Honoring the Past, Building a Future
Stand on one of the streets in Wards 1–4. There is no crime happening before your eyes, no sirens or flashing lights. But its presence is everywhere, in the silence, in the shuttered homes, in the caution that has settled into the air. Crime is not visible in the moment, but it lingers in what … Continue reading Rocky Mount, NC: You Fix Neighborhoods By Making Them Safe:
Star Street I don’t rattle easily. But last Thursday evening, after sharing a slice of pizza and plenty of laughs with Denise, the energetic Fun Director at Sky-Vue Skateland, I drove to the Happy Hill neighborhood in Rocky Mount. I had my phone camera in hand, planning to check on the state of things since … Continue reading A White Woman with a Camera: My Happy Hill Mission
A Great Website -Buildingshalom.org One of my fondest memories: Walking towards the Jaffe Gate in Jerusalem. On his knees, a gardener was weeding in a large green space along the Old City Wall. As I passed him, he looked up, smiled. He said to me, "Shalom." From time to time I revisit this memory and … Continue reading Building Shalom: Rocky Mount, NC
I'm sure like me, you have opinions about things that need better understanding before putting them out there. In my case I'm referring to the Census that took place in 2023. My concern is how the Census impacts a historic neighborhood like Happy Hill. Happy Hill in Ward 4 has been shifted to Ward 2. … Continue reading Census Change: Happy Hill Shifted To Ward 2 – How’s It Working Out
Sasha had tried to plant melons in his vegetable garden, they had never grown. He had tried two years in a row, nothing doing, the melons refused to grow. The following year, he had thrown the rest of the melon seeds to the birds. Further away, at the back of the vegetable garden, where there … Continue reading Let’s Keep Growing ‘Melons’In Rocky Mount, NC
800 Tarboro Street - Home of Jean Bailey and Family I went to the Edgemont Community Association (HECA)meeting Tuesday night (7:00PM) at St. Marks on 1150 Tarboro St. Are you in need of prayer? Reverend Robert Yarborough is the man to see. This white lady wanted to shout afterward, hallelujah, and that's bold for an … Continue reading Historic Edgemont Community Association – Meeting Angels Unaware in Rocky Mount, NC
Main Street Rocky Mount 