By Seth Daniel
Chelsea GreenRoots is spearheading efforts to revitalize joint activism between Chelsea and East Boston focused on Chelsea Creek – deploying teams to build grassroots momentum on the Eastie side for Creek-related initiatives.
The organization started working to rekindle Eastie interest in August after receiving a grant for organizing work, according to GreenRoots Director Roseann Bongiovanni. “We can only be more powerful with one voice like we were in the past,” she said. “Overall, since we started, folks have been receptive because they know this is for East Boston residents and will be led by East Boston residents. It goes back to the holistic look at the Chelsea Creek on the East Boston and Chelsea side.”
For years, the former Chelsea GreenSpace and the Eastie Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) worked together through the Chelsea Creek Action Group – CCAG – to combat what they saw as environmental dangers threatening the Creek. Their efforts included opposing a power plant, addressing CAD cells in the riverbed, and supporting the Hess tank removal. The group also successfully advocated for the Urban Wild on the Eastie side and organized community events such as the River Revel.
About two years ago, however, Eastie’s leadership redirected focus toward other neighborhood priorities, leaving Chelsea to largely carry forward the Creek work alone.
Recently, East Boston resident Magdalena Ayed launched environmental initiatives through her organization HarborKeepers, which has helped spark renewed interest in Creek activism in Eastie.
This year, GreenRoots secured a grant to reactivate the grassroots base in East Boston and develop local leadership for the revived effort.
“That was very important that this was for East Boston and we were just helping to get it started for them,” said Bongiovanni. “We didn’t want it to seem like Chelsea was coming over and telling East Boston what to do.”
The organization first reached out to 12 groups, including numerous Eastie neighborhood organizations, to promote the revival of Creek activism.
Currently, John Walkey of Eastie and Indira Alfaro of GreenRoots are canvassing the neighborhood to recruit additional participants.
Bongiovanni emphasized that reestablishing organization on both sides of the Creek is critical to its health. She also noted the value of communities learning from each other. “You see gentrification along the Creek a lot more in East Boston and we are hoping to learn from what they have gone through,” she said.
According to Bongiovanni, Revere remains an unconnected piece of the Creek effort, though she remains optimistic about potential organizing there as well.