Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan

While the story of the Flint water crisis has frequently been told, even sympathetic analyses have largely worked to make invisible the significant actions of Flint residents to protect and advocate for their community. Leaving the voices of these stakeholders out of narratives about the crisis has...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jennifer S. Carrera, Kent Key, Sarah Bailey, Joseph A. Hamm, Courtney A. Cuthbertson, E. Yvonne Lewis, Susan J. Woolford, E. Hill DeLoney, Ella Greene-Moton, Kaneesha Wallace, DeWaun E. Robinson, Ismael Byers, Patricia Piechowski, Luther Evans, Athena McKay, Don Vereen, Arlene Sparks, Karen Calhoun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/3/94
_version_ 1828485724773548032
author Jennifer S. Carrera
Kent Key
Sarah Bailey
Joseph A. Hamm
Courtney A. Cuthbertson
E. Yvonne Lewis
Susan J. Woolford
E. Hill DeLoney
Ella Greene-Moton
Kaneesha Wallace
DeWaun E. Robinson
Ismael Byers
Patricia Piechowski
Luther Evans
Athena McKay
Don Vereen
Arlene Sparks
Karen Calhoun
author_facet Jennifer S. Carrera
Kent Key
Sarah Bailey
Joseph A. Hamm
Courtney A. Cuthbertson
E. Yvonne Lewis
Susan J. Woolford
E. Hill DeLoney
Ella Greene-Moton
Kaneesha Wallace
DeWaun E. Robinson
Ismael Byers
Patricia Piechowski
Luther Evans
Athena McKay
Don Vereen
Arlene Sparks
Karen Calhoun
author_sort Jennifer S. Carrera
collection DOAJ
description While the story of the Flint water crisis has frequently been told, even sympathetic analyses have largely worked to make invisible the significant actions of Flint residents to protect and advocate for their community. Leaving the voices of these stakeholders out of narratives about the crisis has served to deepen distrust in the community. Our project responds to these silences through a community-driven research study aimed explicitly at elevating the frame of Flint residents in and around the Flint water crisis. This paper describes the coming together of the research team, the overall project design for each of the three research efforts, and lessons learned. The three sub-projects include: (1) a qualitative analysis of community sentiment provided during 17 recorded legislative, media, and community events, (2) an analysis of trust in the Flint community through nine focus groups across demographic groups (African American, Hispanic, seniors, and youth) of residents in Flint, and (3) an analysis of the role of the faith-based community in response to public health crises through two focus groups with faith based leaders from Flint involved with response efforts to the water crisis. Our study offers insight for understanding trust in crisis, which could be valuable to other communities and researchers seeking to address similar situations. The project offers community science as a model for considering community engagement in research as part of the process of resilience.
first_indexed 2024-12-11T09:18:30Z
format Article
id doaj.art-75b417b0ea41453e9ce104d8b3732def
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2076-0760
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-11T09:18:30Z
publishDate 2019-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Social Sciences
spelling doaj.art-75b417b0ea41453e9ce104d8b3732def2022-12-22T01:13:18ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602019-03-01839410.3390/socsci8030094socsci8030094Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, MichiganJennifer S. Carrera0Kent Key1Sarah Bailey2Joseph A. Hamm3Courtney A. Cuthbertson4E. Yvonne Lewis5Susan J. Woolford6E. Hill DeLoney7Ella Greene-Moton8Kaneesha Wallace9DeWaun E. Robinson10Ismael Byers11Patricia Piechowski12Luther Evans13Athena McKay14Don Vereen15Arlene Sparks16Karen Calhoun17Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lasing, MI 48824, USACollege of Human Medicine: Flint, Michigan State University, Flint, MI 48502, USACommunity Based Organization Partners, Flint, MI 48502, USAEnvironmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USAMichigan State University Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824, USANational Center for African American Health Consciousness, Flint, MI 48502, USADepartment of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USACommunity Based Organization Partners, Flint, MI 48502, USACommunity Ethics Review Board, Flint, MI 48502, USAHealthy Flint Research Coordinating Center, Flint, MI 48502, USACommunity Based Organization Partners, Flint, MI 48502, USAHope College, Holland, MI 49423, USAMichigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USACommunity Based Organization Partners, Flint, MI 48502, USAMichigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAMichigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USACommunity Based Organization Partners, Flint, MI 48502, USAMichigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAWhile the story of the Flint water crisis has frequently been told, even sympathetic analyses have largely worked to make invisible the significant actions of Flint residents to protect and advocate for their community. Leaving the voices of these stakeholders out of narratives about the crisis has served to deepen distrust in the community. Our project responds to these silences through a community-driven research study aimed explicitly at elevating the frame of Flint residents in and around the Flint water crisis. This paper describes the coming together of the research team, the overall project design for each of the three research efforts, and lessons learned. The three sub-projects include: (1) a qualitative analysis of community sentiment provided during 17 recorded legislative, media, and community events, (2) an analysis of trust in the Flint community through nine focus groups across demographic groups (African American, Hispanic, seniors, and youth) of residents in Flint, and (3) an analysis of the role of the faith-based community in response to public health crises through two focus groups with faith based leaders from Flint involved with response efforts to the water crisis. Our study offers insight for understanding trust in crisis, which could be valuable to other communities and researchers seeking to address similar situations. The project offers community science as a model for considering community engagement in research as part of the process of resilience.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/3/94community-based participatory researchenvironmental justiceknowledge productionteam sciencequalitative research
spellingShingle Jennifer S. Carrera
Kent Key
Sarah Bailey
Joseph A. Hamm
Courtney A. Cuthbertson
E. Yvonne Lewis
Susan J. Woolford
E. Hill DeLoney
Ella Greene-Moton
Kaneesha Wallace
DeWaun E. Robinson
Ismael Byers
Patricia Piechowski
Luther Evans
Athena McKay
Don Vereen
Arlene Sparks
Karen Calhoun
Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan
Social Sciences
community-based participatory research
environmental justice
knowledge production
team science
qualitative research
title Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan
title_full Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan
title_fullStr Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan
title_full_unstemmed Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan
title_short Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan
title_sort community science as a pathway for resilience in response to a public health crisis in flint michigan
topic community-based participatory research
environmental justice
knowledge production
team science
qualitative research
url http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/3/94
work_keys_str_mv AT jenniferscarrera communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT kentkey communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT sarahbailey communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT josephahamm communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT courtneyacuthbertson communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT eyvonnelewis communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT susanjwoolford communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT ehilldeloney communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT ellagreenemoton communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT kaneeshawallace communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT dewaunerobinson communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT ismaelbyers communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT patriciapiechowski communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT lutherevans communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT athenamckay communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT donvereen communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT arlenesparks communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan
AT karencalhoun communityscienceasapathwayforresilienceinresponsetoapublichealthcrisisinflintmichigan