ARPA & Authentically Engaging Community with Nelly Medina

In this episode of Public Hearing, we continue our conversation about ARPA funding in Worcester with our guest, Nelly Medina, a local mother, educator, activist, organizer, to talk about priority populations and how ARPA dollars can be used to support people disproportionately impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, especially low-end communities and communities of color. We must listen to the impacted members of the community and hold the city accountable in order to promote equity justice and the pursuit of joy-filled futures for all. 

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Transcript for this episode

Joshua Croke (00:01):

Hello Worcester and the world. This is your host, Joshua Croke and this is Public Hearing, a podcast and radio show about Worcester and the people we should be listening to. As we participate in change work, residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city on Public Hearing, we engage community members addressing social problems in a way that centers, equity, justice and the pursuit of joy-filled futures for everyone. In our current series, we're talking about ARPA, the American Rescue Plan Act that is bringing around 146 million into the city that money needs to be spent. So a lot of decisions need to be made. And there's an expectation that these funds will be used to support people disproportionately impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, especially low-end communities and communities of color. That's the focus of our conversation today. How might we ensure that funding decisions are being made in a way that centers equity and prioritizes the needs of people in our community who have been disproportionately impacted by pandemic? This is the Public Hearing podcast. Our guest today is Nelly Medina, an activist city resident, mom of a school-aged child, and someone who is connected to leading and a strong voice for equity-centered change work. Nelly, you do so many things in our community. What would you like to share with our guests about you and your work before we jump into conversation?

Nelly Medina (01:24):

Yeah, I'd like to say that my work is informed by my experiences and also the experiences of people in my community with whom I consult. And so everything I do is for us, not for me. And I think that's important to say

Joshua Croke (01:36):

Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for being here. And as listeners come from many backgrounds and experience some newer to equity-based work, how would you introduce people to equity work and why it's important?

Nelly Medina (01:49):

It's important, I think that until we listen to the people who are most impacted on the ground, nothing's going to change and we are part of the solution. The government often does everything it can to avoid accountability. And, the more voices that are impacted that step up to the stage and show up the more, the people that can influence the decision maker's decisions will speak up on our behalf. And so it's a collective process and it's important that we do it together to accomplish our end goal, which is equity.

Joshua Croke (02:21):

And so could you share with listeners some of like your organizing work in the organizations or initiatives that you're involved with in the city to help kind of paint a portrait for folks as to the many aspects in which activism takes place in Worcester?

Nelly Medina (02:37):

Oh yeah, for sure. I am heavily involved in food justice. I work with the Parent Union of Massachusetts, but also in my own life and in my own community during the pandemic, it became clearly obvious food was a resource and it was political. And so fighting for food. Justice is something that's close to my heart. I'm really happy that one of the organizations I work with the Parents Union is right now working with the Worcester Community Fridges. And so the goal is to make it equitable so that everyone knows it's not a white space. I think often people think that the fights are white and until we bring them into the movement, we're not gonna change that perspective. I also fight for union support. I'm really big on the paraprofessional's fight for justice. It is the most multifaceted intersectionally important movement for justice equity, especially because if the paraprofessionals are not paid, they're on services and on welfare, if there's if there are no educators to teach our children, then they're not getting the services that they need to flourish.

Nelly Medina (03:42):

And so there's a ripple down effect. Also, parents who have part-time jobs where single mothers can't work if their children are sent home half a day. And so it's like pay your paraprofessionals, and there's about 90 that are missing. And so we need to really think about how we're going to replace paraprofessionals so that the educators that are in the classes who are not actual educators that are paraprofessionals are not teaching our children. And so there are people that I know that are you know, paraprofessionals that are teaching science classes and don't have the proper instructional materials and asking their friends about science, you know, projects and ideas. And it shouldn't be that way. I think education is the key to our future and it's the biggest liberator. And so I think everything I do and all the work that we do should be education focused

Joshua Croke (04:32):

Education is so critical. We actually just wrapped recently a mini-season on early childhood education and care and giving folks a little bit more insight into the challenges that our paraprofessionals and our early ed workers are facing as it relates to accessing education. But also the fact that like over 37% of early ed workers are reliant on some type of state or federal assistance because of the wages that they make. So as we're looking at, and one of the priorities in the ARPA dollars is support for essential workers and increasing the amount of money that the wages that essential workers are making. So I'm hearing in what you're saying, that's a really critical component of how these dollars could be used to be a benefit in our community.

Nelly Medina (05:17):

Yeah. there's a Hert fund I just found out researching a few weeks ago, it's higher education funding from ARPA, and it's kind of like a silent funding nobody talks about, but that funding could potentially be used to give cash incentives or a fast track for educators and students who wanna go into their education and paraprofessional field. And so that's one avenue we can take. Also listening to the educators and what they need, you know, what are the materials they need. And then after-school programs are an essential component to children's lives. It teaches them to you know, teamwork and skill-building. And so transportation to those programs is something that we could be using the dollars for also we can bring these communities. So 146 million plus 80 million in education, ARPA plus the higher education funding.

Nelly Medina (06:06):

I mean, when I first heard of this money, the picture that I saw in my mind was like a hot air balloon with resources being dropped from the sky. And so it never really occurred to me that we were gonna have fight for this money. To me, it was this, it was for us, it belongs to us it's for the most impacted for fragmented communities. And so to have to fight for it is really a daunting task, but one I'm up for but yeah, definitely there's many ways we can help the educational system move forward with the ARPA funds. We just have to push and fight for them.

Joshua Croke (06:35):

And so with the ARPA dollars, having that expectation of prioritizing disproportionately impacted communities, low-income communities, communities of color, what does accountability look like so that we can ensure that these populations are in fact prioritized?

Nelly Medina (06:50):

Yeah. One thing I fought for was equity at the community engagement sessions. They were poorly planned during the onset of the Delta coronavirus at hours that were not attainable for parents at 6:00 PM and 5:30 PM at night. And then a lot of the families who are most impacted and who could benefit most from this funding stream take public transportation. And so that was another issue. So I think community engagement is key. I also think that our community lead who have a voice and opinion should probably stay clear of these ad hoc, you know, COVID spending committees that the city put together just because we lose our power in those tables. How can you fight back and say, we want this funding if you're at the decision-making table that make is making these poor decisions. And so I encourage our leaders, you know, to stand up and kind of, you know, open their eyes and think about what our role is in this and how this is a once in a lifetime stream of funding. This could be the funding that essentially sets the blueprint for the work moving ahead.

Joshua Croke (07:50):

And so for listeners, Nelly just mentioned some of the community engagement work that was done by the city. And so the city hosted a series of community needs input sessions in addition to an online survey in August and September into October of last year. And I just want to, for listeners mention, and you just kind of referenced this Nelly. 331 people responded to the online survey and 200, just above 200 attended the in-person sessions, in a city of over 200,000 residents. Does that concern you?

Nelly Medina (08:22):

It does, especially that most of those meetings, the repeaters were organizers and activists and the parents that we organized to attend these events. So there were some that have gone to all of them. The Worcester Community United, which is a group of over 19 grassroots, labor-based organizations and action-based organizations wrote a letter to the city and we had 20 organizations including the NAACP, The Seven Hills Foundation and the Main South CDC that signed onto it. And it was asking for more transparency at these community listening sessions and then to have two per district at different times of the day to make it you know, more accessible for a family. So we've been fighting for this access for a while. And I think it's a key component to justice in this ARPA funding allotment that they're planning. I think there is room. However, this, I read an article the other day that said only 12.8 million has been spent so far. So where's the money and why are they sitting on it? Which gives me hope,

Joshua Croke (09:22):

Definitely like how are we not only holding the city accountable in how the money is being spent, but when, and how quickly we're getting it into the hands of people in our community who need it. I think, you know, some of the results from that survey and those conversations the top five issues identified through these sessions were housing and homelessness was significantly higher above all of the other categories. So that sits in kind of position number one, but the second social and human services, infrastructure and broadband education and job preparation, and then transportation. And I appreciate that you mentioned kind of the intersectional nature of a lot of these different issues that are going on in the community, how transportation access impacts education, how that impacts how education impacts public health and vice versa, right? There's all these intersectional needs that our community has.

Joshua Croke (10:21):

And when we look at and talk about equity-based approaches, it recognizes that not everyone needs equal treatment or equal access to specific things to help support those communities. An equity-based approach looks at how are we addressing the unique needs faced by different neighborhoods, different residents, different communities within our city. And so as we think of community-engaged work and I do community engagement work, it's something that I'm very passionate about, and it is always something I think, from the municipal level, something that's under prioritized and resourced. And so, as we're talking about funding, I think it's important to say, if we want our communities to authentically be engaged, then we need to hold our elected officials accountable to ensuring that there is enough money to do the type of engagement work that you're proposing, which is critical, right, multiple times available for people, for families that meets the needs meets their schedules and is considerate of things like childcare, what are we asking of the community and what are we giving them in return for their input and involvement. So when we think about community engagement, what do you envision as ways that we could expand doing that work in a way that it's more people represented in data like this?

Nelly Medina (11:41):

Yeah. I wanna thank you for all the work that you do as well. It's really important. I love when I receive emails and I see that you're a part of something because I know you're bringing equity into the room, which is important. I had an idea about housing justice and how it relates, and there's a lot of people who are outta work. And so I know there's a backlog of applicants who have applied for emergency rental assistance and fuel assistance. And I don't think that the city has the staffing or the cultural competence to deal with these. So a way to, you know, help the people who are underemployed is to, you know, create temporary positions open up a large base and outreach these applicants, so that we can get this funding moving.

Nelly Medina (12:22):

That's one way we can take care of two problems at once, but also I think that, you know, students and surveying has to be done on the ground. They did no outreach, they did not include the organizers and the activists who actually are on the ground with the people, which is pretty incompetent. So, you know, if they want the real data, they need to meet us where we're at and, you know, ask the organizers and the people who are on the ground every day, listening to the stories and know the people. We're tired of surveys. We're tired of, you know, listening to the city offer and promise things that we never get. But if there are trusted advisors and I think that the city does a poor job at deciding for us who our trusted advisors are.

Nelly Medina (13:04):

If we listen to the people and we know who they are I think we'll get more community engagement in the process all the way through, but I think it's thinking outside the box, like how can we now take care of the application process and what's happening with housing and make it you know, accessible, but not only accessible but hire the people who need the work. So there's so many creative ideas and opportunities that can come out of this, but you have to want to do it. And I think that's where the disconnect is. I think if the city really wanted to reach us, they know where we are.

Joshua Croke (13:35):

We recently concluded a mini-season on the formation of the Latino Advisory Commission. So as you talk about advisors and committees and things, I think one of the things that I took away from the conversations that I had with some of the folks in that space, organizers with LEON and, you know, other longstanding work in the community was that this is a step in a direction that has been longstanding work that the community has been doing. Right, and so now that we look now that the city is more formalizing this commission, how are the community members being represented there supported to really connect with and stay engaged with the communities that they are there to represent? Right, because it's one thing to be able to be someone, you know, for myself, you know, I'll speak my own experiences, walking in as a person into spaces, but I don't represent all people in Worcester.

Joshua Croke (14:27):

Right. So if I were to be sat at one of these commissions to focus on the needs of the community, for example I need resources to connect with my community in a way that represents all of our voices and not just mine. And so the work of the Latino Advisory Commission, one of the questions that I asked folks was how do we encourage support and provide the resources needed for those people sat on that commission to continue doing that community-engaged work, to make sure that the voices that need to be represented are now being represented in those spaces.

Nelly Medina (15:05):

What was the question? Oh yeah. For me, I think, like I said, we have to be sure that the people that are chosen are stakeholders, that they're not just Latinos, but they're from our community and that they have a stake in it. So whether it's there tomorrow that they are invested. I don't think a lot of the people that are chosen are invested and you're right about, you know, it doesn't matter, if you are Latino, how do you represent all of us? Right, if you don't know all of us or I think it's important for the leaders to choose, who's representing us at those tables. And I think that's not done. And I think we have to be careful about service providers. I don't see anyone on that list that is not a service provider amenable to the city of Worcester.

Nelly Medina (15:45):

And so I think that's the key choosing people who we know, for example, you may us wanted a grant, it was a 20 million grant and they called me to be there. They called me because they know that I'm the one with the connection to the community and I've done several different projects with them. I didn't see the usual suspect there because they know they wanted the grant. And so if you know, I used to not stand by my ideas because I thought I'm a radical, they're not gonna listen. But when I say see that happen, it just makes, it helps me to realize that if I weren't important and you didn't believe in my leadership, then why would you call me? And so I think that we have to not be afraid to speak up no matter what our perspective is, or no matter how we articulate the needs of our community because we are needed and we are valuable. And I think that's the key. A lot of people don't think that they have what it takes or that they belong in those rooms because it's so siloed. Right. And we need to fight back and push back against that together.

Joshua Croke (16:39):

And I really wanna highlight what you just said about it being siloed and how people feel some barriers and limitations from the ability to kind of come forward and like participate in this work. And that I believe truly is an intentional barrier that's been built, right? To prevent folks from coming into these spaces, especially doing community engagement, work around something like as complex as the American Rescue Plan Act funding, right? There's a lot of intricacy and detail. And you look at like, all right, what is, you know, what are the areas in which ARPA money can be spent investing in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure support for public health expenditures, addressing negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency providing premium pay for essential workers and replacing loss sector, public sector revenue. Those are very in depth, but also broad focus areas for how we address challenges that face the city.

Joshua Croke (17:36):

And I think oftentimes when the community comes into spaces with someone who is in a position of power, who has, you know, a degree in urban planning, there is a lot of jargon that's also used that prevents people from participating in these conversations in a way that I feel is really enables that like growth and that like real, like focus on community participation in these conversations. I like am a true believer in like co-creation of solutions and the people most impacted by things, regardless of if they have a degree in whatever is being addressed, they know their needs are. And this connects back to like the data piece as well, right? At one of my kind of guiding principles in my work is like use data as a tool to inform and not dictate, right? Like the data can say one thing, but if our communities are not ready to engage or accept or embrace what is coming out of the data, that again might be a sample size, a fractional percentage of what actually would represent the community's thoughts, wants and needs. Right? How do we use that as a measure to help support growth, but listen, and co-create with the members, you know, within our community. So I guess my question in there is what are some of the projects and initiatives that you're involved with that you would encourage people to learn more about so that they can feel more confidence coming into these spaces and advocating for their needs?

Nelly Medina (19:11):

I would say the mold and the breathing quality of the school and the schools in Worcester, they're very poor. Right now, for instance I've talked to many families who have immunocompromised children and they can't attend. My son, I'm working 40 plus hours a week, and he's playing at my feed doing, you know, remote learning. And it shouldn't be that way. I think that if the buildings were safe, we could, he'd be able to attend like other children. I think also COVID accommodations are really important. A lot of families, and especially foster children, are forced to go into classrooms that are unsafe. And there's no one to say to an immunocompromised child, keep your mask on. They're gonna take it off. Right. So I think those are small justice fights that are winnable. I think, and then spaces, we need open spaces.

Nelly Medina (19:59):

For instance, I'm fighting for the gate at Lakeside it's, it's locked again. And so the city allegedly took 1.2 million in federal grant funding because of our environmental justice proximity to the space. And we're not allowed to go in. And so now we have an obesity issue. We have children who are overweight because of the COVID and the inaction. And so we need to, you know, create spaces for them and parks, and they need transportation to the Boys and Girls Club. I mean, these are small things, but they affect all of us. I walked around my community the other day to start the activism around the gate at Lakeside. And I found, you know, so many parents would say I would like for my daughter to be a babysitter, but we can't get to the Boys and Girls Club for that program can you help?

Nelly Medina (20:40):

Or I want swimming lessons and we can't get to the program. I think empowering parents with giving their children opportunities is a good way to start engaging people and bringing them into the movement petitions, right. We want transportation to, and from the Boys Club for the hundreds or more children that live in Lakeside, you know, that kind of a win will bring people in, but not overwhelming them with like serious matter. They don't understand because I know what it's like to be in those rooms. And it took me years to find my voice and to speak up and to feel okay with it. I would even have to like reach out to people independently and say, you made me feel uncomfortable in that room. And as a woman to woman, you know what I'm saying?

Nelly Medina (21:20):

And so I hope that the next time you understanding whether I'm using the right words or the right jargon or the right metaphors, that you would give me the respect as a woman and as a person who's in a space that I'm not usually welcomed and treat me with some dignity and be honest, right. Because you understand what I'm saying? And so I think also too, as for us who are in these rooms to invite the people who are not usually in these rooms in and taking care of them right. And giving them the tools they need to be successful in these spaces. It's a lot, it's not easy.

Joshua Croke (21:52):

I so agree with you. And one of the things that I do in a lot of my facilitation work in organizing is like, how do we set community agreements that allow for power to be more evenly distributed in spaces? So like we have an understanding of like, here are the ways in which we're gonna engage, like in this work together, here's how, if there is disagreement or discourse, how we navigate that and really set an expectation to build brave space where folks can kind of come forward and say, you know, Hey, listen, we can't be articulate all the time. Right. So, and that's not the point. That's not why we're here. We're here to talk about these issues. You know, how do we hold the power structures accountable as well, right? Who are in that room and recognize where power is sitting and how others can innately come into their power, you know, in these spaces. And I think one of the threads that we've seen through this entire process of having Public Hearing out there is that everyone has power, right? Everybody has power and there are barriers to tapping in or utilizing your power. But this is the longstanding work of our activists in the community. So when we talk about power, what are some ways in which you engage in like redistributing power, holding power accountable?

Nelly Medina (23:11):

Yeah. So at a Worcester Community United meetings, we have a rule where the impacted person speaks. So if it's a black woman in the room, she has the floor and you know, I don't want anyone who's an ally to interrupt or take that space away. We have to listen. And also the follow up is huge. So if there's someone who gave a lot of themselves and really unpacked a lot, then you know, we choose someone who's an ally that maybe may be intimidating to reach out and do that follow up so that they're supported. And another way is to make sure that we're speaking for the community and that when you're bringing information into this space, it's not just your opinion as a white person and the ally who is well meaning which is okay, because I think I'm unique in the sense that I believe that we, nothing is won without our allies.

Nelly Medina (23:58):

And so I appreciate and love, and I thank my allies because, you know, I'm informed by the information that they give me as well as inform by my life experiences and what I hear in the community. But I think definitely just giving space to the impacted person in the room is key. And that's, that's the biggest just if we can all do that, we'd make such an impact and such a change and we'd bring more people into the spaces where they're needed. Yeah. Where they should it be.

Joshua Croke (24:26):

So with our last couple minutes here, the time flies what are other questions that we should be asking our guests?

Nelly Medina (24:38):

I think, what are you doing to bring impacted people into the work? I don't see a lot of that done and I think that we should all, you know, be involved in local fights, you know, big ones and small ones. Like for instance, I had little experience with computers and just learned how to split a room over zoom in January. So I was like a baby organizer. I didn't know how to ask for help. I think that we have to recognize those people on the ground that are doing these small things that are, they make a big impact. And I think that I spent a lot of time alone. Not a lot of people who look like me were fighting this fight. So I think just pay attention and just show up. It doesn't take a lot to show up, not to everything, but when you can to just be there, just be in the room and just, you know, or to follow through and to reach out to those of us who are impacted. For instance with my social location, I'm a single mother, educator, activist, organizer but it's not easy. So pay attention to what's happening on the ground. I think it's the small fights that again, have the biggest impact. And so, you know, and remember who it is that is at the for front and putting themselves out there because we all need support. And I think that's missing

Joshua Croke (25:51):

And checking in with your friends, you know, who are doing this work as well, right?

Nelly Medina (25:57):

All your friends, even your white friends, are you doing

Joshua Croke (26:00):

Yeah

Joshua Croke (26:01):

How are you doing? And, so as we kind of focus on equity, justice and joy, right? The importance of joy in this, what's a little joy story or something that that you're able to bring into your life that brings joy through all of this work.

Nelly Medina (26:16):

Oh yeah. My son and I dance in between meetings, which is really good and I love house music. There's a new song from Shouse called “Won't Forget You” and so we're really big on that. He has his days and then to find like he and I are working on a, on a book project now he's the no justice, no peace kid at the rallies. And so I wanted to expand upon that. I don't want him to see social justice as just like an angry thing or a confrontational thing. I recently had to explain to him the difference between revenge and avenge, like we are noting we're avenging. But definitely to find something for younger people something that brings them joy, something that makes a difference that they can see into, into the work.

Nelly Medina (26:55):

And so there's joy. And so that they have their first steps. It shouldn't be hard. It shouldn't be intimidating. It should be fun because after all, at the end of the day we are liberating, right? We wanna liberate our community so that we have that joy. So just, I think we have to stay focused and self-care is so important. I didn't know how to take a vacation. I'd be like, well I'm gonna be on a vacation from work, but not from work. And it's all the same. So take time for yourself. And even if you don't go anywhere, take that vacation for sure.

Joshua Croke (27:20):

Thank you so much, Nelly. I so appreciate you joining us today and that is our time folks. You've been listening to Public Hearing our podcast and radio show about Worcester and the pursuit of equitable just and joy-filled futures for everybody. I am your host, Joshua Croke. Our audio producer is Giuliano D'Orazio . Thank you, Nelly Medina for coming on the show today. Thank you also to Molly Gammon and Kellee Kosiorek, who help support this show. For folks who wanna learn more about Public Hearing, you can visit us on our website @publichearing.co that's dot co not dot com and as always, thanks for listening.