ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Coalition for 100 Black Women Central Florida is working to educate people about poor air quality in Black communities so that they can better protect their families, with a focus in Central Florida on three communities.

You won’t find any of Eva Womack’s seven children at the playground in Orlando’s Griffin Park housing community.

“They definitely stopped going to the playground locally because they were getting congested and sick from being out there,” Womack said.

She’s not talking about COVID-19.

 “Definitely an environmental concern,” Womack said.

Womack, whose family has lived in Griffin Park for three years, said she believes the poor air quality in the environment in the surrounding area is having a lasting impact on her children.

 “I just wonder if they are going to have breathing issues later in life as well as health problems later in life due to this situation,” Womack said.

Poor air quality in Black communities is a “situation” and problem that dates back to the 1800s, according to a study conducted by the National Coalition 100 Black Women of Central Florida. African Americans face the highest impact, with a 54% higher health burden compared to the overall population. 

The group is working to try to help families like the Womacks through a $120,000 environmental grant. Money from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goes toward educating people who live in Black communities like Griffin Park about environmental concerns. Griffin Park’s air quality is affected by cars driving on the nearby interstate.

“Griffin Park was surrounded by the 408, the off-ramps, and I-4 so the entire community had gas emissions coming off into the community,” National Coalition 100 Black Women Central Florida President Lawanna Gelzer said. “That is a hazard.”

Gelzer, who is heading up the EPA grant project in Orlando, is hopeful the grant will help change that percentage. The EPA grant covers three Orlando communities, Parramore, Holden Heights, and Mercy Drive.  

“It’s a three-part grant,” Gelzer said. “The first part is education, telling everybody what we are going to do.”

It will also provide resources to study the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory diseases.

The group will also be partnering with UCF to install solar-powered air quality sensors to monitor air quality.

The program is a step in the right direction, correcting the problems of the past to make way for a better future.

 “I hope it changes one day,” Womack said.

The group is currently looking for interns for its Youth Environmental Equity Ambassador program. For more information on how to get involved, contact Gelzer at 407-953-5599.