Voices Rising: Syracuse’s Fight Against Lead Poisoning – A Documentary

Syracuse is facing a lead poisoning crisis of astounding proportions, and it is affecting our children first and foremost. It was time for residents to take action, and our cameras captured it all.

While lead paint was banned from use 40 years ago, Syracuse children are still being poisoned in their own homes at an alarming rate. There is no safe blood lead level in children and once its damage is done, it’s irreversible – damaging brain development and robbing children of the ability to reach their full potential. The LeadSafeCNY funding commitment issued by the Central New York Community Foundation has inspired a passionate surge of action to put a stop to this injustice.

In 2023, we tapped into this new energy to launch our first-ever participatory budgeting project – putting decision-making into the hands of residents. The results were nothing short of breathtaking.