ABOVE: The Houston Inspires/Houston Inspira Storytellers together with their Environmental partners.
The City of Houston has selected five Storytellers for the “Houston Inspires/Houston Inspira” public health campaign funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The campaign’s goal is to engage environmental organizations, artists, and storytellers to inspire awareness and action to improve health and safety outcomes in Houston neighborhoods.
The five storytellers will represent Acres Homes, Alief/Westwood, Kashmere Gardens, Near Northside, and Second Ward – all Complete Communities designated by Mayor Sylvester Turner.
“The selected Storytellers reflect the broadness of Houston’s creative community and include dance, comic book creators, musicians, visual artists, and a filmmaker,” said Mayor Turner. “Houston Inspires relies on community input to bridge the gap between equity and opportunity. I look forward to seeing the final works from these storytellers that will encourage Houstonians to learn more about environmental pollutants and their impact in our neighborhoods.”
After a peer review panel, the following artists and environmental partners were selected for Houston Inspires/Houston Inspira:
- Acres Homes – Storyteller Fair Housing Defenders + Healthy Outdoor Communities/NEO
- Alief/Westwood – Storyteller Alief Art House + Houston Wilderness
- Kashmere Gardens – Storyteller Dria Thornton + Environmental Defense Fund
- Near Northside – Storyteller Walter Hull + Air Alliance Houston
- Second Ward – Storyteller Kam Franklin + Citizens’ Environmental Coalition
Each storyteller will host community events in their neighborhoods where residents are encouraged to attend and help give voice to issues of environmental injustices and public health.
Information on each Storyteller and a calendar of events can be found at houstontx.gov/inspira.
In February 2022, Mayor Turner, announced the Houston Inspires/Houston Inspira public health campaign at the Climate Justice Museum and Cultural Center. This project focuses on the risks communities face from elevated levels of environmental pollutants, primarily PM2.5 (strongly associated with concrete batch plants) and benzene both of which can increase and exacerbate the health risks associated with COVID-19.
The Mayor’s Offices of Cultural Affairs and Government Relations are leading this work with the Office of Complete Communities, Resilience and Sustainability and the Houston Health Department.