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For Barbara Miller, leadership boils down to one simple action: taking a step. "It doesn't take much to get involved. People just have to decide what they can do individually. I think a lot of people fail to realize that the small things they do make a difference. Even picking up a brochure and reading it is a first step. Education is very powerful."
She should know since a big part of her job as Executive Director of the Silver Valley People's Action Coalition is educating many different audiences and mobilizing the Silver Valley community to act. The need for that action in the Silver Valley region of Idaho, located east of Spokane, Washington, is great.
Once the most productive silver mining region in the world, the area is now known for environmental devastation, in addition to health-related problems and economic depression. But Miller, who grew up in the area, is both hopeful and realistic about what needs to be done. With her leadership and with the support of other local groups and the individuals who are members of the coalition, the Silver Valley People's Action Coalition has gone a long way in getting the area the help it needs.
It persuaded the EPA to refocus its funding and efforts from making studies to cleaning up the site and worked with the agency to clean up the lead in the area. Additionally, it has been working with other partners to develop a Community Lead Health Clinic to diagnose and treat those affected by lead and other heavy metals.
"We continue to be a model for people living here. They can see that there is a way to make sure what is right gets done. We've also had a lot of involvement and support from local groups, national groups and others. So much progress has already been made."
While the environmental destruction has been a major focus of the Coalition, its mission is to improve the quality of life for area residents. Toward that end, Miller and the Coalition also work on housing/homelessness, economic development, and healthcare. She would be the first to acknowledge that the Coalition is not alone. "We work with all kinds of groups, including unions, organizations that work with the elderly and low-income people, and churches, among others."
In fact, for Miller, leadership is not necessarily about one voice speaking out but motivating and encouraging all voices to speak up for what is right. "Progress can be made if people find a common goal and work toward it." That's exactly what happened in the Silver Valley and today, the coalition is made up of 300 people united in the cause of their community. Miller came back to the area in 1986 as a grassroots organizer and among the first things she did was to start knocking on doors to educate people and help them participate in change.
Since that beginning, Miller has been a tireless advocate for the region on all levels, working with residents to mobilize, working with other local groups and contacting people on the national level to let them know about the problems in the Silver Valley. What keeps her going is seeing results. "This community in Kellogg, Idaho today is enjoying a quality of life it didn't have before. I believe it can only get better if we continue the work we've done and keep up our relationships."
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