Historical Summer 2023 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
This issue I have been thinking of a huge ‘hats off’ to those with decades long perseverance. Our community is facing many challenges – short term rentals, speculative absent buyers purchasing single family homes, and the latest, the choice for the Catholic Church to close the St. Roch Parish (a cornerstone of our community for over 100 years), just to name a few.
There are many families in our neighborhood that have been fighting for its stability and diversity for decades. Sadly, some of these pioneers are now aging out of our neighborhood and we are losing the stories of their fights for our benefit. Having neighborhood art fairs and parties to bring people together but also marching and protesting inequities and bias. Instead of leaving the neighborhood, they fought institutional racism and redlining and even opened their own bank because established banks wouldn’t make loans for our neighborhood. Luckily our SDCC board seems energized and excited about possibilities.
We are seeing more and younger volunteers bring their energy and ideas.
There is always more to do. Neighbors can start by just getting to know each other. Say hello, keep your porch lights lit, and look our for each other.
As I was feeling overwhelmed a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from a neighbor that simply said, don’t forget that street cleaning is this week, remember to move your cars. That’s all it takes.
The first step in developing a community. Care about one another.
I am still hopeful.
In the meantime, when you see wrong – like the closure of one of our faith institutions – fight like hell to right it.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 2023.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Printed look our for each other retained.
Original source: SD_Times2023_06.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
