This image shows a child’s science project poster on the left and a letter that was sent home with students in the areas surrounding the landfill on the right. The presence of radioactive waste in the landfill and the encroaching fire were not widely understood until a group of local women—mostly homemakers with young children—began a campaign of community activism. They noticed that they and their children were unusually ill and no medical professional could explain what was going on. Through extensive research, the community, led by activists Kay Drey, Karen Nickel, and Dawn Chapman, eventually discovered what was making them sick. But the burden of research fell to them, a group of non-scientists. They formed the group Just Moms, so-called because they had intended to be full-time mothers and homemakers, not full-time activists. At one public meeting, they were encouraged to change their name because “no one will listen to a couple of housewives.”
This poster is made by one of the Just Moms member’s nieces. She is continuing the family tradition of citizen science and activism. But whose job is it to keep her community safe? Certainly not hers, and not her aunt’s either. Why does the burden of proving that something is causing harm fall to a group of citizen scientists? Why does it specifically tend to fall to women and children?
The letter on the right was distributed by the Pattonville school district. Other schools close to West Lake Landfill soon followed suit, not just as a matter of safety but as a political maneuver. If parents are confronted with the reality of ‘shelter in place,’ their attitudes shift. When living amidst sickness and noxious odors (slow violence) is just another part of the ennui of daily existence, sometimes a reminder of the potential for that violence to speed up galvanizes a community. But again, who is doing whose job?
This image shows a child’s science project poster on the left and a letter that was sent home with students in the areas surrounding the landfill on the right. The presence of radioactive waste in the landfill and the encroaching fire were not widely understood until a group of local women—mostly homemakers with young children—began a campaign of community activism. They noticed that they and their children were unusually ill and no medical professional could explain what was going on. Through extensive research, the community, led by activists Kay Drey, Karen Nickel, and Dawn Chapman, eventually discovered what was making them sick. But the burden of research fell to them, a group of non-scientists. They formed the group Just Moms, so-called because they had intended to be full-time mothers and homemakers, not full-time activists. At one public meeting, they were encouraged to change their name because “no one will listen to a couple of housewives.”
This poster is made by one of the Just Moms member’s nieces. She is continuing the family tradition of citizen science and activism. But whose job is it to keep her community safe? Certainly not hers, and not her aunt’s either. Why does the burden of proving that something is causing harm fall to a group of citizen scientists? Why does it specifically tend to fall to women and children?
The letter on the right was distributed by the Pattonville school district. Other schools close to West Lake Landfill soon followed suit, not just as a matter of safety but as a political maneuver. If parents are confronted with the reality of ‘shelter in place,’ their attitudes shift. When living amidst sickness and noxious odors (slow violence) is just another part of the ennui of daily existence, sometimes a reminder of the potential for that violence to speed up galvanizes a community. But again, who is doing whose job?