june2016 hwsn
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June 2016 Historic Westside NewsTRANSCRIPT
By Malika Saramaat Imhotep
Thinking through the history of social enterprise in the Historic Westside is part telling a tale of what true empowerment looks like, part grappling with the fluctuating metrics of failure and success, and part writing legend into the ruins that decorate our community.
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive once the Black Business epicenter, Hunter Street, is now home to a rotating shift of restaurants, barbershops, and beauty salons. The legendary original location of Paschal’s Restaurant, Motor Hotel and La Carousel Lounge is now a dilapidated memory. The corner of MLK and Brawley, once home to the Bronner Brother’s black haircare empire, is now a museum like display of black history’s giants. Around the corner Trayvon Martin’s face framed by a white hoodie fills a billboard. From his perch, this urban angel – the boy whose death issued a nationwide call to action – stands his ground amidst a homegrown legacy of black entrepreneurship. Seeing Trayvon in this setting means grappling
with social injustice on the walk from Ashby MARTA train Station to Mr. Everything’s. To reckon with black death while we spend black dollars. A symbolic representation of “social enterprise” in practice.
Broadly defined, a social enterprise is an organization or entity that utilizes commercial strategies to benefit the well-being of a given community. A social enterprise makes its social mission as central to its success as its potential for profit. Continued on page 3 ...
June 2016 “Linking Neighbors and Celebrating Diversity” Issue Two
Black Social Enterprise
Historic Westside News
Calling Local Reporters,
Photographers and Artists.
The Historic Westside News is back!
Bigger and better than ever, this
newspaper covers Atlanta University
Center (AUC), Ashview Heights, English
Avenue, Vine City, Washington Park and
portions of Castleberry Hill and West
End. Our mission– Linking Neighbors
and Celebrating Diversity– says it all.
New school, old school or your school we
are looking for stories about your/our
communities. Submit stories and graphics
to [email protected]. See
your story ideas in print and distributed
throughout the community. Deadline is
Third Monday of each month.
Inside This Issue….
Mayor Reed and AHA Honor
Scholarship Recipients
PAGE 8
In April 2016, the UCN Community Engagement Team sponsored a mural competition, the beautiful
artwork “The Block Builders” is displayed outside the UCN Office at 227 Roach Street.
Community
Artist Profile
Series
PAGE 3
Crossroads Back
in Our Favor
PAGE 6
A few years ago I was given a powerful
small book entitled Let Your Life Speak
by Parker J. Palmer (1999). Though
small in size it is a very thought
provoking book. Palmer’s writing
confirmed that quiet voice that had
been calling me for some time, speaking
to my very personal quest for a deeper
understanding of my life purpose.
Having committed my life and
resources to the elimination of social
injustice and the disparities of being
Black in America, having fought the
good fight I awakened one day before
dawn to what I now affectionately call
my “Alfie” moment with the lyrics
“what’s it all about/ when you sort it
out Alfie…” echoing through my mind,
calling me to reconnect and refine my
vocation while enhancing the quality of
my relationships in my private and
public life.
I yearned to know on a very personal
level what my life has been all about “Is
it just for the moment we live?” Was I
on task with what God wanted me to
contribute as my gift to the world? Had
my contribution impacted my
community? Was it indeed better than I
had found it? Had I balanced my life?
Was my child ready for her journey? and
What would be my next move?
I recalled a shared vision that spoke of
the strength and beauty of
community. So inspired by the silent
voice singing “I know there’s
something much more/ Something
even non-believers can believe in,” we
continued to advocate for that vision
of an united Westside. The Universe
heard our call and the opportunity
emerged through Living Cities. The
dream is now a reality: Welcome to
the HISTORIC
WESTSIDE NEWS.
D. Makeda Johnson
Historic Westside News
Publishing Team
2 Historic Westside News June 2016
Publisher’s Corner
Support Team and Volunteers
Editorial Team
Production Director Kenton Clayton
Managing Editor D. Makeda Johnson
Managing Editor Brent Brewer
Community Content Editors:
Christi Jackson
Elizabeth Whitmore Hall
Gwendolyn Weddington
Gil Frank
Malika Saramaat Imhotep
Nasim M. Fluker
Terry Ross
Volunteer Writers, Poets and Artwork
Akua Taylor
Amisha Harding
Brent Brewer
Gil Frank
Gwendolyn Weddington
Mackenzie Madden
Malika Saramaat Imhotep
D. Makeda Johnson
Quavadas
Dr. Sheri Davis-Faulkner
Sneak Peak of
Next Issue
ITC Workforce Development
Organization Per Scholas
launches Atlanta office.
For class information, contact
Courtney Knight,
Also:
Solution Session Wrap Up
Black social enterprise is an intervention. A hustle with a heart. Commerce intended to directly impact the community it comes from. Black social enterprise may not be what we think of when we look up and down the historic stretch of MLK Jr. Drive, but it’s what has kept our communities running from the inside out. The local church fish fries, the candy lady, the pie selling auntie, the high school student mowing lawns, the clothing drives and car washes. Sitting at the Center for Civic Innovation’s Westside Innovation Lab Community Forum, it became apparent to me that the reach of black social enterprise lies somewhere between the things I learn in graduate school classrooms and the truths I grew up knowing. Give a historically underserved community the opportunity to share its ideas and they will struggle to pick just one.
Announced June 11th at the Westview Summer Solstice Celebration the pilot cohort of the Westside Innovation Lab includes the following black social entrepreneurs (more information on each at http://www.civicatlanta.org/blog/):
Taranji Alvarado and Jahil Mudavanha– landscaping
Keitra Bates– shared kitchen
Abiodun Henderson– urban grower
Naida Hill and Breanna Rice– coding
Richard Hinds– coffee import
Tiffany Jones and Cashawn Myers– urban gardner
Lateef Pyles– barbershop
Shawn Walton– bike co-operative
Looking at and beyond those who were selected to be in The Center’s pilot cohort, the social entrepreneurs of the Westside came to the table with pitches grounded in the ways they learned how to survive. Ways to utilize resources for a common good. Personalized bids for sustainability that create lucrative spaces for conversation, sustenance, and employment.
Malika Saramaat Imhotep is a proud Vine City resident currently working towards a doctoral degree in African Diaspora studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
By Malika Saramaat Imhotep
Quavadas likes to shine. Whether in her bedroom turned home studio or walking through Vine City with her white Pomeranian “Polo” in tow, Q always leaves behind a trail of glitter. The second oldest in her household, Quavadas discovered her natural gift for drawing and later painting by watching and emulating her older brother who graduated from Washington High School in 2015 with an award for his work in Fine Arts. In my living room with Polo lounging prince-like nearby she tells me this January she set her mind to “being absolutely fearless” and subsequently began taking her art seriously, entering her first competition January 7th with pieces meant to showcase her interpretation of power. Showing a great deal of maturity and resilience, she responded to losing that first show by committing herself to being more serious about her craft and getting comfortable in front of a crowd. After her second show just a month later she began receiving commissions from her friends at Clayton State University.
At the time of writing Quavadas has only been a self-proclaimed “serious artist” for six months, in that time she has been in two shows and sold more than five paintings. In just six months Q is on her way to developing a personal style aimed to showcase her creativity more than her technique by fusing acrylics, spray paint, and different metallic mediums with different elements of popular culture that she
finds interesting. She’s learned to not fear failure. To embrace struggle as part of the journey. A true millennial artist she uses social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to showcase her art and connect with other local artists.
Quavadas is inspired by good energy. People places and things that she finds positive, authentic and affirming of self. To see a young black woman of the Historic Westside so beautiful, self-aware, and confident in herself as both an artist and as a person is to encounter a well spring of #BlackGirlMagic. When asked what her artistic dream project would be, she pauses and blushes excitedly. She claims to have not given it much thought at this point in her career but glows when speaking of what it would mean to see her work in different people’s homes, to have her art travel internationally, to one day receive a call from Japan about her work.
All she asks of the Historic Westside community is support by way of promoting her art. If you happen to scroll through her Instagram Account (byQuavadas_f) or search the hashtag #QuavadasF and see something you like feel free to contact her for purchases and commissions. Otherwise, join in the mission of this Community Artist Profile Series by getting out the word that we have incredibly talented makers within our community who shine bright enough to guide us into the future.
June 2016 Historic Westside News 3
A Hustle With a Heart Continued from cover page ...
To advertise, submit story ideas and graphics, or volunteer, contact us at [email protected].
In Pursuit of Sparkle
4 Historic Westside News June 2016
The Supreme Court decision to let
States opt-out of extending Medicaid is
the reason that 11% of Georgians who
need insurance cannot get it or get
Medicaid. This year “too poor” to
qualify for coverage under the
Affordable Care Act means household
gross income of $11,770, which is
called the Federal Poverty Level.
Georgia as well as many other
Republican states decided to opt out of
the federal
money (which
they see as
Obama money),
choosing instead
to inflict pain on
their own people
in need of
coverage. The
response is therefore in the voting
booth but unfortunately, the
unpopularity of the Law does not help
rally the political power needed to force
the Legislature and the Governor to
affirm our Social Right to health care.
Thus we need to develop Health
insurance literacy and engage in citizen
education until citizens call for a more
just healthcare policy.
America’s health insurance system is
historically an employer-based system. It
is also the bread and butter of the union
movement, which negotiates the health
insurance benefits for their members.
Sometimes these benefits are the only
thing they negotiate thus health
insurance is a strong achievement and
bargaining piece for the unions. That is
why you can see them as strange
bedfellows with the employers on these
issues. For example unions joined
forces with employers to postpone the
“Cadillac Tax” on health care benefit
packages with extra expensive features
that will increase the cost of care for
everyone even though the benefits only
apply to the employees who receive
coverage under such packages.
The bottom line is that the law angered
many people because it is an implant on
a system which is basically driven by a
business structure of competitive
forces: Insurance companies, health care
providers and pharmaceutical
companies dealing with employers.
Only 49% of the insured are in this
system. Obamacare is a compromise to
extend this system to the 51% not
covered by employer provided
insurance. The right to affordable care
depends on an insurance system that
looks at the citizen as the core of health
coverage: children, women, self-
employed, youth, new immigrants,
underemployed. Families and
individuals. It must address health
coverage disparities, exposing health
disparities that affect communities of
color, the poor, the rural etc.
However, at this stage the flaws
addressed above are the product of
powerful interests that do not have any
commitment to the universality of
healthcare coverage. They can return to
their previous business model and will
not be sorry if Congress repeals the law.
They weaken
its support in
public opinion
even though
they would
have benefited
from a better
application of
affordable care policy. It has already
granted them 19 million more
customers. Yet between their narrow
interest and their declared mission they
made their choice.
Our choice is also clear. While we feel
disappointment and anger will we be
clever enough to continue to support
the law?
Will we understand that the core of it is
that health insurance is our right? We
must protect it, keep it portable (not
depending on employment), individual
and prove that both government and
private companies can deliver an
insurance system that works.
Gil Frank. Health Insurance Advocate.
Why People Became Angry with Obamacare
English Avenue and Vine City
Source: WCA Data Dashboard
Sister’s Action Team, Inc. launches Project Evaluate Needs Act Connect Train (ENACT) with its overarching goal to break the cycle of generational poverty in the Westside communities, and foster inclusionary integration between current and future residents. “We believe that by working with one family at a time, we will be able to support increased economic and social mobility” says their founder Makeda Johnson. Over the past few years, it has become clear that more and more of our families are trapped in an endless cycle of hopelessness and poverty. Project ENACT Identifies the skills, abilities, capacities and assets of local residents and empowers them to be proactive participants in their personal, family, and community transformation through the creation and implementation of personal and community wellness action plans. “Although there may be programs and resources available too often those who need these services the most are caught in a web of personal trauma that prevents their successful navigation through the assessment process ”. Through lay community health workers
Project ENACT provides supportive family and individual coaching services for residents of the Westside community to ensure their connectivity to available human capital development resources and to improve their successful navigation through perceived and real time barriers to economic and social mobility.
Local residents’ capacities are
identified and strengthened
Local residents are recruited and
trained as lay Community Health
Workers and Wellness Coaches
Project ENACT leverages their
relational capacity to effectively
reach their neighbors on an
interpersonal level as well as
enhancing cultural sensitivity.
Project ENACT builds upon and
enhances local residents’ working
knowledge of the socialization
patterns, established networks and
their passion to be a part of the
transformation process.
Project ENACT’s neighbor to
neighbor approach creates safe
spaces for improved communication
and trust development.
Project ENACT empowers local
residents with knowledge of health
disparities, protective intervention
strategies and knowledge of
resources available for them.
Join us at Neighborhood Union
Health Center Community Room
the 2nd Saturday, of each month
from 3-5 pm as we learn to REACH
FOR Wellness
July 9, 2016 – Healthy Home Summit
follow-up Emory Study
Steps to Self-Discovery –Coaching Series
August 13, 2016– Tune In and Turn On
September 10, 2016 – Building a Better Future
October 8, 2016 – Know Your Purpose
November 12, 2016 – Changing Undesired
Behavior
December 10, 2016 – Create a Personal
Development Plan
June 2016 Historic Westside News 5
To advertise, submit story ideas and graphics, or volunteer, contact us at [email protected].
Project ENACT Takes Action Against Poverty
Checks to “Vine City Press.”
6 Historic Westside News June 2016
TLW Brings Crossroads Back in Our Favor
Vine City Association
The Vine City Civic Association
(VCCA) team has been hard at work
during the first part of 2016. In
February and March, the organization
held successful community-wide
meetings to enable community services
providers and stakeholders to share
their services and plans with residents.
In March, the VCCA re-launched its
Parent Patrol Program which utilizes
community members to support the
safety of the community’s children as
they travel to and from school during
the morning and afternoon hours.
March also marked the first Economic
Development Committee of the year.
Last month, the VCCA partnered with
Quest CDC and Ashby Park
Apartments to hold the first of two
block parties which are designed to
provide a chance for the community to
come together, provide their insights
on community needs, and allow the
Association the opportunity to learn
more about the ways residents wish to
share their talents with the greater
community. In April, the VCCA also
hosted a its first Public Safety meeting
of the year, featuring Atlanta Police
Department’s Deputy Chief Joseph
Spillane and Major Quiller, and Karen
Rogers of the Atlanta Police
Foundation.
The VCCA is looking forward to working closely with residents and other stakeholders to leverage the tremendous assets and talents of Vine City’s residents. The Association is currently looking for community members to get involved in key leadership and volunteer roles in the community, including sector leaders, block captions for the Neighborhood Watch program and committee members for its Public Safety, Youth, Land Use, Economic Development and Health & Human Services committees. If you are interested in getting involved or wish to suggest candidates for key roles with the VCCA, please contact the VCCA at 404.781.9791 or [email protected]. You can also visit our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/HistoricVineCityCivicAssociation, to stay up to date on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.
By Brent Brewer
You are the bows from which your children as
living arrows are sent forth.
–Khalil Gibran “On Children”
According to Westside lore, the
intersection of Lawton Street and
Westview Drive is called “The
Crossroads.” One mile in any direction
has a significant destination for
Westside youth. Along Lawton, M.A.
Jones Elementary is at the center with
Brown Middle School to the south and
Washington High School to the north.
For all Westside youth, traversing north
and south is unavoidable. Yet everyday,
our youth make life choices that can
lead them one mile east to the Atlanta
University Center or a mile west to
Westview Cemetery. Good and bad
influences pull youth in either direction.
To be clear, “The Crossroads” is of our
making. This is our neighborhood now
and we have the choice to travel any
path, which was not always the case.
These choices we earned through the
Movement, the namesake of the eastern
path, Atlanta Student Movement
(formerly Fair Street). From the
Student Movement, a new day
illuminated safe passage for all toward
the eastern path. So many traveled that
path that it is well traveled. The
eastern path is uphill, so some of us
needed a lift but we got there. And
those who didn’t take the path are still
our family and friends. If we made it,
we thought the path was lit up like “The
Wiz’s” yellow break road, so we let the
second generation tackle the crossroads
alone. As graduation rates decline along
the North-South path of matriculation
in the Washington Cluster (2015
Washington High School graduation
rate is 77%), is the eastern path less
traveled again? If so, the village needs
to provide direction.
After six years of growing fresh
produce in the Old Fourth Ward, Truly
Living Well’s urban farm has relocated
to Lawton Street. Truly Living Well’s
relocation to “The Crossroads” is a
historic beacon in the right direction.
Truly Living Well provides a fresh crop
of positive foot traffic, role models, and
fresh healthy food to support healthy
choices.
Brent Brewer , a West End resident, is the
publisher of the Our West End Newsletter.
By: Dr. Sheri Davis-Faulkner
If ladders out of poverty
Reached as high as the stadium’s cranes
Then current Westside residents
Would not fear that every rain
Might erode our few cracked sidewalks
And overrun storm drains
Or that rising rents and property taxes
Might undermine slim gains.
There would be summer camps and maker spaces,
Museums, archives, and more
That our children, from the cradle
Would be eager to explore.
They’d go to CAU, GSU, Spelman, Morris Brown, Morehouse, and Tech.
And graduate to jobs that pay
A regular paycheck.
We would launch small businesses,
Restore the fine old homes
And profit from the produce
Our urban gardens have grown.
We’d stroll the sidewalks to mass transit
Where timely routes would connect
Parents to work, elders to church
And youth to exercise at the rec.
Then we’d feel like part of the city
With Dr. King’s “Genuine Equality” attained
And we’d always have the price of tickets
To cheer at Falcons games.
We had been riding around all day
looking at houses so when my parents,
son, realtor and I pulled up to my future
home, it seemed to glow in the
springtime sun. We unlatched the gate
and walked up to a large bungalow slate
porch. Ooohs and aahs followed as we
entered the home and found beautiful
hardwood floors and high ceilinged
rooms unfolding before us like a
blossoming flower. My son ran upstairs
and picked out his room with
confidence, which sealed the deal for
me, because if my baby felt at home,
this was the place for us.
I worked hard to get to this point,
played by all the rules and finally, I
arrived at home buying. Owning
property was something that was
instilled in me at a young age; my
parents literally groomed us to one-day
buy a house. It was one of my primary
adulthood goals, a true benchmark of
achievement. I started with an Invest
Atlanta introductory workshop and
continued down the path with an eight-
hour class on the process. I will never
forget the moment I received my pre-
approval call from Bank South, I felt
like I had clicked my heels three times
and I was on my way home. Then the
real work began, with the loan
application and fine tooth combing
through my very existence. The bank
asked me to document every moment in
my job history, account for every penny
I’ve ever earned, prove my identity,
donate my bone marrow, sign away my
first born, the whole nine. And through
it all, I stayed focused on the real goal:
foundation under my feet.
Near the end of the home buying
journey, I got completely cold feet. Fear
enveloped me like a vice grip. Whispers
of crime in the area tickled my
imagination; news reports validated my
worries, genuine concern for our lives
caused me to cancel the contract I had
on my glowing home. I called my
church mentor and she advised me to
go in, shut everything down and pray
about it. I decided to take a day of
silence, no phones, no social media, just
me and my Creator. A mission was laid
on my heart to enter this community
and be a pillar of change. I got the
sense that this home was not just for
me, it would be a space for gathering,
organizing, and uniting. I received
reassurance that we would be all right. I
called my realtor and the contract was
back on.
Closing took four hours and was filled
with drama. Sometimes when
everything is chaotic, its confirmation
that you’re doing the right thing, for
what is progress without struggle?
Bank South was able to layer four
programs on top of my loan, nearly
slashing the cost of my house in half. I
signed off on a historically low
mortgage, which made my first home
very affordable, a huge triumph for a
single mom. It is doable! I moved in
on the same day and immediately began
meeting my neighbors. My first few
weeks were filled with sounds of
gunshots in the area and lots of
sleepless nights. I laid low, clandestinely
coming and going only with necessity.
Eventually I found my way to the
Ashview Heights neighborhood
association and connected with others
who care about the improvement of our
community. With my roots firmly
planted, it was time to get to work.
Change is coming to the Westside, and
I am going to be a part of it.
Journey to My First Home
June 2016 Historic Westside News 7
To advertise, submit story ideas and graphics, or volunteer, contact us at [email protected].
Ladders and Cranes
Akua Taylor, owner
and operator of
Ashview Heights BNB,
is a native of
Milwaukee WI, a
graduate of Fisk
University, a singer and
a mother.
Change is coming to the Westside,
and I am going to be a part of it.
ATLANTA (June 20, 2016) — Ten scholarship recipients from Atlanta’s Choice Neighborhoods communities were honored on June 20, 2016 at City Hall and presented with scholarships totaling $20,000. The scholarship program is part of the $30 million University Choice Neighborhood (UCN) grant that demonstrates the City of Atlanta’s and AHA’s commitment to help foster educational excellence. “We are proud to present these academic awards to former residents of University Homes, graduating seniors of Washington High School and residents of Ashview Heights, Vine City, and the Atlanta University Center,” said Joy Fitzgerald, president and CEO of AHA. “AHA strongly encourages lifelong learning as an integral component of its vision of building vibrant communities and encouraging individual self-sufficiency.” "We know that expanding access to affordable, quality education is one of the most important ways to increase economic opportunity and strengthen our city," said Mayor Kasim Reed. "It is
my hope that with the support of the University Choice Neighborhood Scholarship, young women and men who have grown up in some of our most challenged neighborhoods will be armed with the academic tools to excel and contribute to the revitalization of their communities." The University Choice Neighborhood Scholarship (UCNS) is a one-time scholarship award for graduating seniors
at Washington High School, residents of the former University Homes, or residents within the University Choice Neighborhood who will be entering a two- or four-year college or university as a freshman this fall. The 10 scholars each received laptop computers with a bag filled with accessories, a Visa Gift Card, and a check mailed to their prospective college or university. The total award is valued at $2000 per student. The scholars and the colleges they will attend are: Ismail Abdul-Hakim: Tennessee State University Niyah Allen: Spelman College Talahia Barden: Savannah State
University Devin Brown: Savannah State University Jacque Henley: Brevard College Shantavious Pace: Middle Georgia State University Venise Ivey: Georgia State University Jhazzmyn Joiner: Georgia Institute of Technology ReAna Thompson: Oakwood University Antavious Williams: Savannah State University
Mayor Reed and AHA Honor Scholarship Recipients
8 Historic Westside News June 2016
First row from Left to Right: Niyah Allen, Venise Ivey, Talahia
Barden, Jhazzmyn Joiner (Washington High School Valedictorian),
Mayor Kasim Reed, ReAna Thompson, and Jacque Henley.
Second Row from Left to Right: Devin Brown, Shantavious Pace, and
Antavious Williams.