Shireen Rajaram, PhD and Lourdes Gouveia, PhD. Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., ASH 383, Omaha, NE 68182, 402-554-3375, srajaram@mail.unomaha.edu

This paper outlines the principles of community-base participatory research (CBPR) and illustrates how this approach can be effective in bringing together community based organizations serving the Latino community together with researchers at the local urban university in tackling environmental justices issues relating to childhood lead poisoning prevention facing the Latino community in Omaha, a metropolitan urban area in the Mid-west. The rapidly growing Latino community in Omaha predominantly resides in an area designated as a Superfund site in 2003, due to extensive soil-lead contamination from industries formerly located in the neighborhood. The Latino population in Omaha mainly comprises of new immigrants with limited education, low English proficiency, with a poverty rate that is twice as high as the non-Latino population in the state. These Latino children are at a high risk for both lead poisoning and asthma. Unfortunately, the Latino community appears to be the least well informed and civically and politically engaged in this environmental justice issue that threatens the future of an entire generation of new immigrants. CBPR presents an alternative to the biomedical model and emphasizes the importance of community engagement and participation in public policy and environmental decision-making. Environmental justice has embraced the new paradigm of CBPR borne of a community driven process. Potential pitfalls and challenges in establishing collaborative relationships between researchers and the Latino community will be outlined and possible steps that can be taken to avoid these problems will be discussed.

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