 256 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:04,720 the change, it's not going to hold up if they also did not buy 257 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,000 into this. The narrative of the change is 258 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,960 important and that we that they are also part of the solution. 259 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:16,720 So we invite to the table those organizations, some which we 260 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:20,800 might not be in total alignment with because we still have to 261 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,600 talk it out because the problem is multidimensional. 262 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,520 The problem is more than just I might see a homeless person, but 263 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:33,320 I might not know that person who's homeless is biased to 264 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,720 institutions and have chose to be homeless because the system 265 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,760 has already failed them and harmed them. 266 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,880 So when you want to say build a shelter and everybody's going to 267 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,920 come in, that homeless person you still want to come in, ain't 268 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:49,520 going to come in because you didn't even ask them why did Why 269 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,200 are they still sitting on the park bench? 270 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:56,400 Why do they still choose to be on house in the moment? 271 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,480 And they might say, I've been harmed by the institution that 272 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,800 was set to help me. And I, I have issues of trust 273 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:04,880 before I can go back to that institution. 274 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,640 And we have to solve that. And also we might have to honor 275 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:14,640 some people might choose that living without housing is OK for 276 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,240 their current stability because it gives them freedom in other 277 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,080 ways. So to that end, I would say 278 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,880 that's the intention of bringing coalition's together to have 279 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:27,440 those diverse perspective and that all perspectives have input 280 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,640 on how we can solve a problem in our community. 281 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,600 I want to talk about something you mentioned earlier around air 282 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:40,200 quality, asthma and the impact that that has on communities. 283 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,480 There is a climate change initiative here at the Kresge 284 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:49,960 Foundation. She and they work a lot around 285 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,320 helping communities through the lens of climate change. 286 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,880 And as someone who lives in an area with a significant amount 287 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,600 of residents who deal with asthma, and that's not something 288 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,400 that was brought to my attention until I had children and I 289 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,599 started wondering, why do all these kids have asthma? 290 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:07,880 It's because of our hair. And it's not something that one 291 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,000 resident had something to do with it. 292 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,760 It it's impacting our entire community. 293 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,520 So I would love for you to sort of talk about the SHE 294 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,000 initiative, how your organization is sort of working 295 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,240 within that context. And I think it's so important 296 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,240 because climate effects everyone. 297 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,440 It's not something that we can get away from, as you know. 298 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:29,280 So would love for you to speak about that a little bit. 299 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:30,640 Yeah. Thank you. 300 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:35,280 So yeah, that amazing opportunity to be a chief funded 301 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,960 partner allowed us for our initiative to work on two 302 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,000 things, which was community choice energy and a race and 303 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,640 HealthEquity impact assessment. We bring forward in our proposal 304 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,800 that Springfield was once the asthma capital of the US It 305 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:56,520 meant that and the study came out of the emergency visits that 306 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,080 happened in our community. So that was a benchmark of 307 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,640 saying This is why this community had this higher 308 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:08,680 ranking, currently ranked 4th. We were, we went down the list 309 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,640 at one point, but now currently standing in fourth place. 310 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:15,920 We had to understand like what what makes up this variable? 311 00:18:16,360 --> 00:18:19,960 We're also in a very racially divided city. 312 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:23,600 There was a highway built through the city, right? 313 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,080 So there was a residential neighborhood and they took over 314 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,400 the land and pushed out at that time a communities of color to 315 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:35,120 go live somewhere else and built in that neighborhood a big 316 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:39,520 massive Hwy. 95 highway. So there is like that whole 317 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,240 traffic that's comes out on a daily, daily basis in that 318 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,520 community and folks who now reside and live in that 319 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,520 community are still black and brown folks who have those 320 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:51,280 respiratory and chronic health issues. 321 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:56,000 So through the CHI funding, we had the opportunity to look at 322 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,520 something strategically that could help improve our quality 323 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:05,280 of air, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and bring some 324 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,720 equitable justice to community by having the power to choose. 325 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:13,920 So community choice energy, also known as community choice 326 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:18,400 aggregation, very big word. It's how you source your energy 327 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,120 for your for your home. So instead of getting your 328 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:27,160 electric energy from fossil fuels, you can choose that your 329 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:30,520 community, the city itself of Springfield, opt in to clean 330 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:35,160 energy from wind farms or solar farms in our community. 331 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:40,320 The decision to change this policy is a citywide change. 332 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:43,920 And we're encouraging community residents to buy into this idea 333 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:47,360 that clean energy will help us, will improve the quality of air 334 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:50,920 that we have in the future, or it might just improve our 335 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,960 ability to live longer over time. 336 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,280 So that's the work that we do it under the CHI, work that we hope 337 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:03,080 to continue to do as we embark on another grant writing process 338 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,560 to apply for more funding for this great work. 339 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:10,120 But the issue of climate, health and equity is intangible. 340 00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:12,240 Like you can't do 1 without the other. 341 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,480 And sometimes people think, well, you know, the it's about 342 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,120 the trees. It's not about the trees. 343 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:21,600 It's another issue that I will share that we deal with in 344 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,080 Springfield. Springfield is issues are 345 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,280 extreme heat and localized flooding, right? 346 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:28,560 And again, I learned all of this. 347 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,160 I was not the climate expert before I started this work. 348 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:36,240 But because we live in a city, the extreme heat happens 349 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,000 throughout the year. And folks do not have the 350 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:43,600 ability sometimes to, to find shelter, to cool, to have the 351 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:45,920 ability to, to deal with the extreme heat. 352 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,160 So they just stay in it. So there's like consider like my 353 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,360 imagery is considered this elderly woman at home just 354 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:56,440 bearing with the heat having maybe a fan, but she also has 355 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,960 her COPD, she has her chronic health issues and that extreme 356 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:04,320 heat is kind of just taking over and could cause her to to have a 357 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,800 heat stroke. So building a community where 358 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:12,680 maybe we have requirements that require cooling in all 359 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:18,280 development prevents that or also having access to cooling 360 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:22,200 station prevents that and maybe providing cooling kits at home 361 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:24,720 prevents that. So that's one of our our dire 362 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,560 issues and that's how public health shows up. 363 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,720 That's how public health solves the health issues of the 364 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,920 community, with their informed consent and informed 365 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,080 participation. How do you get? 366 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:40,760 Residents to sort of when you come in and you have a 367 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:45,960 conversation about solar power, how do you all coalesce and get 368 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,160 some some like minded thinking around that? 369 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,080 Are you guys using a model? Are there any tables? 370 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,760 What are you guys using to sort of engage residents around that? 371 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:57,520 Yeah. The model that is set up is that 372 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:00,440 we have a resident advisory framework. 373 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,520 I love that. Let me do one other just one 374 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:08,080 quickly because resident advisor to me means that scary person on 375 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,520 my dorm who tells me what to do. But I think resident advisor 376 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:12,760 means something different for you. 377 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:14,960 What will you just what is a resident advisor? 378 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:19,680 Yeah. So the we call them their title, 379 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,400 they are residents and they are advising us so. 380 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,520 The residents of Spring together who lives in Spring? 381 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,000 Yes, residents Springfield, yes, yes, someone that lives in 382 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,280 Springfield that has lived or professional experience about 383 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,400 the issue we're going after. So whether again is housing, 384 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,480 food, access, climate, they're saying, hey, I want to get 385 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,720 involved. And we lean on their lived 386 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:44,160 experience, their residents, savvy knowledge of the community 387 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:47,200 and their ideas on how to impact change to to help us. 388 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:51,920 So they advise us on the other side of their title on how to go 389 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:56,000 about engaging the community, how to get the word out, present 390 00:22:56,120 --> 00:22:59,680 Co present with us, Co facilitate with us and we also 391 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,280 build their capacity to trainings that we offer 392 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,240 throughout the year. Thank you. 393 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,560 In all our coalitions that we have now in in Phi, we have 394 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,080 residents involved in these conversations. 395 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:16,000 And for my Kreski work, for my chi work, we had a one to one 396 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,560 ratio for everyone partner organization voice. 397 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:21,560 We had one community resident voice. 398 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,280 And the idea of that is you balance power. 399 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,600 If I just had two folks that are from the community residents 400 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,680 representing us and saying, hey, tell us what's going on for 401 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:33,880 everybody. The person like I don't speak 402 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,400 for everybody. I can only speak for me and as I 403 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,520 told you before, my community is very segregated. 404 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,800 So depending on where you live, you have a certain perspective. 405 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:45,360 So that one to one community voice ratio allows that the 406 00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:48,240 community organizations and the community residents are coming 407 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:52,040 together collectively talking about the issue. 408 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:53,920 We also collectively learn together. 409 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:59,000 So just as I was in the room taking notes, asking questions, 410 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,120 building my capacity, so was the residents. 411 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,000 And we lean on our expertise from our Pioneer Value Planning 412 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,760 Commission. We lean on our evaluation team 413 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,200 at the Public Health Institute, giving us the data and the 414 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,920 statistics and the impacts and the outcomes. 415 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,360 We lean on our community organizations, grassroots 416 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:20,840 organizations like Arise for Social Justice telling us let's 417 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,640 get to rally. We're going to be rallying 418 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,720 against biomass, going to be rallying against pipeline 419 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,120 expansion, but we need your current action today. 420 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,920 And we will lean on organizations like Way Finders 421 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:38,960 who have residents also involved in their built environment 422 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:43,560 projects or build health grants that they brought them in. 423 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:45,760 So all those folks are in the room. 424 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:50,240 We've done workshops like Flexing Your Civic Muscle that 425 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,640 way finders did with us and that that's us to ground us. 426 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,440 Like let's before we take action, let's know about the 427 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,440 issue. Let's talk about what it means. 428 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:02,840 Let's ask the question on like things we do not understand. 429 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:07,800 And once we have a grounding collective understanding, then 430 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,400 we say, what do we do next? I'm big on not leaving anybody 431 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,560 behind in the conversation. So somebody say I'm still stuck 432 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,200 over here, we're all going to move over here collectively to 433 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,440 understand what the person is still stuck on understanding 434 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,560 that we need to explain or they might have a great idea on how 435 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,640 to define it better for the the broader community. 436 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,600 So we stay as a collective team cohort learning together. 437 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,640 So that's how I can we build our strength and understanding and 438 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:38,840 on the why we want to act on an issue. 439 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:43,000 We lean in the experts that are at the table and collectively 440 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:48,240 after we all have the capacity and understanding say now what 441 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,520 right and and and move on from there. 442 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,320 Can I ask you just to take a step back because one of the 443 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,680 things that I'm fascinated by is you said like, you know, we're 444 00:25:57,680 --> 00:25:59,400 going to have a rally for biomass. 445 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,040 How do you get anyone to show up? 446 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,720 Like how do you, I understand everything you said about 447 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,720 building knowledge, building power, working together, but how 448 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,240 do you get someone to show up for that first conversation? 449 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,880 How does that first conversation happen that someone even knows 450 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,400 enough to show up and sort of say, I'm willing to go on this 451 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,840 journey with you and eventually end up rallying for biomass? 452 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:26,800 I think that's important to consider, but also through the 453 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,480 through like just day-to-day challenges, we want you to focus 454 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:32,440 on this thing. But you're also, we are 455 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,280 acknowledging that residents are dealing with day-to-day, getting 456 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,000 to work, getting their kids to school, you know, but these are 457 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,440 still important issues. So I don't. 458 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,360 I can't imagine it's easy. I'm an analogy girl. 459 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:46,280 If I didn't, I should have said that in the beginning. 460 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,200 I love a good analogy. I, I use visual representation 461 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,520 to talk about how, how projects are going. 462 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,160 And one of a concept that I heard that helps me understand 463 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:59,160 how to get people mobilized is that, you know, you don't want 464 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,920 somebody to love the ocean because you'd want to go to the 465 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:03,360 beach here and there. You. 466 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,520 And if you want them to go on an adventure with you, you don't 467 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:06,680 want them to just love the ocean. 468 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:08,960 You want them to long for the sea. 469 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,960 That means that they will not just go to the ocean, They'll 470 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,200 get on that boat. They'll go into the middle of 471 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,400 nowhere because they have a longing for what you're asking 472 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,200 them for. So the idea is to build people 473 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,120 to not just see the vision that the the issue that's in front of 474 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:27,280 us, but despite the issues to still vision that there's still 475 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,120 something better if we continue to journey on this work 476 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:33,360 together. And the work requires us to. 477 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:37,480 My optimistic spirit is to always believe that this will 478 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:42,080 lead to our ankle in mind and encouraging people to know that 479 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,680 their collective imprint today will have an impact on the 480 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,720 future. So that's the concept of how I I 481 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,040 see things. How to get people involved is to 482 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,800 honor and love their presence is important and valued. 483 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:58,160 Put that into the writings, put that into the funding. 484 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:04,000 And also to know that most of the time they're there because 485 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,600 the issue touches them. Most of the time the charities 486 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,440 that you give to, it's because the cause was something close to 487 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,960 you. And so folks commit to showing 488 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,400 up and talking about it, or folks come and commit to other 489 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,720 issues that they care about. That's I first of all, thank you 490 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,480 because I think we need people to long for the sea. 491 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:27,200 Maybe the title of this episode. So thank you for that. 492 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,560 Thank you. Also, you know, I'm, I'm 493 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:34,000 guessing I'm older than you and I came up in that generation of 494 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,840 environment and climate work where we tried to motivate 495 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,760 people with fear, right? The future is burning. 496 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:42,120 It's on fire. We've got to stop it and 497 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:45,320 replacing fear with desire, with longing. 498 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:49,000 I think it's really powerful that there's something better 499 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,760 ahead. Not just fighting against, but 500 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:56,680 fighting for is really powerful when when you sort of think of 501 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,400 some of the successes that your coalitions have had, when you 502 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:02,600 think about some of the things that the residents are really 503 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,760 proud, where their experiences really helped change things. 504 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,280 What are some of the first things that come to mind for 505 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,200 you? Yeah. 506 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:16,000 In our early work, we had another grant around tobacco 507 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,880 regulations and we worked with young people. 508 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:23,240 And at that time, I was in another organization. 509 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,240 I was at the MLK Family Services, but the project was 510 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:27,920 funded with the Public Health Institute. 511 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,640 So I was their director of operations. 512 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:32,200 They're working with young people. 513 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,480 I'm talking about the issue of increasing the smoking age from 514 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:38,320 18 to 21. And the reason there's, there's 515 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,640 again, the science is there that when you prevent a young person 516 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:45,320 to start to onset, start smoking at a later age in their life, 517 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,960 they're less likely to become chronically addicted and then 518 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,480 also less likely to become chronic smokers, right? 519 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:54,200 So we want to delay. So the idea is to push out the 520 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,480 time that someone has access to tobacco to a later age of 21. 521 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,160 So in that work, working with the young people under an 522 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,520 agreement with the Public Health Institute, the young people had 523 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,800 the ability to give testimony. A young girl talked about how 524 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,320 even though she's not a smoker, the issue of smoking impacts her 525 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:14,320 life because her father is a chronic smoker. 526 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,360 He now has chronic health issues, and she's taking care of 527 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:21,000 him, and she's 16 years old. So she gave that testimony at a 528 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:25,400 local city health Commission meeting and asked the local 529 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,520 health Commission to pass a localized law that prevents 530 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:32,520 Springfield itself from selling to anyone under the age of 21. 531 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:34,920 So the whys for the young people were strong. 532 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,160 And then we went to the State House with them and he talked to 533 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:41,280 their local legislators at the state level and said pushed 534 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,520 again their issue of Tobacco 21. And one of the young people said 535 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:49,200 after the law was passed in the city and then at the state 536 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:53,840 level, I can't believe me, my little young self, you know, 537 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:56,920 changed my community. And that's the power of impact, 538 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:00,360 right? You know, a, a person that was, 539 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,760 you know, organizing with their peers talking about that they 540 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:08,160 want something healthy for their own future impacted not just a 541 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,160 city, but with other young people across the state coming 542 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:14,000 together to advocate for that Commonwealth of Massachusetts to 543 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,920 change that law. So I think about those successes 544 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:21,120 as when people affirm their power and see that their power 545 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:26,360 is clear, that no matter how old I am, I can change my community. 546 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,640 And you know, that young person is that testimony in our climate 547 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,600 work with Achieve work, working with the residents and our 548 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,000 community partners. Our goal was to pass Community 549 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:41,360 Choice Energy to get the municipal list, the City Council 550 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:43,800 to approve it and for the mayor to push it forward. 551 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:49,720 And we did speak out events at our jazz and roots festivals. 552 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,640 We did tabling at our local events, getting people to sign 553 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,920 our local petition, got you know, 300 plus signatures and 554 00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:02,120 then had the ability to meet with City Council folks and then 555 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:06,080 they unanimously approved it. So there goes the power of the 556 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,320 results. So our committee, our residents 557 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:13,120 are saying we did that and those words come out, oh, we did it 558 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,760 because we collectively organized together. 559 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:19,800 We collectively got community buying, collectively talked 560 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:23,160 about the importance of this idea and there was that 561 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:27,480 localized wind. So success for me is that young 562 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:30,840 person affirming their power. Success to me is that collective 563 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:32,880 voice of community saying we did that. 564 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,240 So when I hear those things, I feel and I'm assured that I'm on 565 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:39,760 the right path of, you know, impacting change. 566 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:44,960 I would imagine through the various journeys that you all 567 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:49,200 have to, to sort of start on the various issues they're trying to 568 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,080 tackle. There's a lot of education, of 569 00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:55,080 course, but then also when you're in community as deeply as 570 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,400 you are, I'm sure there are a lot of things that you learn 571 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,120 from residents. And so I'm just curious what 572 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:04,320 what are some things that the residents have taught you as you 573 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:06,360 sort of work sort of hand in hand with them? 574 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:12,080 I think after five years to become a family, so these 575 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,000 president advisors, and when they hear this, they know me, 576 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:20,000 they I know them, they're loving, but they're also candid. 577 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:24,520 And I love that about them. That we found space to be honest 578 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,240 and trusting with each other that when we share what's going 579 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,920 on, that we receive it and then we take it in and then we work 580 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:34,680 work on it together. So I've never met such honest, 581 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:39,160 activated and passionate people. And sometimes folks like that 582 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,440 are the ones that are not getting the awards and 583 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:45,040 accolades. They're not getting put up as 584 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:46,680 the esteemed leaders of our community. 585 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:51,800 But residents are the ones that are doing the work and having 586 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:55,520 the impact that, you know, really has meaning. 587 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,280 I've learned that and even in my position, the community does not 588 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:02,960 want to hear from me. And when I put the residents in 589 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:07,080 front and their voices are being told, that's where most of the 590 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:10,040 community, the broader community's ears turn up because 591 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,760 they could relate. The community says also, I know 592 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,199 you, I see you and what you're about to say is so relatable to 593 00:34:17,199 --> 00:34:20,520 me. And for that they, they have a 594 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:24,600 stronger buying in the work. I also learned that I have to 595 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:28,320 manage my bias and my position as a gatekeeper. 596 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:31,800 I hold power and in position because of the title I have. 597 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:36,760 And that's why I invite other organizations and residents to 598 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,840 the table because if you stop at Samantha, you're missing the 599 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,760 picture. So that's why I I'm also saying 600 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,239 be mindful, humble yourself. What you say right now is a 601 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:49,400 reflection of what other people is going to believe because 602 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,040 they're not going to go any further than you. 603 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:55,920 So be mindful that what you say has to come from a place of take 604 00:34:55,920 --> 00:35:00,320 transparency and honesty to say, and still I am not the last 605 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:04,320 person you should talk to. I recognize my positional power. 606 00:35:04,720 --> 00:35:08,160 I recognize my identity as a black woman in this community. 607 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:13,040 I recognize my immigrant status. And all of this allows me to 608 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:16,560 come into a room where people be relatable, be trusted. 609 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:20,200 But I also take that that trust and say I'm not going to just 610 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:24,000 I'll be Willy nilly with if I'm going to honor what people are 611 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,760 saying about what they want to be done and bring that back up 612 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,520 to the fold. So it's being that good steward 613 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:34,760 in the process. Well, thank you for sharing with 614 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,760 us about your community in Springfield. 615 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:39,240 I feel like I've learned so much. 616 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:43,120 I if you're OK with it, Jamie and I like to do this sort of 617 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:47,200 session where we have a lightning round and quick 618 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:49,360 answer. There are about 10 or so 619 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:51,960 questions. We want to hear the first thing 620 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:53,000 that sort of pops into your mind. 621 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,080 OK, ready. Good. 622 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:57,400 All right. What is your favorite local 623 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,520 tradition in Springfield? It'll be the festivals that we 624 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,720 have every year, so we have all types of jazz and roots, 625 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:07,960 Caribbean festivals, Stone Soul. It's an opportunity for culture 626 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:09,920 to show up, community to show up. 627 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:14,440 Also my mom and I sometimes cook in those spaces. 628 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:19,160 And again, my Caribbean Jamaican descent, I I either bend with my 629 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,120 mom and I sell food, but that's one place that I I see my 630 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,360 community. Wait, this is off question, but 631 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,080 what's your mom's best dish? She can cook anything, I'm going 632 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:30,200 to tell you that. I'm really coming now. 633 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:36,080 I still Curry goat, jerk chicken recipes, everything. 634 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:37,000 Oh. I want Curry goat. 635 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:38,880 I'm coming for the Curry. Goat and I'm coming for the 636 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:40,480 oxtail list. Yeah. 637 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,600 Samantha, our producers tell us that Merriam Webster, the 638 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,000 dictionary people, are headquartered in Springfield, 639 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:53,040 MA. What word is most commonly used 640 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:55,280 to describe you? Stubborn. 641 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:59,200 I'm going to say I'm stubborn. So if I am that again, 642 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:01,960 chartering that boat, that ship, and I am the captain, I am 643 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:05,720 stubborn to stay on course. Awesome coffee or tea? 644 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:09,280 I'm a hot cocoa girl, OK? I love the marshmallows. 645 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,960 The Yeah. Even in the summer, yeah. 646 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:16,080 Yeah, I love sweating bullets. All right, so I was trying to be 647 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,520 cute, but the entire team told me I'm too old for this question 648 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:21,560 to work. If you were to pick between Rick 649 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:23,320 Springfield or Dusty Springfield. 650 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:26,920 I I don't even. Yeah, that's what that ruined 651 00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:28,360 art. Just Tracy, go to the net. 652 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:32,320 Uncle Boomer is going to just. Keep trying. 653 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,920 I literally said who? What tabs do you have? 654 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,480 Open on your computer right now. All of them, all of them. 655 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:41,800 Am I, am I really down with that? 656 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,320 No, I'm just keep it open. So many e-mail tabs. 657 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:48,280 If you could come back as an animal, what animal would you 658 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:49,800 come back as? Interesting. 659 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:55,080 I think the dog because my dog gets the best life ever because 660 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:58,160 he's still spoiled his system. Friendly good life. 661 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,040 Amen. What's your favorite go to 662 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,760 karaoke song? I cannot sing. 663 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:06,960 I cannot sing. It's not a requirement for 664 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:10,080 karaoke. That's OK. 665 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,560 The Dirty Dancing song. Yeah, yeah, we can do the 666 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:16,200 choreography. Jamie, will you catch? 667 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,520 Me, absolutely. I'll always catch you. 668 00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:21,080 Samantha, what's your favorite kind of doughnut? 669 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,040 Glazed. Who is someone that you think of 670 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,240 as a path breaker? I have to say my aunt, she 671 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:30,840 passed away, but she was the one that first immigrated up and 672 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,840 sometimes that person has to be the first one to go ahead. 673 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:36,720 You got to say your name. Her name is Annette Blake. 674 00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:39,840 She's the one that said I want a better future, so I'm going to 675 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:43,360 go ahead to make that for us and then bring us along. 676 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:44,200 I. Love that. 677 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:51,320 Thank you, Miss Blake. Samantha, thank you so much. 678 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:53,840 You, you all are doing such amazing work. 679 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:56,720 Thank you for taking the time to share some of it with us. 680 00:38:56,720 --> 00:39:00,520 Thank you for spending some time having a conversation with us. 681 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:03,880 And just I really do look forward to coming and visiting 682 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:05,960 Pioneer Valley. Thank you all for having me. 683 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:11,080 I appreciate the ability to share the honor and recognition 684 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:15,360 from the Kresge Foundation. I'm truly humbled and I this is 685 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:17,680 not me. I I can I come with the 686 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,640 community that I serve at the table? 687 00:39:26,870 --> 00:39:29,710 Samantha Hamilton is the director of Coalition building 688 00:39:29,710 --> 00:39:32,550 and community Engagement at the Public Health Institute of 689 00:39:32,550 --> 00:39:36,030 Western Massachusetts. We've put links to Live Well 690 00:39:36,030 --> 00:39:39,350 Springfield and the CHI Initiative in the show notes. 691 00:39:40,230 --> 00:39:43,270 Path Breakers is produced by the Kresge Foundation, which was 692 00:39:43,270 --> 00:39:47,390 founded in 1924 with a mission to promote human progress. 693 00:39:47,630 --> 00:39:50,870 Today, Kresge works to expand equity and opportunity in 694 00:39:50,870 --> 00:39:54,320 America's cities. Read the stories of all of this 695 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:58,120 season's Path Breakers and learn about our grant making and 696 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,720 social investing work in Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans 697 00:40:01,720 --> 00:40:04,800 and Fresno, and cities across the US at Kresge. 698 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:07,640 Dot org. To hear more stories from the 699 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:11,560 Path Breakers, be sure to. Subscribe to the show wherever 700 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:15,720 you listen to podcasts. Our producers are Juliet Hindley 701 00:40:15,720 --> 00:40:19,800 and Zach Rosen, managing editors, Krista Yankee show art 702 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:23,680 by Rochelle Baker, and creative direction by Alejandro Herrera. 703 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:27,120 And a special thank you to my colleagues on the environment 704 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:30,240 and health programs for lifting up Samantha and speaking her 705 00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:32,680 name as a truly phenomenal path. Breaker. 706 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:34,280 We'll talk to you next week.