IMPACT.EDITION 2023 // ISSUE 02

WE LIVE OUT HERE IMPAC T.EDIT IO N / IS S UE 0 2 / 2 0 2 3

C LIMA T E CH ANG ART FOR I M P AC B US I NESS FOR G OO S O CIA L JU S T I C

Cover image: Betty Osceola, Miccosukee tribal elder, Everglades educator, & environmental advocate Photo by Greg Clark, Good Miami Project

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n a time of growing intolerance, polarizing politics and aggressive invasion, a united path forward seems all the more perilous. Still, we firmly believe in the power of community journalism & modern storytelling campaigns to bridge divides and amplify the diverse voices of our local social innovators.

The backbone of our editorial is our in-depth interviews with community changemakers who prove their influence toward positive lasting change – from addressing social inequality to saving the planet from environmental ruin. ​ By representing the diverse voices of our local social impact leaders, we can creatively and critically encourage greater collaboration and help find our common human ground in what can feel like an increasingly divisive environment.

WHAT'S I NSIDE WHAT’S YOUR GOAL?

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STEWARDS OF THE LAND

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YOU ARE NEVER TOO FAR AWAY

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‘I MADE MYSELF AT HOME HERE’

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FROM TIDE TO TABLE

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YOU BELONG HERE

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THAT’S (NOT) MY TRASH

62

HISTORY, FIVE ACRES WIDE

66

HOW DO YOU FEEL, REALLY?

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WE ARE ALL IN SHARED WATERS

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JOIN THE COLLECTIVE

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LOVE LOST, MIAMI

by Greg Clark, Good Miami

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WE LIVE OUT HERE WITH THE CHOICES WE MAKE

I

f we estimated the time of all the

connect to the land I live on? What do

interviews we recorded for this issue,

I know about coral bleaching and how

it would total about 180 hours. That’s the

to stop it? Do I shop sustainably? What

equivalent of spending one week, day &

happens to my plastic trash, and where

night, in meaningful, thought-provoking

do I compost my food scraps? What's the

conversations with communities’ dreamers

history I preserve? Do I belong or exist?

and doers. We learned that enacting longlasting change requires all sectors of society

Our big & small decisions move our

to work for a shared mission with a system

communities to be healthier and more

of accountability in place. But what really

sustainable. We can elect to discover

stood out was the repeated theme of choice.

our history & ecology, meet new community champions, and find

Researchers estimate an adult makes

volunteering opportunities.

about 35,000 conscious decisions a day, and the more we make, the more likely we

Achieving collective impact starts with

experience decision fatigue. But sometimes,

meaningful communications, and this is

that fatigue sets in when people believe

the choice our small (yet mighty) volunteer

willpower is a limited resource. This is the

editorial team makes: to produce community

lightbulb moment.

journalism and creative storytelling campaigns, so that your choices are clearer.

In this new issue of Impact.Edition magazine, you’ll meet humans who’ll fuel

It is our sincere hope you enjoy reading this

your willpower to ask and answer: Do I

newest collection as much as we did while

minimize my carbon footprint? How do I

producing it.

feel, really? What sustainable development goals can I address? Do I take nature for

Thank you for your support & wise choices!

granted, or have I realized my responsibility

With love, peace, & gratitude,

to protect a fragile ecosystem? How do I

Yulia & Samantha

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Yulia Strokova, Founder & Publisher Samantha Schalit, Editor-in-Chief Juan Ortega, Art Director Greg Clark, Photographer, Good Miami Project Kacie Brown, Social Impact Writer Anjuli Castano, Social Impact Writer Sofia Zuñiga, Contributor

Impact.Edition is a nonprofit community media that empowers people with best practices and creative solutions for a more just, more sustainable world.

Impact.Edition print magazine (ISSN 2832-4706) is published twice per year. Articles proposals, advertising, and reprints go to impactedition.org.

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WHAT’S YOUR GOAL? Solutions to our world’s biggest problems start locally and get done when there’s a system of accountability. Building the just, equitable and sustainable data ecosystems that showcase best practices and effective governance requires time, resources and a mindset shift: changing the world is a team sport. Meet Miami’s SDGs Consortium, a collaborative and inclusive space for impact leaders eager to drive social, environmental and economic progress.

by Yulia Strokova, Samantha Schalit

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From Left to Right: Scarlett Lanzas, Anne Quirino, Maria Dominguez, Claudia Akel, Joan Marie Godoy, & Alejandro Burgana

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lejandro Burgana manages OBE Power, the nation’s second-largest electric vehicle-charging

network. Sandra Louk LaFleur drives Changemaking Education and Social Innovation at Miami Dade College.

It’s no longer an option. It’s a musthave instrument. Governments, companies, academia, schools, and entrepreneurs

Sam Ligeti is a program experience coordinator

must start adopting the UN Sustainable

with Venture Café Miami. Cesar S. Murillo works

Development Goals, which offers a holistic,

with Emergent Global Investments. Andreina Weichselbaumer is a director of culture & strategy at Radical Partners. Two years ago, this group of diverse and committed leaders had likely never met before, and now they are part of a new social impact acceleration

measurable and proven framework of interdependent economic, social, and environmental objectives that is being

ecosystem born in Miami – the SDGs Consortium, a

implemented in over 185 countries and

collaborative and inclusive space for impact leaders

thousands of cities around the world.

eager to build on their commitment to social progress, economic growth, and environmental protection.

Scarlett Lanzas Founder of the SDGs Consortium

During her career, Scarlett Lanzas, founder of the SDGs Consortium, worked in diverse areas ranging from

initiatives for Latinos. Today, she leads Accountable

the United Nations World Food Programme to social

Impact and works tightly with Claudia Akel, founder and

innovation, leading Puentes New Orleans, a nonprofit

CEO of Social Impact Movement, to advance sustainable

focused on developing economic and leadership-building

goals and strategies in Miami.

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Claudia and Scarlett are true SDGs champions who, for

heat and property loss from flooding. And although

years, have been educating and challenging our local

hundreds of separate initiatives are underway to address

leaders to make sustainable choices in our governments,

all these problems, we won’t scale our impact without

businesses, and communities. Last year, Claudia and

an infrastructure of accountability and a collaborative

Scarlett also launched the SDG Impact Pledge to

mindset trained on inclusive and sustainable solutions.

ignite authentic and meaningful collaboration among businesses in Miami to adopt the SDGs.

“The United States is among five countries, including Haiti, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Yemen, that have

In 2015, the UN announced the SDGs as a call to action

never presented a Voluntary National Review, which is

for countries, governments, funders, and investors to

a self-assessment of the implementation of the SDGs;

unite to accomplish 17 global goals to end poverty,

other countries started their VNRs in 2016,” notes

protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. The UN

Scarlett. “This lack of accountability must be challenged

has outlined specific indicators to measure progress and

at every level. The only way to build a system that holds

a timeframe to achieve them by 2030, both of which help

entities accountable is by creating mechanisms of

drive a shared understanding and urgency of this work.

collecting and reporting local data.”

Despite our officials’ and established foundations’

Scarlett was “blown away” by the City of Doral’s ISO

reluctance to speak the SDGs language — the goals

Smart City Certification, which requires an investment

are persistently absent from officials’ speeches, and

in high-tech infrastructure that collects, crunches, and

rarely referred to or integrated into foundations’ impact

delivers data to residents and businesses. In 2016, Doral

reporting or social media — there are individuals,

solidified its Smart City status by obtaining Platinum

businesses, educational institutions, and community

Level certifications from the World Council on City Data,

organizations in Miami that are working to affect

which includes over 100 measures based on

change and elevate local-level, community-led

international standards for smart and sustainable

societal advancements in the context of the global

cities. Doral is the only city in Florida to achieve this

sustainability agenda.

certification, and through this internationally recognized third-party certification, Doral joins a network of cities

“Miami is my home, and I want to make sure that our

like Boston, Dubai, Amsterdam, London, and Shanghai,

children and our children’s children can live and thrive

adopting a culture of data to drive innovation. In 2021,

in Miami,” says Scarlett. Originally from Nicaragua, she

Doral became one of only 10 cities in the world, and

has lived in Miami for over 20 years. “I wish, and I hope

the first in the United States, to acquire the ISO 37122

that my nephew, in 10 years, when he becomes a doctor,

certification for Sustainable Cities and Communities.

can come down here, and either start his own practice or

In addition, the City of Doral has collected data aligned

work at a hospital, and have a good, healthy life.”

to the SDGs Cities.

While Miami makes headlines as the land of opportunity

Another Florida city that stands out in sustainability and

for tech and innovation, we’re still battling gender and

reporting is Orlando. It’s the fourth city in the nation to

racial bias and the rapidly occurring and increasingly

complete a Voluntary Local Review of Progress on SDGs.

drastic effects of climate change. In Miami-Dade County, sea levels are projected to rise by more than 15 inches in

Scarlett envisions Miami’s progress on reporting

the next 30 years, increasing flood risk further inland and

and accountability coming to fruition through the

with greater frequency. Communities of color will likely

SDGs Consortium, which is devoted to three pillars of

bear the heaviest burden from the changes brought by

sustainable development: Social Progress, Environmental

climate change, including more deaths from extreme

Protection, and Economic Growth.

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JOURNALISM WITH IMPACT

S

olutions to our world’s biggest problems start locally and get done when there’s a system of accountability. Impact.Edition is proud to join Catalyst 2030,

a global movement of people and organizations coming together across borders and cultures to confront the world’s most pressing problems. By collaborating in deep and meaningful ways, we can strengthen local advocacy by connecting it to the bigger story.

From the beginning, Impact.Edition stories track local initiatives that’ll bring us closer to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 goals outline measurements for progress and a timeframe to achieve them by 2030.

Our SDGs partners:

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I’M AN OPTIMIST WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY. Scarlett continues, “We’re building an interdisciplinary and multisectoral, collaborative space for diverse groups of individuals and entities to co-create a common and sustainable agenda for all. They are all committed individuals, entities that care about Miami, and that really want to drive progress, and make sure that our children and our children’s children can live and thrive in Miami. We’re going to create a data infrastructure and, more specifically, a powerful communityled and open-source data platform where all the entities that are joining the Consortium can share data, produce reports, and effect change.”

Data holds power to tackle society’s greatest challenges and improve lives across the globe, but our institutions must invest in analyzing that data, extracting insights, and acting on them. This transformation and impact will not happen overnight; it’s a long journey. Building just, equitable, and sustainable data ecosystems requires a collaborative mindset, time, and resources to define standards, showcase effective governance and model best practices to drive social, environmental, and economic progress.

“We might not achieve all global goals at once, but as former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, our struggle for global sustainability will be won or lost in cities. And I believe together, we can unlock a better future for Miami,” Scarlett says. “So, it’s up to us to implement those types of programs and policies to effect the change we need for current and future generations.”

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Art by Miami-based visual artist Troy Simmons. Wynwood 2300 was nominated for a prestigious CODAaward, given to those who successfully integrate commissioned art into interior, architectural, or public spaces.

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How can we reawaken our roles in urban design and reimagine our relationship with the land?

by Anjuli Castano

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

STEWARDS OF THE LAND

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

I

n the cool sunshine of South Florida winter, the

needed little more than a roof and a firm foundation to

Everglades National Park river of grass hummed with

rest on. The palm and cypress used in the construction

the vibrations from underwater life and distant airboats

echo the environment in which the structures were

touring the park. That afternoon, I joined a group

built, creating kinship between the natural and

of artists, architects, environmentalists, and curious

manufactured environments. As stewards of the land,

citizens who were there to learn about indigenous

the Seminole and Miccosukee people respect the

structures and cultural landscapes.

interrelation between the human need to make place and the existing earth. Yet, within our urban fabric, only

Symbiotic House, which researches and develops

40 miles away, this kinship is lacking.

adaptive architectural solutions for Miami’s environmental challenges, organized an airboat ride

Birthed into the generation of private transportation,

to visit tree islands in the Everglades where chickees

metropolitan Miami has never known a world without

and other traditional structures, which survived years

cars. To make way, the industry paved through dense

of hurricanes, remain. Our tour guide explained the

Seminole and Tequesta wetlands to lay the city grid,

historical significance of these home structures, the way

which domesticated the swamp and radically changed

they served as quick solutions for Seminoles migrating

the people’s relationship to this land. What was once a

south from northern Florida, fleeing colonialism. The

coexistence of nature and humanity had turned into a

structures reflected the state of their builders who

uniform playground of driveways and avenues.

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The Everglades is Florida's natural filter, and we drink Everglades water everytime we drink tap water.

Miamians’ relationship with the city today is often

development, which aspires to maximize profit for

transactional, attempting to mimic the very rich

private owners and encourages the consolidation of

and the luxury-seeking travelers the city caters to.

capital, is exclusive by nature. Horizontal development

Its urban design is composed of car-centric streets,

is inclusive. Think: converting vacant lots into

hidden residential parks, and private beachfront

public commodities, or redesigning large roads to

properties: commodities proven effective in amassing

accommodate promenades and bike lanes. If you walk

new residents, yet accessible to few. The vibe is

through your neighborhood, you will surely find a space

exclusivity. Working-class locals know a Miami of scarce

that can better serve your community if it’s reimagined

public space and limited modes of transportation.

and repurposed. Urban designers and developers may

Learning the historical context of Miami’s trajectory to

be the ones with the technical knowledge to turn an

metropolitan mecca, I found myself wondering, who was

idea into reality, but residents know their communities’

Miami built for? What if we measured success as equitable

needs better than anyone. Practice your imagination

access to social mobility, or the extinction of food deserts

and expertise of your lived experience; they are

and heat islands?

powerful tools in urban place-making.

By divesting from conventional ideas of progress,

“Why don’t we turn this into something?” asked

which champion vertical development, we can invest

Meg Daily. She is the creative soul and brain of The

in people-centric horizontal development. Vertical

Underline, the 10 miles of metrorail underpass that’s

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being redesigned and reinvigorated as a linear park with bike lanes, walk lanes, green spaces, an urban gym, and so much more.

Meg is an avid cyclist, but after a cycling accident which left both of her arms broken, she had to reacquaint herself with the other means of transportation that were available to her disabled body. Once healed enough, she would take the metrorail to her physical therapy appointments.

INFRASTRUCTURE IS EXPENSIVE, INFRASTRUCTURE IS MESSY, INFRASTRUCTURE IS NECESSARY.

“There was something about slowing down and walking in a space rather than driving by it,” she said. Feeling a space

As our modes of communication evolve and our desires

goes beyond your interaction with the physical or tactile

to connect expand, so must urban infrastructure evolve

aspects of the area. What Meg felt in the immense size

as a means to connect. As Meg says, “We have to look

of the metrorail underpass was an opportunity to create

at urban infrastructure as having different purposes

connection and enhance the lives that pass by it. She

over time.” The key is listening to citizens who interact

spoke about the metro stations in New York, how you can

with this infrastructure, as their insight is critical to good

get a cup of noodles, the latest paper or catch a live show

design, and good design fully considers how a space

along your daily commute. As Meg put it, “The transit can

can benefit all who come in contact with it. For most of

be a destination in its own right.”

modern history, that was not the approach.

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Segregation By Design, a project that documents how

neighborhood associations, even hanging out at Publix

communities of color have been historically impacted

to tell people to come,” shares Meg.

by discriminatory urban design practices, studied the The progression of The Underline — from community

streamlined traffic through Miami-Dade but also

input to design, construction, and communal enjoyment

“required the forcible relocation of over 12,000 residents

— is a case of successful cross-sectoral collaboration.

— nearly 100% of them Black.” The construction of I-95

During one community meeting, the sound of Miami

stemmed from the seed planted by motor lobbyists who

residents cheering at the proposal of bocce ball at the

successfully downsized Miami’s public transportation.

Underline reverberated in the small Vizcaya meeting

The fruit of this labor is a minimal metro system and

room. It wasn't just the excitement of another activity at

fractured bus routes. While this push to design Miami

the park that electrified the people in the room. Being

to accommodate a new type of private transportation

asked, What do you care about? What do you envision in your

touted adaptation to modern ways, it actually left a large

park? and having those answers taken into account crafts

part of Miami-Dade disconnected and isolated.

a relationship between the people and their public place.

Today, we have to lean into the evolution of purpose.

Ultimately, our greatest responsibility is our ability to

Throughout construction, leadership of The Underline

respond. Aaron DeMayo, founder of Future Vision Studios

held numerous community meetings, and more

understands that poor design exacerbates environmental

importantly, publicized them by going to “churches,

issues and affects residents' quality of life.

by Daryl Mendez

construction of the I-95 interstate highway, which

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BY REINTRODUCING NATURE INTO CONSTRUCTION IN INNOVATIVE WAYS, WE CAN SOLVE A LOT OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE'VE CREATED OURSELVES. “The causes from one system are having huge ramifications across the other systems as well,” Aaron explains. A clear example is our water system. He recalled a recent rain event that halted all traffic on I-95 because an additional four inches of water caused massive flooding on the highway.

“South Florida has a complex, intertwined system of water management across various scales. From the stormwater drain on the corner of your street...to the rivers and canals that move water throughout all of South Florida. Our existence relies on that network of water infrastructure.” Miami’s relationship to water grows precarious as the years pass. As a city defined by water, how do we turn threat into opportunity?

As an architectural designer and urban planner, Aaron has been a champion of green roofs as a rudimentary and interdisciplinary response to challenges we face in the emergent climate. For Miami, these are landscaped areas strategically planted on top of buildings that provide topographical variety. These green roofs maximize our urban capacity to capture and filtrate stormwater runoff, provide green space to residents, and combat heat island effects.

Working in unison with the environment is not a radical idea.

Aaron emphasizes that we have the infrastructure to move toward climate resiliency and spatial justice, citing urban projects that exemplify the tools and ingenuity available: like Brickell City Centre, an engineering feat of human comfort as its structure manipulates wind to keep the outdoor mall cool, or the Design District's thoughtful layout that diverts car traffic and protects its pedestrian paseos.

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by Daryl Mendez

During Miami Art Week 2022, the park opened a public exhibition in collaboration with Airbnb and local artist Typoe, who describes the interactive sculpture garden as his “love letter to Miami.”

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

The opportunity and the challenge is: how do we continue to expand those

citizens,” says Dana Wall, a senior project manager at Street Plans.

projects, let them grow organically where

Dana shares the example of Slow Streets in her own

they make sense…so we can ensure that

neighborhood, Flamingo Park in Miami Beach. What

if people want to lead more car-free, pedestrian-oriented, healthy lifestyles,

was originally a one-month pilot program pushed by a group of residents, remains an effective method of traffic management and pedestrian safety that uses signs and

they're able to.

lights to slow down drivers, and makes biking & walking

And while innovating new, clever methods of

to find ways to improve its durability. “This is the ideal

climate-resilient design and construction requires

progression,” says Dana.

more attractive. Now the City is revisiting the project

much effort and creativity, we are not alone. Aaron emphasizes there are existing tools for the industry,

The greatest advantage of a tactical urbanism

like the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental

approach is its humility to accept adaptation as a part

Design) certification, an internationally-known green

of sustainable growth. Like the best teacher, a pilot

building ranking system, which supports responsible

program shows our shortcomings and tactical urbanism

development. Adaptation is crucial. Ensuring locals adapt

gives space to try again.

with us is non-negotiable, “because if we let them leave, if we show that we don't have plans in place to help keep

When working for spatial equity and comprehensive

them here, our community may start eroding.”

community development, we are deconstructing the limitations of ineffective, inequitable systems.

Urban planners, residents, and environmentalists are

In bureaucratic settings with little to no public voice,

all calling for the same thing: collaboration. Tactical

this progress is impossible. This especially happens

urbanism is the practice of using scalable interventions

in communities of color, explains May Rodriguez,

in neighborhood building and urban planning that

the executive director of The South Florida Community

harness the creative potential of social interaction.

Development Coalition (SFCDC). Through a lens of

Miami natives Myke Lydon and Anthony Garcia, authors

racial equity, May and her team examine how

of the book Tactical Urbanism and founders of the firm

we're building communities and developing

Street Plans, use tactical urbanism in two ways: they

assets within them.

create temporary plans for cities looking to change and produce guides for citizens to spearhead their own

"Unfortunately, in our city, like many other metropolitan

projects. “Both ways expand public engagement and

cities across America, inflation and the cost of living has

break down communication barriers between cities and

increased astronomically, and not in a proportionate

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rate to our jobs wages. And so being able to generate

less than a year, it has grown from 300 members to more

wealth has been a very big problem, particularly for

than 5,000 individuals, organizations, and municipalities

Black and brown neighborhoods. And so they tend to

who pledged to protect our green space, farms, and

be under-invested in, they tend to be overlooked often.

drinking water from overdevelopment and urban sprawl.

Until it's a matter of gentrification."

“The Line” refers to the County’s Urban Development The displacement of the people is a displacement of the

Boundary (UDB) that was adopted in 1983 to limit

culture that makes the urban fabric of South Florida so

western expansion and protect the Everglades &

attractive. As historian N.D.B. Connolly describes in his

local agricultural land.

book A World More Concrete, it’s been happening since the legitimization of Miami as a city when the Black and brown people who built it were uprooted by wealthy developers and the tourist industry. The Florida lineage

We are highlighting issues that people can feel and touch. If you can get 10 or 20,

of native and Black communities fights for preservation

or 30 people together, you can influence

every day. “Although these folks may take up less space

your city government, and if you can get

in our communities, that doesn't mean that they have less value as residents, as business owners, and as contributors to our local economy,” says May. SFCDC formed Public Land for Public Good (PLPG) to engage and empower residents to influence the future of the 19-acre Allapattah GSA Lot. When PLPG asked for the city to create a request for

100 people together, you can influence your county government. By giving people a sense that this is achievable, we can make our voices matter.

Josh Groot Policy Director, Hold The Line

approval process, the organization cooperated with The Allapattah Collaborative and shared a survey

We can and should feel safe and welcomed in our city.

with Allapattah residents. The results showed a real

We can foster connection and get to know each other not

need for, of course, housing, but also necessary

as island municipalities but as a cohesive urban organism

amenities like green spaces, which ranked first in the

with the collective goal of staying afloat and staying true

poll. Participants overwhelmingly answered “yes”

to what Miami has always been: a place where dreams

when questioned if they would like to engage in the

meet reality like water meets land.

development of the lot.

Making people aware of their agency over their environments and lives should not be seen as a privilege but as the foundation for a healthy, interconnected urban fabric that values sustainability.

Development is not inherently negative; removing people’s autonomy for the capital gain of a few is. altogether and figuring out ways in which we can still be pro-development,” May says. “But do it in such a sense that — first and foremost — takes care of the community needs that are already present before adding on additional opportunities.”

Hold The Line is an organization that demonstrates

by Greg Clark, Good Miami

“It's about minimizing and eliminating displacement

phenomenal success in engaging communities. In

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YOU ARE NEVER TOO FAR AWAY Experience the artistic passages to celebrate, preserve and enjoy nature Poet Arsimmer McCoy performs as part of “Passages,” an immersive installation created by Cornelius Tulloch and presented by AIRIE

G

rowing up in Miami, Cornelius Tulloch had only visited

and adapting to the nature of the swamp. Through his

the Everglades once. “I never really felt a tie to Florida

Passages, Cornelius faced profound self-discovery that

as the state. Miami, it's kind of its own world.” As a young

prompted his interest in drawing comparisons between

adult and emerging artist, he lived there for a month

the ways people connect with the land and the ways his

during his artist residency with AIRIE (Artists in Residency

peers experienced integration with surrounding cultures.

in the Everglades). Through his experience, Cornelius felt kinship with the river of grass and its history, and he

“A passage can be like a short story or excerpt of

found renewed purpose in telling its stories.

writing, or it can be literally a connection of land or water. This is how we begin to connect our stories in

He was first inspired by the Florida Highwaymen:

this landscape, the Everglades,” explains Cornelius.

artists who painted the Florida landscape on coastal highways, defying the constraints of the Jim Crow era

Passages is the artful partnership between Cornelius

and pronouncing their influence through public art.

and other 2022 AIRIE residents. The immersive exhibit showcased the residents’ talents in video, music, and

“And that's what I applied to AIRIE,” Cornelius explained,

poetry to transport viewers to the river of grass at

“to deal with the question how do I, as a Black artist, now

sunset and acted as a portal to the inner parts of us that

taking up this space, begin to depict and learn more about

are mirrored in the ecology of the Everglades, inspiring

Florida, through my artwork and through storytelling?”

a responsibility to know and care for the land.

For Cornelius, reconnecting and reclaiming Florida

“My key message was for us to look more deeply at the

history meant forming a relationship with the Everglades

Everglades, not just as an ecological concern, but also

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as a large cultural context: what happens when this

activist, they're [not] about one sort of specific

landscape gets erased, and what stories aren't fully

thing. But I think that genuine curiosity for this

told?” emphasizes Cornelius.

environment brought a lot of us there, and then we found ourselves communicating these stories that

Passages implicitly asked us to reflect on our own

were unheard.”

relationship to the Everglades in the moments of silence offered. The moments when the only audio

The residents exposed how climate health is

is crickets, and you are surrounded by the digital

intrinsically linked to the survival of culture and

landscape, and native plants serve as windows

history, and Cornelius begs the question: who is at

for contemplation. “It was finding that balance of

risk when these spaces are in danger?

Photo by Angel E. Valentin

telling the story but also allowing it to be something that isn't just flashy but meaningful in how people

Living in the bustling urbanism of Miami, it is easy

are able to engage with it,” continues Cornelius.

to forget our proximity to climate catastrophe. But

It was this balance between artistic interpretation

as these issues grow more precarious, we must find

and environmental accuracy which bridged the

ways to reconnect to these environments, which

audience to the landscape in a more personal way,

provide examples of resiliency and synchronicity.

and incited the same curiosity which inspired the

Passages exemplified the use of a creative and

artists of Passages.

expressive medium to connect to this calling.

“That's the beauty of this residency,"Cornelius

“Now we find ourselves in the Everglades all the

shared. No one starts out as an environmental

time,” says Cornelius. And we should too.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami 2 8 | I MPAC T .E D IT IO N

ʻI MADE MYSELF AT HOME HERE’ You can say it in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, or a combination of 20 other languages spoken here; Miami means home. Here’s a look at what it means for the city to house its wealth of diverse cultural communities and how we go from coexisting to thriving.

by Anjuli Castano

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WHEN I MOVED TO SOUTH FLORIDA SIX YEARS AGO FROM VIETNAM, I EXPECTED FOR THERE TO BE A SMALL ASIAN POPULATION; THAT’S WHY I NEEDED TO CREATE AN ORGANIZATION, TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER... I MADE MYSELF AT HOME HERE. SoFlo Asians, a Facebook page for

then, NAAAP Miami has provided

organizing meetups and creating social

a digital and in-person community-

ties among the small Asian population

building platform for Asians in

in South Florida, was founded by

South Florida to find and empower

Phong Luu as he adapted to a new city.

each other as well as the cities they now live in.

Feeling isolated can distort our perception of what community exists

This connectivity is not only happening

out there for us. But Luu proves that

among Asians but within and among all

there is always community if we seek it.

cultural diasporas in South Florida. The Miami chapter of NAAAP participates

The connections Luu built through

in the annual 10 Days of Connection

SoFlo Asians introduced him to the

by hosting a family-style picnic Luu

National Association of Asian American

described as an “opportunity for

Professionals (NAAAP) and led him to

people to connect cross-culturally in a

co-found a chapter in Miami. Since

human to human way.”

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The 10 Days of Connection (May 1-10) is a collaborative movement that brings together social impact leaders, community organizations, and locals to step out of their comfort zone and join conversations on taboo topics in a safe environment. Produced by Radical Partners and powered by hundreds of leaders, the 10 Days of Connection is an open invitation to everyone to engage in acts of connection. Please visit 10daysofconnection.org for more information.

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Feeling othered or disconnected from the place you reside obscures one’s connection to the community and challenges one’s ability to put down roots. It tests our resourcefulness and affirms communities need resources to build wealth that provides safety and security for this and the next generations.

Leonie Hermantin came to this country as a child with her younger sister to meet their mother in New York. predominantly Haitian neighborhoods, her language and identity were never questioned. Coming to Miami was another experience of familiarity: moving into the historic neighborhood of Little Haiti, she saw signs written in Creole, another signal of recognition.

But, on settling into her new home, she says, “I realized we were not being treated fairly when it came to

Photo courtesy of Sant La

She described her upbringing there as familiar; living in

resources and inclusion. People around me were living in poverty and almost uninhabitable housing.”

cultural diasporas to thrive. Without that, Black migrants (and ultimately all migrants) will always struggle to heal

In Leonie’s upbringing, and now in her position as

from and combat oppressions.

director of development at Sant La, she has firsthand experience with the kind of unfair treatment Haitian migrants face. Fleeing from poverty, violence, and political instability, Haitian migrants have the lowest rate of asylum granted out of 84 national groups.

Caribbeans all come from plantocracies, the apex was white people, and we still carry that with us.

Sant La served over 900 migrants in 2021, primarily Haitian asylum-seekers. The greatest frustration she

Leonie points to how it's “difficult to get stories from

says “is the people who have been granted status

Haitian refugees who come by boat because they are

to stay in this country are not being granted access

usually jailed. And jail is a big source of shame for us.”

to the same survival resources extended to other

Still scarred by the 2021 images of Haitian refugees

migrant populations.”

accosted at the Texas border and the reality that Black immigrants are still disproportionately at risk for

South Florida has long been regarded as a melting pot

deportation, it's critical to discuss how, we as a city, are

of people because a wealth of cultures exist here. Yet,

going to redefine our acceptance of immigrants and

simply existing is not enough. We can’t excuse ourselves

create true diversity for a progressive world.

from examining and critiquing how accessible our communities’ resources are. We can’t excuse ourselves

One way to have these conversations is to be bold in

from a monitoring and accountability structure that

your approach and initiate sitdowns with the people you

ensures — on a continuing basis — all cultures in our

theoretically have little in common with. The result will

community thrive equitably.

usually be the revelation that you are not as different as you thought. We can see this in Shabbir Motorwala’s

Given our country’s historical role in slavery, racism and

approach as founding member of the Coalition of South

class-based social structures, confronting how Black

Florida Muslim Organizations (COSMOS). Any spike in

migrants are treated when trying to come to the US is a

conflict among Israel, Hamas-controlled Gaza and various

first critical step in building the infrastructure for Miami’s

Arab states causes ripples of cross-culture tension

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throughout all Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim diasporas.

During one such spike, Shabbir reached out to Jewish community leaders to meet.

The meetings are a commitment to each other that both communities will not let the hatred and conflict happening in the world spread into their communities in South

We’re not going to be able to solve the problems in the Middle East, but we can work together to address the antisemitism and islamophobia happening in our home South Florida.

Florida. Beyond these reoccurring touchpoints, leaders within South Florida’s Muslim and Jewish communities

Muslims were at the vigil. He explained, “if you attack a

step up for each other in moments of tragedy.

synagogue, or a church, it is like attacking a mosque; they are all places of worship.”

When the mosque in Kendall was vandalized, Rabbi Shabbir has worked to take back control of the narratives

there was a mass shooting in a synagogue in Pittsburg,

that surround his Indian and Muslim identities by

there was a vigil held at the Jewish Holocaust Memorial

educating those around him. It's an effort that he says

in South Beach where COSMOS attended to show

“creates understanding of Muslim culture, eradicating

solidarity. Shabbir recalls when a reporter asked him why

misconceptions and, in turn, unnecessary issues.”

by Greg Clark, Good Miami

Originally from India, and as a Muslim immigrant,

demanded it be called a hate crime. And in 2018 when

The 10 Days of Connection,

Solomon Schiff, the late Miami Interfaith leader,

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami 3 4 | I MPAC T .E D IT IO N

Building tolerance through education is one of COSMO’s core praxis with initiatives like Educating

EVERY HUMAN RIGHT IS ALSO IMMIGRANT RIGHTS.

the Educators; in collaboration with the Miami-Dade

Tessa Petit Co-Executive Director, FLIC

dedicating their service to Mayan migrants, a

Public School System, COSMO provides speakers to talk to students about Muslim culture and the common elements among Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. A different program, with MiamiDade College students, covers topics on Muslims’ contributions to science, medicine and math.

Learning about our similarities undoubtedly creates bonds amongst people. So does celebrating our differences. The GuatemalanMayan Center operates within this framework, majority non-Spanish speaking indigenous group, coming from Guatemala.

Fighting for acknowledgment of their difference is especially difficult coming from a region generalized en mass as Hispanic. Generalizing an entire region without consideration for the inevitable nuances among its cultural subsets leads to misunderstandings and mistreatment. Being on the receiving end of those misunderstandings and mistreatments is psychologically challenging and there’s no onerule-fits-all-cultures solution. But the place to start is creating communal space that builds resilience and a sense of pride in a culture’s own uniqueness.

Lindsay McElroy, a longtime employee of the Guatemalan-Mayan Center, explains the organization has “a long history of not only serving the people but advocating for them as well.” She shares how “a lot of the kids grow up ashamed of being Mayan and undermine their own uniqueness.” The Center is intentional in using storytelling and songs like The Mighty Mayan to instill confidence in the kids and inspire pride in coming from such a rich culture. “A lot of times, our families are alienated because not only are they immigrants, but they are immigrants who don’t speak Spanish as their first language.”

In a society that considers Hispanic a monolith, finding representation is a struggle the Maya face every day.

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“Even though there are a lot of cultural differences, people who seek help through the Center can all relate to the common ground of being an immigrant. No matter what country they come from, they have to advocate for themselves,” says Lindsay.

Our current systems of labor and social acceptance require self-advocacy, and in this reality, groups who advocate for each other find more strength and enact more change than those who remain isolated.

Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) advocates for all who live under this struggle. Working with a long list of immigrant- and worker-centered organizations, all the member organizations represent the vastness and intersectionality of the immigrant struggle and identity.

FLIC dedicates itself to not only protecting immigrant rights through policy but also increasing local leadership representation. “What people call diversity is in itself a unifying quality,” Tessa says, and that comes to fruition when there is representation in government at state and local levels of all the immigrant groups that make up Florida. Tessa describes Florida as “practical but not progressive,” as more often than not, our representatives do not speak for us but for the practicality of business, of profitability. “This is where our diversity ends,” says Tessa.

The reality for many Floridians, documented or not, is that our sense of security is precarious. Yet we can find strength through the human ability to adapt and is often taken for granted but we are privileged of so many examples of people who overcome fear, inaccessibility, and misrepresentation to combat humanity’s most pressing issues.

Now, we must move with the time, answer the call to create communities where all cultures can thrive, or allow time to move us.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

to learn from each other. South Florida’s diversity

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FROM TIDE TO TABLE As the saying goes, the world is your oyster. But sometimes, the oyster (and other seafood we eat) absorbs toxins from man-made pollution. Knowing how and where your seafood is harvested might be the key to protecting our seafood supply. We met with Sarah Curry, founder of Sereia Films, who uses her skills and passion to tell stories of changemakers who impact the health of what’s in our waters and on our plates.

by Sofia Zuñiga

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

oceans and ensuring a long-term

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O

n the southwest coast of Florida, hidden on a 17-mile-long island, is a nine-year-old shrimp farm

named Sun Shrimp. With her cinematographers, Daniel Kaplan and Dan Diez, Sarah Curry drives out to see the team of around 100 farmers in action and taste the garlic and butter shrimp sustainably farmed by Robin Pearl, the owner of Sun Shrimp.

Upon arrival, the film crew follows farmers into the shrimp lab to document how they hatch baby shrimp and then stock them in the tanks to grow. No antibiotics, no pesticides or waste runoff. Instead of constructing industrialized shrimp ponds, Sun Shrimp uses a landbased system, housing shrimps in closed containers, where temperature and water conditions are under strict control. The farm doesn’t just flush used water back out into the environment — risking pollutants and pathogens damaging surrounding ecosystems — but filters and reuses its water onsite.

“Every seafood product has a story to tell,” says Sarah

WE TRY TO FOCUS ON BEING SOLUTIONORIENTED, TELLING POSITIVE STORIES, INSPIRING HOPE.

Curry. She founded Sereia Films in 2016, combining her passion for storytelling and the ocean to catalyze change in the seafood industry.

Scientists across continents alarm: global fish supplies will decline as a result of climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, and continual destruction of marine ecosystems. Urgent efforts need to be taken to make the seafood industry, at large, more sustainable. Sarah’s documentaries tell stories of changemaking innovators, like Sun Shrimp, who impact the health of what’s in our waters and on

Scan to watch Eating Out

by Sereia Films

our plates. Before creating Sereia Films, Sarah studied marine biology at Louisiana State University and worked on commercial fishing boats.

“It was the first time I saw industrial seafood production and the bycatch that’s associated with it,” Sarah says. “I got to speak to all the fishermen, and

Trail) in the south of Portugal, she encountered a few

that lifted back the curtain.”

fishermen about to embark on their daily journey. They kindly invited her to film on their boat, an offer she would

Later, Sarah moved to Miami to work with Fish Navy

never refuse.

Films to create documentaries on fish farms in 2011.

After Fish Navy Films closed, she hopped on a plane to

On this adventure to collect Portugal’s delicacy, gooseneck

Portugal, known as one of the best fishing locations

barnacles, the fishermen taught Sarah a word that stuck:

in Europe. Strolling Trilho dos Pescados (Fisherman’s

sereia, meaning “mermaid” in Portuguese.

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Sarah’s docuseries Eating Out: The Hunt for Sustainable Seafood tells of fisherwomen, scientists, NGO leaders, chefs, and fish farmers driving the sustainable seafood

We have to be hopeful. There are so many people working toward

movement and explores the obstacles they face. From

restoring the oceans. We could inspire

bycatch to the importance of healthy South Florida

other fishermen and aquaculture

ecosystems, Sarah interviews people with unique perspectives to glean a more inclusive understanding of these complex issues.

businesses to get on the right track to become sustainable.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

BY MAKING SMART SEAFOOD CHOICES, YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

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In the most recent episode, Italian chef Mattia Danese demonstrates his method of reducing seafood waste: devising as many recipes needed to use an entire fish.

It’s impressive to see from just one fish, Mattia serves tartare with fresh garden tomatoes and parsley, fish fillet cubes with marinated cucumber and chile negro oil, fish liver glazed in honey, and bonito tiradito, from the belly, dressed with sesame oil.

For delicious and sustainable clams, Sarah brings you to Two Docks Shellfish, which operates an aquaculture farm just north of Sarasota, Florida. The company was founded by Aaron Welch Jr. and his son, Aaron Welch III. The Welchs raise seed clams that they plant in bags at the bottom of Terra Ceia Bay.

In order to feed the hungry clams with algae, the farmers use a system of pumps and passive upwelling to bring in unfiltered water directly from the bay; the water passes over the clams, and they siphon out the algae to eat. When the water leaves the nursery, it’s pumped back into the bay cleaner than when it entered,” explains Sarah. “Even at this stage, the farm is benefiting the local environment.

Since the United States imports approximately 80% of its seafood, most restaurants are likely serving seafood that isn’t fresh after transport. Two Docks Shellfish harvests fresh clams weekly and delivers their locally-sourced, sustainable seafood to area restaurants and retail outlets.

For consumers and business owners, being aware is the most important start to this journey. There are resources such as Seafood Watch, an organization by California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium that creates standards and recommendations for restaurants and other businesses purchasing sustainable seafood, or FishChoice, which offers guidance on which seafood products are safe to buy and from which suppliers.

Knowing how and where your seafood is harvested might be the key to protecting ourselves, our oceans, and ensuring a longterm seafood supply.

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YOU

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BE LONG HE R E While some people and issues — whether by nature or by choice — are largely absent from online conversation, the organizations featured here haven’t forgotten them. These groups are doing the work that fosters something bigger: belonging.

by Kacie Brown

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MOST PEOPLE LIKE TO SAY IT’S JUST A DIAPER, BUT REALLY WE’RE ALLOWING THEM, EMPOWERING THEM, TO FEEL LIKE THE BEST PARENTS THAT THEY CAN BE. Gabriela Rojas Executive Director, Miami Diaper Bank

More Than “Just a Diaper” From SNAP benefits to clothing drives, we hear a lot about initiatives to provide essential needs.

But when was the last time you thought about diapers? Do you know how much they cost?

Parents earning the federal minimum wage can spend more than 8% of their income on diapers alone, and in Florida, diapers are not included in government assistance programs. One in three families in the United States doesn’t have enough diapers for their children. And when families can’t afford diapers — or have to make tough decisions between diapers and other basic needs like food — it doesn’t just have dire implications for babies’ health and hygiene. Parents suffer, too.

The Bank had humble beginnings. In 2012, Miami teen Jonah Schaechter focused his bar mitzvah community service project on collecting diapers for families in need, and with a local, posterpromoted school drive, he collected more than 10,000 diapers. Ten years, 6,200,000 diapers and 82,000 families later, Jonah’s dream serves six South Florida counties.

Gabriela states it’s their ability to mobilize a massive community of businesses, nonprofits and volunteers that enables them to disperse millions of diapers each year.

“Community and belonging, for us, just really mean the world because we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the community, without having that sense of we can do this together,” Gabriela adds.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

Sometimes, our basic physical needs overshadow our most intrinsic spiritual ones. When optometrist and breast cancer survivor Rosemary Carrera founded 305 Pink Pack, she discovered that the cancer patients she was hoping to help wouldn’t come to traditional support group sessions. So, they started gathering just to spend time together.

305 Pink Pack still provides basic services like rides to appointments, help with grocery shopping and mentorship through complicated treatments. They serve mostly Black and Latina women referred by social services because their circumstances or lack of resources may prevent them from completing treatment. But they also meet for mani-pedis and meals. They fundraise at drag brunches and open mic nights. It’s not the kind of support and visibility that someone who hasn’t experienced the disease might imagine needing.

When I was going through chemo, on the days that I felt well, I wanted to go out and conquer the world. But what was worse for me on those days, because I was bald and wouldn’t wear a wig or a scarf on my head, someone would look at me with that pity face of oh, poor thing, and it was like, no, don’t look at me that way. I’m here, I’m alive, and I’m enjoying today.

In 2021, 305 Pink Pack partnered with Good Miami photographer Greg Clark, who took portraits of Pink Pack women and their families at a local park. often see the illness, but in Greg’s photos, you see women and families enjoying a day at the park.

“It was such a wonderful sense of community and belonging because all those women knew why they were there. We’re obviously united by this one big thing called cancer, but cancer didn’t come up in the conversation at all,” she says.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

Rosemary says in photos of people with cancer, you

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NO, DON’T LOOK AT ME THAT WAY. I’M HERE, I’M ALIVE, AND I’M ENJOYING

TODAY.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami

In the Workplace

South Miami — the city’s first Black mayor — and one

For some, belonging comes through purpose. “I feel like I

of the founding members of United Survivors of South

belong where I work, and am made to feel like I belong,”

Miami, or US, as Dr. Price calls it. This group of six women

Jairo Arana says. But many on the autism spectrum, like

— three Black and three white — are working to heal the

Jairo, don’t have that opportunity.

racial divide.

He says many employers don’t realize that people with

These women convened through mutual connections in

disabilities each have unique needs. Accessibility is about

the summer of 2020, shortly after George Floyd was killed

making sure wheelchair ramps and braille are available,

by police in Minnesota. As South Miami residents whose

but Jairo says these commonly-known accommodations

professional backgrounds range from architecture to

aren’t the only ones that should be, well, common.

education, they had reached what Dr. Price described as

He says accessibility also means creating quiet areas,

a critical mass. These women knew the nation’s trajectory

providing captioning, using plain language and more; by

of racism could only lead to more pain, and not just for

considering the experiences of people of all abilities, the

the victims.

needs we often call “special” would no longer stand out.

The United Survivors were Now, Jairo is making meaningful employment a reality for more people with disabilities. He works for University of Miami’s Center for Child Development, which provides leadership-focused training for anyone interested in advocating for greater accessibility.

People with disabilities and their family members, students, and employers who have participated in their programs have led initiatives like “Inclusive After-School

ready for change, and started

IF YOU KEEP YOUR FOOT ON MY NECK, YOU CANNOT MOVE.

Activities” and “Improving Em-

their journey toward unity by interviewing longtime residents about their experiences with segregation in the city. Many of the women of US had lived in the area for decades but were surprised to learn about Jim Crow-era zoning laws that shut out Black businesses, discriminatory lending practices that kept property ownership out of reach, and

ployment for People with Disabil-

yet another segregation wall

ities at the University of Miami.” Active advocates make

in the American south that served as an architectural

accessibility the culture, not the exception.

manifestation of racism.

Jairo says that self-advocacy is a huge component of

US had unearthed a vibrant community that was

the Center’s programs for people with disabilities, but

senselessly repressed, and they wanted to celebrate it.

that they also help people see beyond their own needs.

We tend to think of change as a slow, grueling process,

And perhaps while showing others they belong, they’re

especially when government is involved. But these six

finding space for themselves.

women move fast. They pushed to have Juneteenth recognized as a paid holiday in the city of South Miami,

“What I’ve learned is how to address the barriers that

and succeeded. Artist Gayle Alexander is transforming

other people with disabilities experience, to call them

a rediscovered segregation wall into a mural of unity.

out and find solutions,” he says.

Architect Alice Gray Read, a professor at Florida

A Mural of Unity

International University, is working on a virtual recreation of a street that, in the 1960s, was home to a thriving

“Belonging, for me, means that we’re all on the same

Black community: South Miami’s 59th Place. Visitors will

team,” says Dr. Anna Price. She’s a former mayor of

be able to explore the street as it was before changes

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Photo courtesy of University of Miami

THE CULTURE OF BELONGING IS TO CREATE SPACES THAT ARE MORE ACCESSIBLE THROUGH UNIVERSAL DESIGN.

in zoning laws stifled South Miami’s Black business

“We had no idea when we met that first time that all

community — filled with stores, restaurants, hair salons,

of these things would come forth,” Dr. Price says. And

body shops.

though the women of US come from vastly different backgrounds, she says they’ve achieved so much change

Dr. Price has already restarted South Miami’s community

because they’re united behind a common goal. United

relations board, which fosters mutual understanding

Survivors isn’t just showing people they belong in their

among community members through educational

communities or making space for people previously

programs and events, and the Marshall Williamson

pushed out, they’re showing the community that they

scholarship fund, named after South Miami’s first

belong on the path to unity.

Black property owner. And these are just a few of the group’s ventures.

“We’re all on the same team, and the team is called life,” Dr. Price says.

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Scan to watch Trash Monster

by Franco Gonzalez

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THAT’S (NOT) MY TRASH While plastic production is expected to double by 2040, we can, and must, change how we make and manage plastic pollution. From recycling machines to bamboo to-go boxes to hot pink composting buckets to plastic poetry — learn how Miami and its locals are dealing with waste more responsibly.

Photo courtesy of Sereia Films

by Yulia Strokova

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N

ext to Devia Juice Bar, found at Midtown Garden Center, you can always find the eye-catching pink

bins with the attractive and instructive label Compost for Life. This cooperation between two innovative organizations began when siblings Diana and Juan Diego Devia decided to make their small business 100% plastic-free and divert their organic pulp from landfills. Devia Juice Bar serves their delicious blended superfoods in biodegradable cups and bowls that directly go to compost.

Food waste is one of the largest sources of methane emissions. Composting is an easy starting point to

OUR MISSION IS TO LEAVE THIS PLANET BETTER THAN HOW WE FOUND IT.

offset food waste emissions and make a positive impact on environmental and economic levels. When Francisco Torres began his pioneering journey to bring good, reliable, affordable composting options to Miami, commercial composting was not mainstream.

Today, the company serves more than 40 businesses, including schools and hospitals, and offers their pickup residential service, starting at $19.99 per month.

You can get a 5-gallon pink bucket to collect your food scraps at home and recycle it into high-quality soil to create a sustainable cycle.

"Composting food scraps is one the best things we can do for our environment. We are a community initiative, who have diverted more than 1 million pounds of food waste from landfills, and our mission is to leave this planet better than how we found it," adds Francisco.

Anastasia Mikhailochkina, the leader of Lean Orb, which specializes in producing compostable food service packaging, states that we all “have to shift to compostable materials and start composting so

To the question of whether Miami would be a

50% of our waste will become healthy soil instead

zero-plastic city one day, Anastasia answers: “The

of landfill waste.”

aspiration is noble, but realistically speaking, that should not be our main focus today. We can put energy

Her company uses fibers from sugarcane, bamboo,

into responsible production and consumption of

banana leaf, wheat straw, and palm leaf to produce

products, with an ultimate goal of renewable materials

their cups, utensils, plates, and to-go boxes.

flowing continuously.”

"Trash is pricey if you look at all the transportation and

Recycling is Not a Myth

storage costs, so it makes sense to reuse our trash

Michelle Salas, known in Miami-Dade as the leader of

to make valuable biomass or fertilizers," Anastasia

Lady Green Recycling, has been dealing with local plastic

comments. "Compostable waste is a ‘black gold’ that

trash since 2008. Lady Green Recycling services more than

society is not taking full advantage of."

1,000 locations from Homestead to North Miami, and

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Photo courtesy of Compost for Life

what differentiates Michelle’s approach to recycling is the

management benefits our planet needs. Fixing the

process customization her company designs for individual

system takes a strategy to mobilize collective action.

clients. Each client receives their own bins with QR codes on them. These QR codes allow Lady Green clients to

Plastic production is expected to double by 2040. Unless

access personalized videos which explain the recycling

we change how we make and manage plastics, the

process so anyone ranging from children at schools or

problem of plastic pollution will keep growing.

adults in offices knows how to use the recycling program.

To those who say that recycling is a myth, that it’s not Lady Green Recycling also owns their own plastic

economically & environmentally viable since there are

shredding and molding machinery, allowing them to

thousands of different types of plastic which cannot be

shred plastic, make new products, and sell raw materials.

melted down together, and that it costs more to recycle

Recycling is not performing at the scope and scale

than to produce new plastic, Michelle says we all need to

necessary to deliver the climate, economic, and waste

upgrade our mindset:

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Photo courtesy of Lady Green Recycling

“Some countries and states have successful recycling

even pay your reward foward by pledging your green

programs and prove that recycling systems work. So, we

compensation to a charitable cause of your choice right

need to ask ourselves, why is it that in the majority of the

from your iPhone.

states in the US, we see a lot of contamination, and why we're not recycling correctly versus these other states?”

The successful on-campus program was launched in 2019. Today, Cycle Tech drives their municipal program in the City of Coral Gables in partnership with the Florida

We're not saying that recycling is the only solution to the climate crisis, but it's certainly a necessary component. We just need to start asking the right questions and holding everybody accountable, not just consumers but the waste industry, bottle

Beverage Association. In 2022, Cycle Tech also debuted at DRV PNK Stadium, making it easier for fans to recycle their empty beverage containers and win rewards in return. The process is simple: insert empty beverage containers at the machines, then scan a QR code to get a unique transaction ID. Once information is entered into the web app, users find out instantly if they are a winner and are given instructions for redeeming their prize.

makers, and plastic manufacturers, to make effective recycling systems. Everybody has a role to play here.

According to the Eunomia & Ball Corporation report, the first comprehensive analysis providing an overview of the recycling rates among US states, the three states with the best overall recycling rates were Maine (72%), Vermont (62%), and Massachusetts (55%). Florida recycles only 21% of its waste.

Every state has different policies, different levels of access, and different infrastructure when it comes to recycling, making it exceptionally difficult to drive comprehensive and meaningful change. Still, effective recycling systems can lead to impressive environmental and economic impact and mitigate the packaging pollution crisis. Also noted in the report: recycling could support the reduction of more than 5% of global CO2, which is the equivalent of grounding all commercial flights globally and taking 65%

In Cycle Tech's case, recycling instantly rewards users for their sustainable behavior. Founded by University of Miami alums, the startup is expanding their network of Reverse Vending Machines to engage locals to make sustainable choices in a moment when people might not have enough opportunities to recycle their products.

Whenever you bring an empty bottle (or empty beer

Photo courtesy of Cycle Tech

of cars off the road for a year.

can) for recycling, the system rewards you. You can

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"Sports stadiums are an important part of American

When Miami-based director and writer Franco Gonzalez

culture and represent a unique opportunity to educate

created his animated trash monster, he didn't need to

and incentivize people to participate in the circular

go far away. Franco collected trash from the beach and

economy. The Cycle team is honored to be collaborating

his sister's classroom. That one-minute video took the

with Heineken USA and Inter Miami CF to launch this

Sustainability in Action award, powered by Oolite Arts

first-of-its-kind stadium recycling program," says Anwar

and the City of Miami Beach.

Khan, co-founder of Cycle Tech.

Who Created that Trash Monster?

Globally, we buy 54.9 million plastic bottles every hour.

If all these empty bottles were collected into a pile, it would be higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (which is the tallest building in the world). When plastic was invented in 1907, the world lacked the foresight to imagine how these highly malleable materials would become highly toxic for the environment; roughly 90% of drinking bottles are never recycled in the United States, so their life continues off our shores and in our oceans.

THERE IS SOMETHING REALLY BEAUTIFUL THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR CRAFT ALIGNS WITH YOUR PURPOSE. Franco Gonzalez Film Director

"I wanted audiences to have an emotional connection,

oceans every year, choking wildlife while they degrade

not only to the monster, in the way it's portrayed, but

for the next 500 years.

also intellectually attached to the subject matter.

by Greg Clark, Good Miami

Scientists estimate 8 million tons of plastic enter the

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Miami Waterkeeper Volunteers

by Greg Clark, Good Miami

Free Plastic, a local nonprofit driving community

Dave Doebler is the co-founder of Volunteer Cleanup

engagement, makes even trash poetic. They partnered

and also serves on the Miami-Dade County Biscayne Bay

with O, Miami to install a series of public artworks

Watershed Advisory Board, among others. In 2022, he

entitled Plastic Poetry. Each poem is written by a

proposed new legislation to improve stormwater pollution

participating student in O, Miami's year-round education

control and increase maintenance — that proposal was

program and is displayed on the facade of their schools.

passed by the commission unanimously.

Since 2020, the Plastic Poetry program has installed nine recycled poems across Miami and collected over 1,200

Another big legislative success is a smoking ban on

pounds of plastic trash.

beaches and parks that went into effect on January 1, 2023.

Volunteer Cleanup connects local impact enthusiasts with

"We realize enforcement will be difficult, but we are

cleanup events and estimates collected plastic in several

hoping the conversation gets smokers to realize that

hundred thousands of pounds. Through their website,

cigarette butts are made of non-biodegradable plastic

you can find six to eight cleanups every week in Miami-

that must be disposed of properly and that the planet

Dade County, led by a network of 80+ groups, including

(especially our beach) is not just a big ashtray," says co-

Clean This Beach Up, SENDIT4THESEA, Clean Miami

founder of Volunteer Cleanup Dara Schoenwald.

Beach, and many others.

"We spend much time identifying, mentoring, and A tremendous amount of plastic is entering Biscayne Bay

investing in community leaders to help them succeed.

through stormwater systems, and the County and its 34

When they succeed, they repeat. When they repeat, new

municipalities are cleaning the systems only once every

people always have an opportunity to get engaged. It's

five years — on average.

not about us — it is about all of us."

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HISTORY,

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FIVE AC R E S WIDE Dr. Marvin Dunn, educator and racial justice activist, takes us to Rosewood, arguing a just society is born of the rediscovery & preservation of painful history.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Dunn

by Anjuli Castano, Samantha Schalit

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D

r. Marvin Dunn is a man who exemplifies the phrase knowledge is power. As a historian of the

Black experience in South Florida and as a doctorate of psychology, he unfolds the why and how of race relations with an authority on historical accuracies and the emotional consequences. His ethos is built on academics and personal experience that pronounces a Black South Florida which is resilient and progressive yet still processing intergenerational trauma and its effects present today. Like a true stoic he speaks with impartial sternness, calling out the lack of historical awareness about who South Florida is. When asked what impact knowing Black history has on our youth, he responded anti-humorously, reiterating the question as if to confirm.

“What impact?” he responded. “Well, none that I can say because they don’t know it.” The weight of this assertion falls on us all who do not know the Black men and women whose hands constructed this city of limestone and coral. Or how they shaped its emerging culture with rich Caribbean and African descendance; their influence, more than their presence, cut through mosquito clouds and thick marshes to transform the

The displacement of Black people from the area does not eradicate Rosewood's Black history.

Miami we’ve come to know.

Further north of the industrial and commercial boom in This reality demands a different mode of questioning.

South Florida, a strong figure of Black progression lived.

The real question is: What would be? With a slight smile,

The town of Rosewood, a few miles inland from the Gulf

Dr. Dunn said, “Good question. They would be proud.”

Coast, was a fruitful Black neighborhood that flourished in the lumber industry and exhibited a unique economic

Florida is a unique place in the development of Black

and cultural freedom for the time. Those who remember

history in the South. Under Spanish colonization,

it tell of the large white houses and tall cedar trees which

enslaved men and women sought freedom that

enveloped a lively and interconnected community. Dr.

allegiance to the Spanish crown and Catholicism

Dunn interviewed Rosewood survivor Robie Mortin, who

granted in Florida. The wild vegetation and wetlands

said, “Everybody had something going. People owned

became a refuge, a place where once-enslaved people

acres of land, not just lots, and the houses were mostly

could work for a wage and create community in towns

two-story houses. The white folks really wanted those

like St. Augustine. And through the construction of

houses.” This richness lasted from the early 1900s to

emerging cities, Black voters were imperative in the

1923 when the town and its people were massacred by

numbers required for incorporation. In the case of

a group of white men from a neighboring town.

Miami, 162 of the nearly 400 men who incorporated the Magic City were men of color. Suffrage for the Black

Throughout history, segregation, redlining, and

man did not mean an end to the battle for equality and

gentrification have all been tools used to erase examples

justice, but the spirit of Black resistance has always been

of Black progression. “Rosewood now has no Black

strong in South Florida; it’s present in landmarks like

people, it is completely gentrified,” Dr. Dunn said. He

the historic Virginia Key Beach and Overtown, originally

purchased five acres of Rosewood, preserving a piece

called Colored Town.

of the old Seaboard Air Line Railway.

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At his core, Dr. Dunn is an educator and a champion of integrity in honest portrayals of historical events.

He says he studied psychology in university to better understand racism and its roots and motivations.

Through his schooling he has come to learn a new side to his struggle.

“I knew about the struggle for power, for land, for political positions. But what I learned was that there The only house in Rosewood, Photography by Chuck Fadely, 1999, Courtesy of the Miami Herald Commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the Rosewood Massacre, the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum presents An Elegy to Rosewood. On display through April 16, 2023.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE SYMBOL OF THE STRUGGLE.

are dramatic strains that cut through all of these, mostly based upon fear. And that is a very dangerous motivator,” he said. The foundation of our divisions is fear of each other; when we are alienated from other people’s histories, we are estranged from others’ humanity and find justification to fear them.

Dunn was able to hold onto his history because of his proximity to it. “I knew Jim Crow,” he writes. “I grew up in Florida under his dark, suffocating wings. I knew him intimately, as did every Black person I knew growing up in Deland and Miami in the 1940s and 50s.”

Since September 2020, more than 25 states (including Florida) have introduced legislation to restrict what can be taught about US history in schools and universities, taking aim at critical race theory. This has a chilling effect on conversations about race relations in the United States. Without these histories, we face a divided and

“Unless I hold on to those five acres, any trace of the

unjust future void of the stories that contextualize the

railroad will be gone.”

pain points experienced today by our diverse populations in schools, workplaces, and social systems.

Dr. Dunn is transforming the land into a historic park, placing benches where the railroad ran through and

“Through learning Black history, non-Black people learn

leaving the rest of the land as-is. Commemorating

about the challenges that Black people have had in this

the lingering presence of this railroad preserves and

city and are more open to developing reparations.” This

punctuates a period of both prosperity and great injustice

effort is for all to consider, as Dr. Dunn continues, “We

in Florida Black history.

who are Black should learn more about Appalachian or Cuban history so we better know what we’ve all given to

The Rosewood Massacre is just one example of his

this community. It makes us better citizens.”

extensive wealth of historical knowledge exhibited on his website, a digital museum accessible to all. In the

We cannot forget the great lengths those before us

narratives and discussions, researched and written by Dr.

went to demand the civil liberties we know to be natural

Dunn, we find a Florida history otherwise obscured and a

in democratic society. We must not look away at the

call to change that. The histories forgotten are given new

threats to these institutions which bubble up in times

life with topics ranging from Civil Rights to Seminole and

of tension. Fear of your neighbor will hold progress

Black community relations, many of them still holding

hostage. Working together to build respect and

relevance today.

tolerance will unleash it.

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by Greg Clark, Good Miami 6 6 | I MPAC T .E D IT IO N

HOW DO YOU FEEL, REALLY? Lingering social stigmas and scarcity of services still bar access to mental health care. Yet there are those who challenge that notion and find unique pathways to nurture those having the hardest times. So, when and how must we change our attitude, actions, and approaches to others’ — and our own — mental health?

by Kacie Brown

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A

successful dog trainer and restaurant manager in South Miami, a young woman who chose

the same name as her mentor’s after transitioning, a patient in distress who smiled and sang in community with others: these are just a few examples of people whose lives have changed, in big ways or small, because someone took the time to help them feel valued — and because they had access to mental health care.

In 2022, the World Health Organization reported a 25% global increase in anxiety and depression due to COVID-19. But the majority of these people will go untreated. In the United States, many people still lack basic physical health care. And access to mental health care lags behind despite the rise in mental distress.

The United States has also been facing its difficult past — and present. Conversations about the collective trauma of oppressed groups, grim effects of inaccessibility, and sorrows of systemic injustice aren’t happening at the margins of our societies anymore. They’re at the center of public discourse.

As people are realizing the mental toll these stressors take, many organizations are using unique pathways to support them.

We talked with some of these changemaking organizations to find out how they nurture mental health in those having the hardest times.

Advocate for Yourself Nurturing mental health, in part, means meeting people where they are on the journey of accepting and identifying their mental struggles, Peter O’Connell, CEO of the Center for Independent Living of people with disabilities, mental health issues are common. In fact, the Pan American Health Organization says they’re the world’s leading cause of disability. But the signs of mental illnesses are often invisible and the effects underestimated, and for people with disabilities, they’re yet another diagnosis, another stigmatized challenge.

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Photo courtesy of CILSF

of South Florida (CILSF), says. In the community

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Photo courtesy of CILSF

As CILSF serves clients often represented more by

Executive Director Christine Frederick says this

numbers on a spreadsheet than their own voices,

group of young people faces the kinds of problems,

much of the organization’s work promotes what

like homelessness, that the rest of the population

Peter describes as self-advocacy. They partner with

transitioning out of foster care does, but may also

initiatives like Catalyst Miami’s Enable Project to explore

struggle with the trauma of being rejected for their

intersectionality and encourage civic engagement.

identity and face a greater risk of exploitation and

And it’s not about pushing clients to become full-time

trafficking. Some of their emotional needs are actually

advocates, Peter says. Sometimes the work is simply in

very simple.

discovering how to tell one’s own story. “It’s important that we can relate our experiences to someone who doesn’t share them,” Peter says. “And there is a much greater likelihood of achieving success if you bring a solution and a willingness to engage.”

Recognize Yourself in Another FLITE Center (Fort Lauderdale Independence, Training & Education) serves a particular community of young

Working with this population really taught me a lot about how I wanted to be as a parent, the support that I wanted to give my children. I always wanted to make them feel they were loved beyond measure

people most disproportionately affected by mental

and that nothing would rattle that. And I

health issues: LGBTQ+ teens transitioning out of foster

think that’s so important because that’s a

care. This isn’t FLITE's sole focus, but their desire to create a safe, comfortable space for everyone — and adapt if they’re not achieving that — sets them apart.

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lot of what young people are missing, just that unconditional support.

Find Your Tools When faced with a challenge, we often search for a tool to make overcoming it a little bit easier. Mind&Melody’s tool of choice is music. “I like to think of music kind of like a type of magic that we have as humans,” Program

Sometimes we work with people who can’t talk, but just through the songs, we start to learn about them.

Director Eric Guitian says. The organization serves children and adults with neurological impairments

holds classes. She wandered around the room at first,

through music groups and lessons that provide rich

agitated and upset. But as the group sang, Eric noticed a

social interaction and cognitive, physical, and creative

small smile on her face. She tapped her hands, shook a

stimulation. And they see results.

maraca, and finally joined in the singing. Mind&Melody can’t cure or fix the disorders their musicians face, but they can bring smiles and connection to people who we

at an assisted living community where Mind&Melody

often forget still need them.

Photo courtesy of Mind & Melody

He described working with one patient, a new resident,

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Enable Success

LEAP enables lasting change, and Mahlia has plenty

America’s social systems weren’t built to foster

of stories about LEAP graduates’ successes. One now

health and stability in all its populations. Studies like

serves on the board. One manages a restaurant where

The Sentencing Project’s, which found a 475% rise in

her second-chance hiring helps others who have been

women’s incarceration rates between 1980 and 2020,

incarcerated. Mahlia argues that LEAP’s programs don’t

reveal the symptoms of systemic injustice. This is what

just open possibilities for individuals, they create systemic

Mahlia Lindquist witnessed as a prosecutor, and it’s also

change for everyone. Women who are working, engaged

what made her quit. Now, as executive director of LEAP

in their communities and have their psychological

for Ladies, Mahlia helps serve women transitioning out of

needs addressed aren’t committing crimes, meaning

prison. LEAP (Ladies Empowerment and Action Program)

communities are safer and fewer children are in foster

provides a select group of incarcerated women with

care, she says.

workforce readiness training, entrepreneurship classes, and transitional housing and employment, but the organization also addresses root causes of incarceration.

LEAP acknowledges the trauma behind many of their participants’ pathways to prison, and each woman that traverses LEAP’s program takes part in an intensive, five-month-long, trauma-informed addiction program.

“No one is going to be successful in business or as an employee if they’re not dealing with past trauma or

by Greg Clark, Good Miami

addiction,” Mahlia says.

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WE ALL BENEFIT WHEN WOMEN ARE GIVEN THE RESOURCES TO SUCCEED.

The Dragonfly Thrift Boutique is a LEAP initiative to empower women to put prison in their past. 100% of the boutique’s proceeds support LEAP’s mission.

Take Your Oxygen Mask First In seeking support and advocating for your own care, it Photo courtesy of Repair The World, Miami

can still be easy to forget that those playing supportive roles — teachers, parents, doctors, therapists — need support themselves. A life devoted to helping others demands a strong sense of self-worth. The Children’s Movement of Florida recognized this. They’re a nonprofit that advocates for children through healthcare, education, and parental support, and their participation in the 10 Days of Connection (May 1-10) gave educators a chance to come together to share the struggles they’ve experienced throughout the pandemic.

Statewide Engagement Director Rocio Velazquez says during this event, they gave teachers a children’s book on mental health to take back to their classes and used mindfulness practices to help address the difficult feelings educators were experiencing. She says parents can even use tools like these at home to help ground themselves in distressing situations. “You don’t need to go anywhere else to have a moment with yourself and value yourself and help your child feel valued as well,” Rocio says.

“Oftentimes, a teacher is a mentor, a support, a motivator, they play all these roles in a student’s life, but now they also have to be protected,” continues Dr. Blaise Amendolace, a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 15 years of professional experience.

Today’s teachers are navigating the threat of all-too-

WE WANT TO BE REALLY CAREFUL NOT TO PUT THE FEAR AND ANXIETY AND STRESS OF ADULTS ON TO OUR CHILDREN.

frequent school shootings, post-pandemic adjustments,

exposed to gun violence, they might not be having the

and intensifying political interference in their lesson plans

same level of a reaction as the adults in their life.

— all while their too-low wages remain stagnant. In the 1970s, the U.S. certified roughly 200,000 new teachers per

Instead, Dr. Amendolace encourages establishing good

year. In 2022, that number fell below 90,000.

communication from a young age and regularly reminding your children that they can talk to you about anything.

“Many of our teachers are really struggling with all of these unwanted thoughts and feelings. And I would just

“If your child was experiencing a physical illness,

really encourage teachers to make sure that they’re taking

you’d probably ask them a lot of questions about their

care of themselves so that they are able to be as helpful

symptoms. And we really encourage parents to have that

as possible for our students; take your oxygen mask first,”

same approach if your child is potentially emotionally

states Dr. Amendolace.

or psychologically struggling. We should open the door of communication. Have age-appropriate conversations

The same safety advice works for parents and adults as

with children about any reactions, any emotions, any

well. “Sometimes we are having our own reaction that

questions that they might have on what’s happening in

our children are not. If our children aren’t being directly

our world today.”

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WE ARE ALL IN SHARED WATERS The 17 pure-white ceramic sculptures emerged from the floor as if they were left behind by a long-lost ocean. The contrast of bright white and shadow had a cataleptic effect that heightened when one considers their hand-built fragility and real-life coral’s vulnerability to human trash. As viewers moved closer to each endangered element, immersed felt sandy clay crush beneath their feet.

With one wrong step, it seemed this mesmerizing ecosystem would collapse into the clay.

by Yulia Strokova, Samantha Schalit

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Photo by Pedro Wazzan

in an accompanying soundscape, they

Into the Great Dying: Roles We Play The latest installation by Beatriz Chachamovits will be on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, from July 5 through November 21, 2023.

2023/ IS S UE 0 2 | 75

Photo by Pedro Wazzan

2022 debut of Into the Great Dying, 17 pure-white ceramic sculptures at Faena Art Project Room

I

n 2018, Beatriz moved to Florida to be closer to the world’s third-largest barrier reef and the only barrier

coral reef in the continental United States. Florida’s Coral

The ocean is the most fragile environment.

I want people to be aware that the choices

Reef stretches approximately 360 linear miles from Dry

they make as individuals and the way we

Tortugas National Park, west of the Florida Keys, to the

behave as society influences the health of the

St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County.

Coral reefs safeguard against extreme weather, shoreline erosion and coastal flooding, and they help form the sandy beaches and quiet lagoons that are signatures of Florida’s tourism industry. Today, this coral reef ecosystem, which is home to around 1,400 distinct

ocean, no matter where they are, because we’re all connected through water.

Beatriz Chachamovits Brazilian environmental artist, marine researcher & educator

species, is at grave risk due to rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, plastic pollution, and coral bleaching.

Eyes Upon the Water

“That’s why all my works are white,” explains Beatriz.

Corals are animals that live in colonies and maintain

“Some species are already extinct. You can only

a symbiotic relationship with tiny algae inside of their

find them in labs where people have collected their

tissues. When corals are stressed by changes in conditions

genotypes and are trying to reproduce them.”

such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the

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IF THEY’RE SO BEAUTIFULLY WHITE, CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW GORGEOUS THEY ARE COLORFUL AND ALIVE? symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing the

people who can alarm if something goes wrong

coral to turn completely white and die. Known as

or there’s a construction site dumping stuff in the

coral bleaching, this devastating phenomenon has

Bay. And that’s where citizen science comes into

affected more than 75% of the world’s reefs; and 30%

the game. This is something that I participate

of those reefs experienced bleaching so harsh they

in and support. We need more eyes upon the water

didn’t survive.

that the government or institutions don’t have.”

Human carelessness above the surface, like

The Present in the Past

construction runnoff from coastal development,

A little over 250 million years ago — before dinosaurs

broken sewage systems or illegal dumping of waste

walked the Earth — the planet had already faced an

are particularly challenging Miami’s Biscayne Bay.

epic challenge known as the Great Dying: rapid

The runoff leads to sedimentation, which pollutes

warming caused the largest extinction event ever

marine ecosystems and blocks the sunlight algae

when 90% of life in the oceans and 70% of life on

need for photosynthesis. When light is blocked,

land vanished. Oceans lost around 80% of their

the immobile coral reefs bleach and die.

oxygen, with parts of the seafloor becoming completely devoid of oxygen. Scientists believe

“Miami Waterkeepers is an organization that I respect

this warming was caused by a massive spike in

a lot here in Miami because they are monitoring the

greenhouse gas emissions, potentially caused by

health of our waters, and they’re doing it through

volcanic activity.

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ONCE YOU FIND THE THING THAT YOU ARE OBSESSED ABOUT, THAT YOU LOVE, THAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT, YOU WILL ADVOCATE FOR IT. “It’s imperative to convey this scientific knowledge into our daily reality as we face climate change. That’s why I call my exhibition Into the Great Dying. But then the subtitle to it is Waters We Share. It is about how we’re all connected through water. We are sharing this blue planet because it’s made out of water. And everything around it depends on water. And all of us are responsible for this dying.”

As a self-described hopeful pessimist, Beatriz believes that artists are still “the architects of the future who shape, culturally, what we would like to happen and what is happening now.

“Art has a superpower to connect people through hearts, which is very different from science, media, and other formats to awake people to what’s happening in regards to climate change. And that’s how I come in as an environmental artist to work with that notion of understanding and feeling the importance of our fragile ecosystem.

I feel my role is to simply make people fall in love with the ocean.

Even though my work is seeming sometimes doom and gloom, and melancholic, it is also about extreme beauty. It’s also about the diversity of shape, form, and texture, and all of those things, come together so that people can have that taste of what a reef can really be.”

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Photo by Pedro Wazzan

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JOIN THE COLLECTIVE Collaboration is nothing new. The nonprofit sector is full of examples of partnerships and cooperation that drive social change.

But unlike most collaborations, collective impact involves a centralized infrastructure, a dedicated staff, and a structured process that leads to a continuous communication, and mutually reinforcing activities among all participants.

We sat down with several community leaders whose mission is to look to society’s intersections to inspire collective impact.

by Kacie Brown

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Photo courtesy of Repair the World Miami

common agenda, shared measurement,

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M

ileyka Burgos first discovered Allapattah in 1998.

She’d just moved to Miami, and at first, she was

homesick. “I asked some friends to bring me to a place

The moment that we allow the community to show that this is their land, this is

where I could get my hair done and eat some good

their space and they do have a viable voice

food. They brought me to Allapattah, and I felt right at

— that is going to affect change, and they

home,” she says.

Nestled in the heart of Miami, Allapattah’s streets are lined with family-owned businesses. When

may feel more inclined to really take true ownership of the community.

many of them opened decades ago, their presence

on topics ranging from small business resiliency

wouldn’t have been so economically significant.

to procurement opportunities. They even provide

But in a neighborhood on the front lines of climate

individualized assistance to local businesses and startups.

gentrification, fighting to be heard by companies and officials who seem to value commerce over community,

It’s not all business, though. The Allapattah

these businesses’ storefronts represent much more

Collaborative forges deep community connections

than their Dominican food or tailoring services.

by creating gathering spaces like the Storytelling Garden at Allapattah Library and keeping residents

Allapattah was a landing area for people arriving in the

engaged in cultural events.

United States from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and other countries. Over time, though, Mileyka saw

Mileyka says everyday people can help support

some of the businesses that made her feel at home lose

Allapattah, too, just by visiting the area’s many

theirs. For a while, she just waited. But she says she

businesses and advocating for protective policies

realized she couldn’t stand by and watch big business

through civic engagement.

outprice her community’s culture and sweat equity.

After years of working with Allapattah residents, Mileyka says she’s noticed that one of their biggest

to support the neighborhood through advocacy and

needs is a regained sense of ownership. They’ve spent

equitable development. The Collaborative partners with

decades dealing with the consequences of decisions

dozens of organizations to host training workshops

made without their input.

Sastreria Aquino in Allapattah, Miami, FL Photo courtesy of The Allapattah Collaborative

Mileyka founded The Allapattah Collaborative, CDC

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Photo courtesy of Repair the World Miami

The Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam” means “to repair or

furthering social justice. The group mobilizes volunteers

heal the world,” and Bevy Daniel, a fellow at Repair the

of all backgrounds and connects them with opportunities

World Miami, says it’s one of Judaism’s guiding principles.

to serve across the Miami area.

It’s this idea that, if you’re Jewish, no matter who you are or how you practice, there’s this imperative to make the world better. I always think of the name Repair the World not like things are broken or like we’re trying to single-handedly repair something, but rather that we’re bringing people together and bringing together

Repair the World works in close collaboration with the community organizations they serve. Their two-year fellowships match young social justice leaders with one or two community organizations and give the fellows firsthand insight into the organization’s needs.

Whether they’re writing letters to incarcerated women with LEAP or gardening at Green Haven Project, senior program associate David Weitzman says Repair the World Miami is also helping foster open-mindedness and understanding in its volunteers.

a strength and power and beauty that

“A big component of our work is just really being willing

already exists in communities.

to be quiet and listen to our partners who are experts in

Repair the World Miami is a chapter of Repair the World’s

City Director Jacki Altman says much of their work to

nationwide network of Jewish young adults committed to

educate volunteers is in contextualizing their actions.

their causes and lived experiences,” he says.

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In 2022, part of Repair the World Miami’s 10 Days of Connection initiative was an educational social media campaign that explored mental health and economic & environmental justice. To provide thoughtful, accurate and relevant information leading up to in-person conversations, they partnered with several organizations, including Dream in Green and another group with religious roots: MCCJ. Founded in response to the nationwide rise in hate groups in the 1920s, especially those who targeted Catholic and Jewish people, the National Conference of Christians and Jews hoped to unite to slow the spread of hate.

Nearly 90 years later, MCCJ, the conference’s Miami branch, is still fostering constructive, cathartic conversations. But they’ve expanded and adapted to address tensions of the times. They still hold clergy dialogues

ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY WORK MEANS UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE PERSONALLY‒ AND AS A COMMUNITY‒ BRING INTO A SPACE. WE HAVE TO HAVE AWARENESS OF OUR INTERSECTING IDENTITIES AND BIASES TO BE EFFECTIVE ALLIES.

— the longest standing in the country — but now, Buddhists, imams and others speak alongside rabbis and priests. And they’re

Jacki Altman City Director, Repair the World Miami

clearly drawing upon this background in unifying marginalized groups through dialogue with their new focus: social justice.

“We have an opportunity to listen to the needs of the community and try to create a space that is sacred enough for that community to feel comfortable and share what must happen to address their needs,” associate

They create these spaces for groups ranging from public school students to business leaders.

Their JEDI training, for example, goes beyond DEI training to incorporate justice-centered education. Moni Barrios, MCCJ’s community outreach and operations director, recently attended the workshop, and says it clearly left an impression on many of the young adults in the room.

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Photo courtesy of Repair the World Miami

executive director Nikki Watkins says.

The 10 Days of Connection Photo courtesy of MCCJ

They’re also exposing kids to topics like justice and equity from a young age. In 2022, participants in MetroTown, MCCJ’s camp for high school students, attended the Holocaust Memorial, experienced a poverty simulation, engaged in discussions on the ways various groups experience oppression, and more.

IF YOU HAVEN’T TAKEN IT, FIND A WAY.

on a wide range of current topics — from mental health to gun violence — with their series Can We Talk?

Nikki says despite their differences, they tend to see similar feelings in people throughout their programs.

“The thing that we keep hearing over and over again is that people don’t feel heard,” she says.

roommate's versus the person “We’re giving our youth a critical

they sat with during lunch,” Salma

And like Repair the World, Nikki

lens to understand that the

Abdelrahman special projects and

says listening with the intent to

circumstances that they’re in are not

AmeriCorps program manager, says.

understand is one of the most

always a reflection of themselves;

important things MCCJ, and anyone

and we're empowering them, or

During the school year, they teach

sometimes even humbling them, to

students how to share their stories

serve the community in a way that

with an after-school program called

As she says, “You have to extend

bridges divides between what their

Student Voices. They also connect

the ear and the arms to care about

circumstances look like versus their

community members with experts

them first.”

hoping to show compassion, can do.

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A LOST W E A R E NOT

T

hat December evening,

bridges, deserted homelands,

In the 2022 exhibit, a few common

Green Space at 7200 Biscayne

missed opportunities, endured

themes surfaced, such as the

Boulevard looked unlike a typical

trauma, unexpected heartbreak,

sudden loss of a family member,

community gallery. A long queue

and peaceful resignation.

the loss of innocence, loss of

patiently waited for permission to enter; it felt like a room where

identity, secrets exposed, and “At the core of the exhibit are

hope gained.

no one’s lived for a long time

ordinary objects in which the

but left behind, mistakenly or

whole is greater than the sum

“The stories reflect a large range

purposely, something precious and

of its parts. Exhibited together,

of, once hidden, collective emotions

sentimental — a diary, feathers,

in dialogue with each other and

that create a symbolic embrace

postcards, a key. Seventeen

the audience, they take on a

filled with gratitude. It leads to love

deeply personal artifacts and

different lived experience and

and the acceptance of every aspect

accompanying narratives shocked

a communal mosaic of human

of life,” says Paula. “Over the years,

and warmed visitors with their

emotion, colored with shades

we’ve seen how technology evolves

frankness and intimacy. Strangers

of heartbreak, love, anger, fear,

the ways we connect, or sometimes

became unexpectedly close. They

hope, gratitude, even humor,”

disconnect. Still, the core of human

all talked about love…lost, gained,

says Natalia Martinez-Kalinina.

experiences remains the same.”

broken, and healing.

Along with Paula Celestino and

Maral adds, “Witnessing people be

Love Lost, Miami is an annual

Maral Arslanian, Natalia has been

surprised at how much and how

exhibit that reveals the strings

curating this project since 2016,

deeply they connect with strangers:

of heartbreak singing in our own

but as they say every year, “Love

it is truly healing and moving.”

backyard. They take the shape

Lost surprises at the mercy of the

of unfinished stories and broken

submissions they receive.”

Featured artists: Rebecca White | Johannie Llano | Janet Mueller | Patty Suau | Paula Simonetti | Alette Simmons Jimenez PJ Mills | Tori Scott | Pablo Matute | Andrea Garcia | Niki Lopez | Marvin Weeks | Sarah Stinson | Justyna Kisielewicz Jayme Gershen | Solange Sarria | Nicolle Cure | Drew Deng

In its latest edition, Love Lost, Miami continues its varying healing and connecting journey to the depth of our hearts

by Yulia Strokova, Samantha Schalit

8 6 | I MPAC T .E D IT IO N

Photos by Natalia Santander

LOV E

LODUS Patty Suau 2020 82" × 72" X 40" Graphite, Wood, Mirror My dear friend, what I would do to feel the smile as you kiss my cheek to say hello.

2023/ IS S UE 0 2 | 87

A BOOK Paula Argentina

In late 2001, my family and I left all of our possessions behind in Argentina during a tragic economic collapse which felt like jumping off a sinking ship.

Earlier this year, I went back to Argentina for the first time in two decades.

Similar to a finding an underwater shipwreck, this Jacques Cousteau book is the only remaining piece of my old life before 2001.

The moment I saw this old book collection at my uncle's home, I knew this was from my old home. I decided to open one of the books at a random page where the title read "To See The Unseen," I burst into tears because I didn't need anyone to confirm what I already knew, these were my dad's beloved underwater books.

I quickly put it back in the bookcase; I had to come to terms with the fact that all the things we left behind didn't belong to my family anymore. A few days after my encounter, my uncle confirmed what I already knew, and I decided to keep this one book.

8 8 | I MPAC T .E D IT IO N

A SECRET, REVEALED Anonymous Buenos Aires, Argentina A Lifetime Woman/Man

I walked into her house, full of trinkets and ordinary, yet memory-drenched, things. The house where she outlived her husband, where she lived her last years on her own. I kept this suitcase full to the brim of string, but within it a secret she drew, folded, and tucked away. Deep at the bottom of its pocket, a small envelope with what feels like an origami fortune — you know, the ones we played with when we were kids.

Each fold more revealing, until finally the end says it all.

Maybe she thought he'd outlive her.

And as he looked through her things, he'd come to find she knew all along.

Both living, then leaving, with a secret untold.

2023/ IS S UE 0 2 | 89

POSTCARD WITH POEM Anonymous Miami, FL Ongoing Woman/ Man

We reconnected after knowing each other loosely for a few years — romantic, unexpected summer dates. I wrote a poem the morning we said goodbye, "see you back home." I've kept writing poems about us since.

But then, we were not in the same city for a long time, and what developed was another surprise — slowly, organically, meandering — a friendship. Now, six months in, we talk every day, from political rants and animal videos to silly jokes and health updates. We tell each other how meaningful our relationship is for us. We name feelings with deeper words like intimacy and familiarity and trust and comfort. We say out loud what we love about each other, what attracts us, what we admire. We thank each other for moments we have accompanied or clarity we have provided.

But we don't kiss. We've become too nervous.

The open question of whether to date or not to date hangs like a pregnant pause — the elephant in the room that we name, but neither manages to move. We admit our nerves and we name our overthinking, but neither of us budge to break the tension. I fear we may have missed some moment in time when the door was open, that now we will just entrench into a friendship. I want more; I struggle to accept where we are versus where I would like us to be.

I know relationships are long conversations, but I can't tell if time is our ally or our enemy. I hope, deeply, we are not a lost love.

9 0 | I MPAC T .E D IT IO N

HEALING FROM WITHIN Niki Lopez

2019 11"' × 5" × 7" Mixed Media Sculpture This piece addresses the healing journey.

Shadow work, personal development and healing the body, mind and soul from the insides. Inspired by the kintsugi art — "of being broken and put back together."

The idea all parts of self are necessary to acknowledge our strength and resilience in spite of our struggles, life and traumas.

The exhibits' texts are published in their original versions.

2023/ IS S UE 0 2 | 91

Do you know what Greg Clark captured in this photo? It's a closeup of a rare sight: healthy, scar-free manatee skin. Scientists estimate only 7,500 manatees are left in Florida. The long-term key to their survival is the restoration of seagrass beds: these herbivores graze as long as eight hours a day. The cascade of pollution from agriculture, septic tanks, and urban runoff has destabilized Florida’s ecosystem for plants and herbivores. The latest reports show that 95% of seagrasses have died off in parts of the Indian River Lagoon, and without them, the manatees are starving & dying, too.

Report water pollution at miamiwaterkeeper.org.

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