Bay Area Climate Justice Fellowships 2023: Research to support environmental and climate justice advocacy in the Belle Haven community of Menlo Park (Round 2)

Overview

Located west of Highway 101 along the San Francisco Bayfront, the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park has been systematically excluded from the rest of the city and the surrounding area. Following decades of redlining and other unjust housing practices, today, Belle Haven residents experience exclusion in many dimensions of their daily lives, including access to transportation, telecommunications, education, health care, food, open space, and more. In addition, a growing number of families living in Belle Haven - which hosts the headquarters of Meta - are at risk of displacement as gentrification progresses. Belle Haven residents also experience disproportionate exposure to environmental pollution, such as poor air quality and greater exposure to extreme heat due to a lack of tree cover. Climate change is exacerbating these and other impacts. Yet, Belle Haven has also found itself excluded from key state and local funding programs designed to address many of these risks.

Belle Haven Action (BHA), a non-profit organization in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park, partners with residents to amplify the voices of community leaders. BHA advocates for equity, inclusion, and acknowledgement of the diversity that makes this neighborhood unique. BHA engages closely with residents in Belle Haven, responding to the needs they identify by organizing programming and advocating with the city and county. Past and current initiatives include organizing COVID vaccine and testing sites, assisting residents in accessing affordable housing, obtaining free air filtration units for residents, and advocacy with the City Council for greater investment and needed services.

This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience in community organizing, apply your research skills to help build awareness of racial and socio-economic disparities and environmental injustices being experienced right at Stanford’s doorstep, and help expand the capacity of a grassroots organization working for change.

About the Fellowship

Through this summer fellowship, you will conduct critically-needed research to support Belle Haven Action’s advocacy efforts. In order to begin to address the systematic exclusion that the community has experienced, the nature of this exclusion must be documented and more widely understood. As a fellow, you will make a key contribution by researching and writing about the disparities that Belle Haven community members experience compared to surrounding neighborhoods. This work may be approached through multiple lenses - environmental and climate justice, transportation, health, housing, telecommunications and more - and the focus will be adapted to the fellow’s academic background and interests, as well as Belle Haven Action’s current activities. Research may involve:

• Reviewing online documents available through the city, county, and state as well as non-governmental sources, including resources available through Stanford’s libraries;

• Identifying and analyzing environmental and socio-economic data about Belle Haven and surrounding communities, including through tools such as the CalEnviroScreen 4.0; and

• Conducting conversations with community members and other stakeholders to learn about and document community experiences of exclusion.

At the beginning of the fellowship, you will work with Belle Haven Action’s leadership to agree upon your focus and define key deliverables, which may include:

• A report summarizing the research you’ve conducted

• Fact sheets, data visualizations, and compelling graphics to directly support Belle Haven Action’s advocacy efforts

• A toolkit making it easy for community leaders and advocates to access critical information and data

• Blog posts and/or contributions to Belle Haven Action’s website

In addition, you will contribute to Belle Haven Action’s on-going operations. This may include assisting in organizing community events, attending City Council and commission meetings, and participating in meetings with residents as well as partner organizations. 

Qualifications: 

• Advanced undergraduates and graduate students in Urban Studies, Earth Systems, Earth System Science, Public Policy, the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity, Anthropology and related fields are particularly encouraged to apply. However, students from other fields/majors will also be considered.

• A passion and commitment for environmental justice and community-based work.

• Excellent skills in research, writing and communication.

• Experience and sensitivity with regard to interacting and communicating with people from diverse backgrounds.

• Commitment to building and maintaining trusting relationships and maintaining confidentiality when necessary;

• Flexibility, adaptability, and an ability to work independently.

• Spanish language proficiency and access to a car are preferred, but not required.

Stipend

Undergraduate Cardinal Quarter Fellows receive a base stipend of $6,500 to support living expenses during the fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding may be available to students who qualify (learn more here). Masters students will receive a stipend of $8,500 and PhD students will receive up to $5,000 for a part-time role.