As my teaching and research suggest, I believe study drives action. Since moving to Miami Beach, I’ve been fortunate to become the resident rhetorician for two groups who support social justice and environmental stewardship at the local level. They teach me every day.
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station
PHSS is a local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization—and my happy place. I’ve been a volunteer since 2014, when I began working Friday morning shifts, cleaning pens and feeding the residents and rehab patients. The pelicans are charming, and the people who care for them are amazing.
I can’t get enough of this place, and I keep finding ways to support their mission through outreach and fundraising. I chaired the 2016 Host Committee for the annual Pelican Party, managing the big picture—from sponsorship levels to DJ selections—while designing supporting materials, including a full-page newspaper ad, donor packets, social media content, and invitations. The successful event brought together local environmentalists, politicians, and supporters and raised almost $100,000. We are already planning next year’s event. PHSS has also become a valuable partner in my teaching, offering students opportunities to create “real” materials and connect with their local environment.
In August of 2016, I was invited to join the PHSS Board of Directors; though I proudly accepted this new role, my favorite part is still hanging out with the pelicans every Friday.
North Beach Neighbors Alliance
I am a founding Steering Committee member of NBNA, a local coalition “dedicated to building community and advocating on behalf of local residents through creative neighborhood outreach and education.” North Beach has somehow remained a low-income and low-scale pocket of rapidly overdeveloping Miami Beach, but that character is vulnerable to reckless profiteering as “revitalization.” Luckily, an active team of locals believe North Beach’s economic and cultural diversity, along with its low scale and livable character, are worth protecting.
In 2015, locals were drawn together in opposition to an out-of-place, out-of-scale luxury compound that would overwhelm the tiny, historical beachfront block at the heart of North Beach. Through grassroots campaigning, our Save Ocean Terrace coalition managed to defeat an aggressive $700,000+ upzoning campaign in a public referendum. That victory rallied local residents and helped us to articulate certain shared priorities that led to our founding NBNA.
My contributions include managing websites and social media, writing position statements, speaking at public hearings, attending City meetings, and sharing information and strategies with partners. I am constantly learning about city policy, urban planning, and grassroots activism as we figure out how to educate and advocate on behalf of locals. North Beach recently concluded a Master Plan process in which NBNA played a major role advocating for historic preservation, affordable housing, and community use of city-owned land. I am thrilled by the intellectual challenge and tangible results of this work, and I look forward to further adventures in community organizing.