Assistant Professor Fayola Jacobs was awarded a Social Justice Impact Grant from the University of Minnesota for her project, “Culturally appropriate emergency preparedness and response training in North Minneapolis.” 

Jacobs says that communities of color and low-income communities are often the hardest hit by natural disasters, with climate change expected to increase the frequency and intensity. The emergency management field has been criticized for not using culturally competent protocols and communications with respect to emergency preparedness and response.

The project will focus on North Minneapolis neighborhoods to understand the experience of the community as it relates to disasters, and design emergency preparedness and response training for community organizations in the area.