Ms. Harrison and Ms. Johnson at the Resident Circle meeting. |
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
By Magdalene Brea
The mission of Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation is to build the wealth and enhance the physical, economic and social well-being of Roxbury and other underserved populations in greater Boston through a community driven process that promotes self-sufficiency and neighborhood revitalization. On March 19, 2009, the first of many Resident Circle neighborhood meetings was held in Nuestra’s Ann & George Macomber Learning Center at Stafford Heights. The purpose of this meeting was for residents living near the Blue Hill Avenue and Dudley Street intersections of Roxbury to meet one another. Attendees were encouraged to share their personal stories and express their concern for issues in their communities. For some, this was the first time formally meeting their neighbors. Bringing these residents together was an educational experience for all, since there were so many different ethnicities and backgrounds present. The overall goal of these meetings is to have residents advocate for themselves to better serve their community. We hope that they will unite behind common causes that challenge all members of the neighborhood. At the same time Nuestra is beginning the Resident Circle meetings, another community group has already begun to address community issues directly. The Howard Dacia Neighborhood held their second Neighborhood Watch meeting on April 9, 2009. This community is already beginning to tackle issues that involve their neighborhood and those that surround it. Some of these concerns include blight caused by foreclosed properties, prostitution, lack of services, security, police patrols, violence, theft, drugs and unattended children in the streets. As a kick off to their group’s direct action, on Saturday, April 18th, residents of the neighborhood came together with Boston University volunteers to remove garbage from key sites in the area and throw a block party. This community association’s top priority is responding to drug dealing and prostitution increases connected with the with additional vacant foreclosed properties within the neighborhood. Both groups are helping promote community building and empowerment among the residents. While these gatherings have promoted open communication among all in attendance, it has also given the residents a feeling of reassurance that their neighbors have the same concerns about the challenges facing their community and that the solution lies in working together to solve these problems.
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