Climate Change and Community Resilience Symposium

Thank You for Your Support and Attendance!

The temperature of the planet is rising, and it is happening now, impacting both natural and human systems. These changes are significantly and unequally affecting communities of color, particularly in Miami, FL where there are consequences of rising sea levels, hurricanes, more severe storms, flooding, and extreme heat. When facing these accelerating climate threats, it is imperative to implement sustainable climate-resilient measures that value lived experiences, traditional and local knowledge.

After four years of working with eight Miami communities, The Mellon-funded Race, Risk, and Resilience: Building a Local-to-Global “Commons for Justice” Project (FIU-‘CfJ’) is excited to present the one-day transdisciplinary Climate Change and Community Resilience Symposium. This symposium, the culmination of research, engagement, gathering oral histories, teaching and art activations throughout Miami Dade County and at FIU asks: how do the humanities and arts respond to the growing environmental crisis and how can researchers work with communities on resilient strategies? How can social scientists help to assist in mitigating the threats we face and together fashion a more sustainable future?

The day will highlight this work and the collaborations through lively discussions, spoken word, musical performance and more. This event offers a platform for meaningful discussion among members of the university, community, and local government to access what has been done and to imagine and map out how we can all move forward together with the goal of effecting positive change. The event features opportunities for attendees to network with like-minded individuals who are seeking climate solutions as collaborators, funders, or implementers.

The Climate Change and Community Resilience Symposium offers a platform for meaningful discussion with social and climate justice organizers, practitioners, students, artists, and academia who will provide valuable perspectives on climate change, resilience, and advocacy in Miami, Florida heavily impacted by hurricanes, floods, extreme heat, disinvestment, displacement, and extraction of value, with the goal of effecting positive change.

Event Details

9:15-10:00AM: Registration & Continental Breakfast

10:00-10:05AM: Opening

■ David Dugard (FIU Commons for Justice (CfJ) Program Director)

10:05 – 10:10AM: Welcome Remarks

■ Dr. Marcie Washington (Co-PI FIU – CfJ, Department of Politics and International Relations)

10:10-10:40AM: Remarks

■ Dr. Mike Heithaus (FIU, Vice Provost for Biscayne Bay Campus and Environmental Resilience)

■ Dr. Galen Treuer, Climate Tech and Economic Innovation Manager for Miami-Dade County

■ Dr. Shlomi Dinar (Dean, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs)

■ Dr. Guillermo J. Grenier (FIU, Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies)

■ Dr. Richard Olson (FIU, Director of the Extreme Events Institute and Department of Politics and International Relations)

10:40-10:45AM: Sounds of the Everglades

■ Samuel Tommie (Indigenous Artist from the Everglades)

10:45-11:30AM: Panel – Resilience and Justice: Community Solutions to Addressing Coastal Resilience

Climate justice is a critical element of addressing climate change, as it focuses on the equitable distribution of both the burdens and benefits of transitioning to a more sustainable future. Climate justice solutions involve addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations and promoting environmental justice, and empowering communities to participate in the transition to a more sustainable and equitable future. The panelists will explore the concept of climate justice and resilience and examine the role of community involvement in designing and carrying out climate initiatives.

■ Panelists: Dr. Kevin Grove (FIU); Carolyn Donaldson (G.R.A.C.E.); Nicole Crooks (Catalyst Miami); Santra Denis (Miami Workers Center); Dr. Emel Ganapti (FIU)

11:30-11:35AM: Break

11:35-11:40AM: Spoken Word

■ Patrialla Davis Bryant (FIU, AADS & LACC)

11:40AM- 12:25PM: Panel – Art and Communication: Impactful Approaches

Arts and communication play crucial roles in increasing awareness and encouraging action on climate change, offering chances for people and communities to address the issue and motivate impactful transformations. The panelist will delve into how creative and inventive approaches, such as spoken word, storytelling, digital media, and social marketing initiatives contribute to promoting disaster awareness and mitigating the effects of climate change.

■ Panelists: Genai Witter (FIU, SIPA); Elysa Batista Delcorto (Allapattah Collaborative, CDC); Dr. Nelson Varas-Diaz (FIU); Nadege Green (Black Miami Dade); Kechi Okpala (The Historic Virginia Key Beach Park)

12:25 – 1:55PM: Lunch Conversation

■ Dr. Rebecca Friedman (FIU, Director, Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab and the Department of History)

■ Betty Osceola (Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida)

■ Dr. Cheryl Holder (Retired from the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and Founder & Executive Director of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action)

1:55- 2:00PM: Break

2PM-2:45PM: Panel – Change and Risk: Frontline Wisdom and Innovation in the Face of Climate Risk

Climate change poses significant challenges for our planet, including potential effects like higher sea levels, increased extreme weather events, and shortages of food and water, as well as loss of biodiversity. To tackle these challenges, we need a range of solutions, including the investment in infrastructure that can withstand the impacts of climate change. The speakers will discuss the potential for collaboration between basic scientific research and climate change solutions, as well as the obstacles that may arise.

■ Panelists: Erik Salna (FIU); Jane Gilbert (Chief Heat Officer & Director of Urban and Community Forestry, Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience); Kevin Cunniff (Chief Sustainability Officer for The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida); Maggie Steenburg (Assistant Director, Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management); Marbelys Garriga (FIU)

2:45-2:50PM: Break

2:50-3:35PM: Panel – The Voices of Now and Next: Empowering Students

An intergenerational voice when promoting community resilience is key to supporting sustainable efforts that will combat how risk is unevenly distributed in communities. The panelist will showcase the diverse stories and perspectives of the youth, highlight the work of students under the Commons for Justice project, and discuss the role of multimedia projects in storytelling and social change.

■ Panelists: Patraillia Davis (FIU, AADS & LACC); Genai Witter (FIU, SIPA); Andrea Fonseca (FIU, CARTA); Camila Ramirez Fayad (FIU, SIPA); Sebastian Rocha Alvarez (FIU, CARTA); Amiah Dunham-Pulliam (FIU, SIPA); Victoria Fonseca (FIU, CARTA)

3:40-4:00PM: ‘Visualizing Heat’

4:00-4:30PM: Community Action Points

4:30PM: Symposium Wrap-Up with Dr. Valerie Patterson, Clinical Professor; Director of the African and African Diaspora Studies Program

THIS SYMPOSIUM WAS SUPPORTED BY:

The Mellon Foundation
FIU Extreme Events Institute
FIU Center for Community Impact & Public Purpose
FIU Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs
Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series
Dorothea Green Lecture Series

THIS SYMPOSIUM WAS PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

FIU African and African Diaspora Studies
Ah-Ta-Thi-Ki Museum
Catalyst Miami
FIU Center for Women’s and Gender Studies
FIU College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
FIU Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies
FIU Department Politics and International Relations
FIU Global Indigenous Forum
Grove Rights and Community Equity Inc. (GRACE)
Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance
FIU Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center
FIU Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership
Miami Workers Center
Miami-Dade Heat Resilience Office
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
The Allapattah Collaborative, CDC
FIU Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab
WeCount!

Questions? Please reach out to the FIU Commons for Justice for more information at cfj@fiu.edu.