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BARNARD
DELEGATION HEADS TO SOUTH AFRICA
ON RESEARCH, HUMANITARIAN TRIP
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Top
row: Dianne Ditrrick; second row (from left): Alexandra
Severino, Kendra Tappin, Hayley Holness, Tim Halpin-Healy's
son Tyler; bottom row: Alexandria Wright
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New York, NY-This July, a Barnard delegation comprising four
students, two faculty members, and one alumna traveled to
Johannesburg, South Africa to take part in a research trip
on the physiological and social effects of vanadium poisoning
in a small mining town.
Vanadium, a metal element that is extracted from ore, has
been making headlines as the cause of death and illness for
South African mine workers since the early 1990s. Barnard
alumna Marsha Coleman-Adebayo ’74, who was the force
behind the trip, helped draw attention to the situation in
Brits, South Africa while serving as the U.S. Executive Secretary
for the EPA’s Gore-Mbeki Commission. She eventually lost
that position after pursuing the politically unpopular issue
of vanadium poisoning at a plant operated by an American company.
She later took successful legal action against the EPA, helping
to inspire the No Fear Act, which protects whistleblowers
and was the first civil rights legislation signed into law
in the twenty-first century.
It was Associate Dean of Studies Vivian Taylor who put together
the support that made this "once in a lifetime adventure"
possible for four Barnard students. Once Coleman-Adebayo suggested
a trip that would include Barnard students, Taylor was on
a mission to turn the idea into reality. She praised Coleman-Adebayo
for bringing the issues to her attention and for coordinating
the details of the trip. Before speaking to the Barnard alumna,
Taylor did not know about vanadium and its toxic effects.
"She really made me aware of this [problem]. It is an
issue close to her heart," Taylor said.
Each of the students, three of whom were sponsored by the
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Program and one
by the General Electric (GE) Scholars Program, participated
in the conference and examined the issue from her own major's
discipline. Hayley Holness ‘05 represented foreign studies,
Alexandria Wright ‘05 applied a philosophical perspective,
Kendra Tappin ‘05 examined historical context and Alexandra
Severino ‘05 focused on the chemistry involved. "This
is the way environmental issues should be addressed –
from a multi-disciplinary perspective," said Coleman-Adebayo.
The students were also accompanied by Barnard Physics Professor
Timothy Halpin-Healy and Environmental Science Professor Dianne
Dittrick. A screenwriter representing actor Danny Glover (who
is producing a film on Coleman-Adebayo’s life) and a
South African film crew also took part, documenting the mission.
To prepare for the trip, which they described as "life-changing,"
students conducted preliminary research on vanadium and composed
independent research proposals. The students also needed an
introduction to South African culture and climate. At the
end of July, it was winter in the region, so they had to pack
accordingly – including mittens and malaria pills. The
College provided each student with a "Survival Kit"
before her departure, which included items such as energy
bars, a laminated map of the region and a guide to its three-star
sights.
While in South Africa, the group attended a multi-disciplinary
conference entitled, "Capacity Building Workshop on Occupational
Health and Elimination of Toxic Chemicals Within our Communities:
Vanadium," conducted field research, met with families
of vanadium victims, and recorded their observations. In addition,
students visited Kruger National Park, the Apartheid Museum
and the Hector Pieterson Museum, taking full advantage of
their time abroad.
Alexandria Wright, the philosophy student, became interested
in how the miner's wives had been affected. "Much of
the literature excluded the women's role in this situation
when their husbands were fired or injured. At the conference
I listened out for areas where the women's voices were missing,"
she said. "In terms of philosophy, whose knowledge was
considered valid was the most interesting aspect… I'd
like to create a theoretical understanding of that and bring
in the women, showing how different voices have been eliminated
from the picture."
Following their return, students presented their findings
during a campus symposium from August 18 – 22. The group
is planning a conference this spring to present their findings,
photographs, and film footage to the broader community.
Of all the memorable parts of the trip, students were most
influenced by the meetings with victims’ families, inspiring
them to bring greater attention to the problem and to respond
in concrete ways. In fact, two of the student delegates are
interested in starting a fund that will send one miner’s
daughter to college, a cost of approximately $400.
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