A collaboration between Duke University scholars and the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise (ACRE) has focused on environmental justice questions in rural Alabama. In this essay, the partners describe their research on how sewage and related environmental problems intersect with broader social structural issues, and consider how to address these challenges. The authors also reflect on the process by which scholars and community-based organizations can work together, and what goes into a mutually rewarding partnership.
Emily Stewart
Emily Stewart joined the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute in fall of 2012. She has a BA in sociology with minors in feminist studies and Spanish from Southwestern University. Working with faculty, staff, and students, Stewart coordinates the programs and events of the center. She is also the project manager for a community partnership with the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise, cofounder and coordinator of the Duke Teaching for Equity Fellows program, and administrator of the Human Rights Certificate. She is a skilled facilitator who brings a decade of experience working with young people, designing workshops and retreats informed by Quaker process, and advocating for social justice in both nonprofit and higher education settings. A Durham native, she loves to take walks with her daughter and partner along the Eno River.