Introduction

VOICES FROM THE VALLEY (formerly “25 Stories from the Central Valley”) uses photos, oral history, theater and the news media to paint a vivid picture of the environmental toxins that “the other California” lives with every day. Advocates give us a window into the little- known lives of people who are making the San Joaquin Valley safer for everyone. Their stories are shocking, sad, and inspiring. Above all, they will broaden your understanding of the Valley, community change, and the necessity for civic engagement.

This project grew out of 25 interviews conducted by Tracy Perkins in 2007-2008.  She designed them to serve two purposes: to provide data for her master’s thesis in Community Development at the University of California, Davis, as well as to collect and share the stories of the women leaders in the San Joaquin Valley environmental justice movement. The interviews also led to this scholarly article and this crossover article. Tracy is now a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  She researches environmental justice advocacy and climate change policy in California.

Voices from the Valley expanded through the collaboration of students, staff and faculty at UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz, activists from the San Joaquin Valley, and actors, interpreters and activists from the San Francisco Bay Area. See here for a complete list of people who have contributed. Much of their work was done on a volunteer or part-volunteer basis. Their efforts pay tribute to the San Joaquin Valley environmental justice movement and the possibilities for a cleaner, safer, more beautiful California for us all.