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Southern Futures colleagues with doctoral student Diamond HollomanDiamond Holloman and Malinda Maynor LoweryPhotos by Kristen Chavez

 

Article by Kim Weaver Spurr ’88

Diamond Holloman is fascinated with what she calls the “sister concepts of vulnerability and resilience” that she has witnessed firsthand among the people of Robeson County, North Carolina.

Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence two years later brought devastating flooding to the community, located about 90 miles inland from the coast; the Lumber River runs through the city of Lumberton, the county seat. Home to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, it is one of the most racially diverse rural counties in the United States. People are still recovering from those natural disasters and are facing newfound challenges in light of COVID-19.

Holloman, a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Arts & Sciences’ Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, leads an interdisciplinary research project, “Voices of Resilience and Recovery in Robeson County,” as part of a consortium of universities that are examining the impact of climate change through the lens of environmental humanities. Her collaborators include faculty member Jacqueline Lawton in the department of dramatic art and Dylan Clark with the INHERIT Program.

“I hope this project will further amplify the voices of racially marginalized folks in Robeson County,” said Holloman, who has been doing community-engaged work in the area for several years. Before coming to UNC, she majored in environmental studies and journalism at New York University and experienced Hurricane Sandy. “These people are not subjects to be researched, but multidimensional, multi-faceted people who are taking the time and energy to advocate for their communities.”

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