On December 15th, 2023, FIU-‘CFJ’ organized its 6th “solution session”, delving into the specific and divergent impacts of hurricane-related risks on greater communities. This session expanded upon the insights gained from the November "solution session" on the value of outlining specific community strategies in communicating hurricane-related risks and the importance of third spaces (i.e. Green Space).

Carolyn Donaldson from Grove Rights and Community Equity, Inc. (GRACE Inc.), opened the session discussing the effect of heavy rain/flooding, pollution, redistricting, and gentrification has on West Grove/Little Bahamas community. Her discussion included the recent heavy rain effects on the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, growing up in an environment where smoke and ash were commonplace and its effect on the health of community members (Ole' Smokey), and the challenges of governmental officials' seemingly disregarding human-made and preventable disasters in West Grove/Little Bahamas community.

Mrs. Donaldson went on to discuss how the community has promoted resilience efforts not only through the awareness of these issues but also through the court system as a measure of seeking recognition and resolution to the current and historical inequity and injustice in West Grove/Little Bahamas.  

This powerful presentation ended with Mrs. Donaldson highlighting tips for navigating the multi-layered consequences of climate change and seeking justice through the court system.

The session gathered a diverse group of participants, including FIU students, faculty, staff, and community members from different ages and life paths. This facilitated effort went beyond a collective discussion, instead fostering one-on-one conversations on a range of local to global issues that must be considered when preparing for pre and post disasters. Engaging in a collective dialogue, the attendees explored the comprehensive ways in which communities experience the effects of hurricanes and pursued collaborative solutions for better preparedness.

Among the topics discussed was redistricting and its profound impact on communities' ability to access resources in the aftermath of a disaster. This conversation facilitated by Dr. Imani Fredricks-Lowman (Lowman Consultants, LLC) highlighted the nature of challenges faced by different communities in Greater Miami and emphasized the importance of addressing issues such as redistricting, housing, local media, transportation concerns, and creating hurricane and flooding alerts that the community can understand in laymen terms to enhance the overall preparedness and resilience to disasters.

The Innovative and Ethical Practices and Pedagogies in the Social Sciences: Geospatial Data, Validity, and Fairness conference was held on January 18-19. This conference focused on reinforcing a collaborative approach for creating sustainable community resilience. Dr. Genevieve Reid, from the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies, served as the lead organizer, bringing together a diverse group of minds and voices, including keynote speakers.

The conference featured a unique structure, with the first day dedicated to keynote speakers and a panel discussion.

The opening keynote speakers, Dr. Catherine D'Ignazio and Helena Suárez Val, delved into the "Data Against Feminicide" (DCF) project, an international participatory action research endeavor aimed at countering gender-related killings of women and girls. The project emphasizes fostering a global community of practice, developing tools for femicide data collection, and supporting standardization efforts. The session highlighted machine-learning tools, community events, restorative and transformative data science, and strategic datafication.

Additionally on day one, a presentation to highlight was with Maui Hudson and Dr. Riley Taitingfong, which outlined the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, emphasizing their impact on ethical data practices and participatory data governance.

On the second day, participants engaged in four open forums, where they shared works in progress and received feedback on creative practices, papers, and pedagogical resources.  These workshops topics included art as a tool for promoting resilience, co-producing community knowledge, challenges of Miami domestic workers, mapping police use of force, indigenous technological capacity building, and conservation of Amazonian fresh water, among many others.

Overall, the conference provided a platform for critical discourse on ethical data practices, cultural preservation, and community engagement, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in critical data studies, GIScience, and social justice.

Bridge Deconstruction

The installation and series of programming at the Wolfsonian–FIU @1001 Washington Avenue is the public culmination of the year-long project from November 2, 2023–February 4, 2024.

Solutions Session

Please join us at the FIU-'‘CfJ’ Solution Session on hurricanes and extreme heat on January 26th at 10AM on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC) AHC5 Room 201