Community Scientists of the Newark Water Coalition Are a New Dawn for Community-Owned and Managed Research Projects: Mobile Lead Initiative

The Mobile Lead Testing Unit (MLTU), coordinated by the Newark Water Coalition (NWC) and the University of California, Berkeley researchers, sought to measure and educate community members on the sources of lead exposure within the home by conducting field analysis on lead in paint, water, soil, and dust. Throughout our project spanning design, outreach, education and training, methodological design, analysis, and evaluations, the MLTU instilled, executed, and added to the principles of community-owned and managed research projects. The primary data collected will be used to build an exposure model and to support the NWC in their advocacy. Our community voice paper presents our reflections on the nuanced, unforeseen, and complexities of community-driven science and attempts to forge a path toward democratizing knowledge and science while fighting for environmental justice.