After Hurricane Fran hit Raleigh, North Carolina in 1996 and damaged 27 out of 29 homes in the historic African-American community of Rochester Heights, social justice activists began an overdue inquiry about whether the neighborhood was being treated fairly or protected adequately. A decade later, students at the Exploris Middle School used a Teaching Tolerance grant to take up the unresolved cause again.
What began as a simple idea about documenting the oral history of an urban wetland evolved into an educator's ideal interdisciplinary service learning project, enabling students to form intergenerational friendships with community members and discovering the importance of preserving urban wetlands and the power of community activism.
The Walnut Creek Oral History Project, a yearlong service-learning program involving a small group of 8th grade students at Exploris, teamed with community volunteers including Partners for Environmental Justice (PEJ). The latter was formed to protect the Walnut Creek wetlands ecosystem and the communities of southeastern Raleigh, including Rochester Heights, which in the 1950s became Raleigh's first African-American residential development.
Following the destructiveness of Fran, residents of the flood-prone neighborhood were assessed a charge on their monthly utility bills to pay for infrastructure developments, although other areas in the city were not. To try to determine exactly why that had happened, and what might be done to remedy inequities, the Walnut Creek project set five initial goals, including gathering and sharing the history of the neighborhood with Rochester Heights residents, better student understanding of the environmental justice movement, and interaction with citizens of different ages and races through personal interviews. The students also helped with the ongoing wetlands clean-up.
Students employed a variety of skills, from writing and editing interviews to historical research to math and science. They experienced first-hand the challenges and rewards of purposeful civic action. This included long-term commitment: Each Friday morning, the students met with teachers and others to learn more about wetlands and the history and residents of Rochester Heights.
Project guide Frank McKay, who teaches math and integrated projects at Exploris, said the experience demonstrated how "community interviews can be one of the most powerful teaching tools a teacher can use. This was not the first time that our students had done interviews, but it was the most extensive work they had done up to this point."
McKay said the interviews helped create a historical record, including correction of some misconceptions, such as clarifying that Rochester Heights was not intentionally built on a floodplain. Later developments on the land created the chronic flooding problem. Such discoveries, he said, helped students understand how the health of urban wetlands is closely tied to the actions of the surrounding community.
Excerpts from "Reflections," a class writing exercise and evaluation at the conclusion of the project, revealed the impact of the work:
Ashlyn Young: "We learned that anyone of any age can really make a difference … [and how] an organization made up of citizens who have been living here for many years can work to preserve such an important and abandoned environment. I learned about how powerful memories are when it comes to fixing the world. Just watching Partners for Environmental Justice made us want to make a difference in wetlands, and we actually did with the clean-ups. It feels great to know that we have done something for such a vital part of the city."
Mick Whelan: "The project made me realize how delicate a water system can be. I learned that the world around us is interconnected."
Natalie Cooper: "The story of Rochester Heights demonstrates that citizens speaking up and taking action can lead to successful change."
The appeal of the program was felt throughout the city. In addition to the Teaching Tolerance grant and PEJ volunteers, the project received a grant for digital recording equipment from Wake Electric Cooperative and Bright Ideas program, and extensive volunteer time from Exploris staff, teachers and parents, and members of the Rochester Heights community.
Last spring and summer, a multimedia presentation of the project was exhibited at the Raleigh City Museum. The results of the year's work, including an archive of oral recordings with seven longtime residents of the neighborhood, were donated to PEJ and transferred to the website of the North Carolina State Archives. At the April museum opening, students, members of PEJ and city and community leaders spoke about the value of urban wetlands, the challenges they pose for surrounding residents, and the importance of citizen action in creating positive changes. Jack Duncan, director of Raleigh Parks and Recreation promptly sent an e-mail to McKay: "What a great event! I was so impressed not only by the science and learning value of the project but also by the wonderful opportunity it afforded for cross-generation interaction and appreciation."
This fall, the exhibit will be given a permanent place at a new city wetlands education center. The most impressive outcome may be years away as Exploris students carry the experience of the Walnut Creek project into further activist roles. |
