First Time Voter

On election day, I proudly voted for the very first time. My son Camron was with me. I still have and will forever have the sticker that the volunteer gave him that day that read, "my vote counted". I will not even begin to describe the significance that day had for both of our lives. I could not even begin to articulate it. It will forever be etched into my mind. The upcoming inauguration is sure to renew those feelings felt on that day. My young family will be together, watching the historic moments unfold.

As we exit the excitement of the election and inauguration of our new president, it is important that we do not let the lessons we learned in this election fade away. We have learned many important things. The first being that our votes really do count.

We must carry this momentum into the upcoming local elections. Our local elected officials have a greater influence on the daily life we live here in Dallas. Our representatives are sent to represent our ideals, values, hopes, and we must be active in the selection of the individuals who represent us.

An article written by Gerald Britt for the Dallas Morning News noted,
"In 2004, for instance, voter turnout in South Dallas was almost 5 points below the anemic citywide turnout of registered voters in the fall (24.1 percent in South Dallas to 28.9 percent throughout Dallas). The lowest voter turnout was near the Fair Park area, at about 16 percent."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/northsouth/viewpoints/stories/DN-britt_24edi.State.Edition1.193e59e.html
From researching future projects and plans for district 7, I know that we are a top concern of many initiatives in the development of Southern Dallas. So involvement from our community is essential in seeing that our neighborhood's issues are addressed. Yet we have the lowest turn out, the lowest involvement in the city. We can not stand by and hope that our issues will have the best representation, we need to actively choose that representation.

Another thing that we learned from this election season is that the first time voters and young voter populations can really make their voices heard. It made the difference in the election of our new president.

Our new President can only do so much from his new house in Washington. It would be naive for us to think that just because he is in office everything will be different. It is our local government and legislation that effects us in our daily life. We have to take responsibility in putting the best individuals into office and check up on them throughout their terms to make sure that we are representing us as they said they would.

Dallas City Council Awards Joppa Community

At the January 7th 2009 City Council Briefings, Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Carraway recognized individuals from the Joppa community, Dallas Police, Neiman Marcus, and volunteers for their work in revitalizing the district 4 neighborhood. There were about 35 individuals present to receive awards. It was very inspiring to hear what a group of responsible adults had been able to accomplish.

This effort is a brand new start for the Joppa community. My neighborhood is in need of the same efforts. All I could think while watching the presentation was - We need a piece of that pie over here in Wheatley Place.

So, this week I will really take action on making this happen. To any readers who are out there, please pray for me that I will find clarity in my mission and the confidence to get it started. It will not be easy, I am not quite sure even where to start. I will also have to confront personal issues like being shy and a fear that people will misunderstand my intentions. But I can not allow myself to be my road block. And I can not continue to sit by and hope that another will feel the responsibility and duty and step up to make the changes I want to see. The change lies within myself.

The first thing I did was to contact my city councilmember Ms. Carolyn Davis. I emailed her late last week and am eagerly waiting for some sort of reply. Besides her being my elected representative, she is an inspiration to me in her commitment to our district. My hopes were that she could give me information about how the efforts were started in the Joppa Community and if there are any organizations in our local area that are already involved in a clean up such as the one in Joppa. I would rather jump aboard the train than be the conductor anyway.

I see what a sense of renewal it has given the Joppa Community. Most of my community was established nearly 80 years ago. It desperately needs a renaissance.

This week I will update this blog on the efforts I am making to get this up and running.

What is a Blog Anyway?

When I started this blog, I did not even what a blog was. I never really spent much time on the Internet before I started researching South Dallas. My research lead me to a few excellent blogs. I was able to take topics I read about on those blogs, put them in the search engine and continue to do my research. I finally decided to start my own blog to put my frustrations into words, help my family and friends to understand why I feel so committed to South Dallas, and be a source for information about South Dallas much like these blogs were for me.

I only wish I could write eloquently about issues I feel so strongly about. I have wondered if I picked the wrong career path. At times, I feel as though I am at a loss for answers. If my educational background was in political science, law, business, journalism or any other field that would help me understand the issues that my neighborhood faces, maybe I could be more effective. But interior design is the artistic outlet that my mind requires in order to function correctly. I know I have made the right choice for myself. My interest is in historic preservation and adaptive re-use (http://architecture.about.com/od/preservation/g/reuse.htm)

which is what my neighborhood needs anyway, so it may all come together in the end anyway.

I have always thought that the best education is earned through hands on learning. Where my formal education is lacking, community involvement will pick up the slack. The best way to learn about what the community needs and how to solve it is to get out there and know what is going on, and by listening to and surrounding myself with people who do know. I have searched for ways to get involved with local organizations and churches and now that the quarter has started at school and things are starting to settle down, I will take the opportunities to be involved. I am learning how important it is to be in tune with things going on in the local government, and will attempt to bring the information that directly effects us in district 7 and the Fair Park area to the forefront.

I am first and foremost a mother. Everything I do these days is for the benefit of my son, I am not too understanding to others who do not operate on those same terms. At this point, his world is whatever I make it. That alone is very empowering, I can not turn away from that responsibility. I want to live happily and safely in my home, with my family. I want to feel the same way about what lies outside of our walls. What is living in a house if you do not love the neighborhood just as much?

I don't know what the expectations are for a blog, and I am not really interested in finding out. This blog would probably not measure up anyway. Although I try desperately to accurately make my point, I do not have all the answers, this blog is more of a journey through what I am learning through this experience. Creating a blog seemed like the easiest way to examine the challenges my community faces, expose false assumptions about my neighborhood, and confront the issues that keep us from being a better neighborhood.

Family Nerd

I have recently become the family nerd. I steal the chance to watch imedia Dallas stations and the public access channel 16 any chance I get. Between Elmo, Blues Clues, Disney Channel and ESPN (especially Sports Center with all of the daily re-runs) I can hardly catch a full show. During renovations and financial hardships we went without cable. I had no idea that these channels existed and now, I can hardly turn them off. I admit it I have become a nerd, I am a little embarrassed to admit it. My fiance and his 8 year old son make jokes about it whenever they see the channels on. But last night, I forced my fiance to sit down and watch the Mayor's 360 Degree program discussing Fair Park and the neighborhoods around it. He too became very interested in all that was said. It opened his eyes a little to the things I have been talking so excitedly about for months. He may just become a nerd too.

Stray Animals

Since the city began sweeping the streets for stray animals I see a huge difference in the number of animals out roaming. I thank the city for these efforts and hope that it continues. It will be up to the citizens to see that this makes a long term difference by spaying and neutering their animals and keeping animals from running loose.

Revitalizing a Neighborhood

While it is clear that I enjoy living in South Dallas, my neighborhood faces many challenges. Among the challenges we face is the process of Revitalization of our neighborhood. Here are the greatest obstacles that see we face in rebuilding our neighborhood.

• Poorly established, un-kept parks


• Poor maintenance of commercial/retail buildings


• Few or no neighborhood markers


• Insufficient street lighting


• Code compliance issues


• Illegal dumping and litter

These problems are caused by both inhabitants of the neighborhood and negligence by city departments. Many other neighborhoods in Southern Dallas face the same challenges.

Few or no neighborhood markers

I could go on about this for hours, but I will save that for another post! Not only is my neighborhood, Wheatley Place, recognized by the city as historically significant but it is also recognized by the nation. It was designated on the National Registry for Historic Districts. Our neighborhood does not enjoy any markers stating its significance. The city should recognize our significance and provide us with street signage (more of it please) and neighborhood markers. This description of Wheatley Place was found on Soul of America .com http://www.soulofamerica.com/dallas-historic-sites.phtml:

Wheatley Place Historic District Named for the poet Phyllis Wheatley, this district, consisting mostly of wood frame bungalows dating from 1916 to the mid-1930s, is one of Dallas’ first planned residential areas for Black families. It was constructed in an effort to segregate African American housing in Dallas in the early 20th century; attracted Black ministers and business leaders; bounded by Warren, Atlanta, McDermott, Meadow, Oakland and Dathe Streets

If you visit this site you will also see many other historically significant districts that are nearly right in our neighborhood's "backyard".

Insufficient street lighting

This has become a hot topic lately all for good reasons. If an area is high in crime, you would think lighting would be considered important. In the 90's, the city put up old fashioned street lights along the heavily traveled streets in my neighborhood. They are great and add a lot of character, however the light bulbs have burned out and not been replaced.

Illegal dumping and litter

This issue is something South Dallas is probably known for. Like I have stated, I have grown up in the suburbs so this is all a little new to me. Some of my neighbors leave their trash out to be picked up weeks before the bulk trash truck even comes around. Many times the trash has been dumped in front of an abandoned building. I am so embarrassed to ask anyone to come to my neighborhood if they will see piles of trash lining our streets. This is probably the most frustrating thing for me to see, why would anyone care so little about the place that they live that they would make themselves and others have to live with such mess? I am originally from Colorado. A naturally beautiful state where if you litter out your car window, you may just get run off the road because people there share a desire to keep it beautiful and have no respect for those who don't. This is a problem that the citizens must come together on. Trash is particularly bad around the highways and this is due to other citizens of Dallas who trash our neighborhood.

From previous posts I have made, one might think, "Is she talking about South Dallas as in Dallas, TX because that is not the South Dallas I know." I admit I am endlessly optimistic about South Dallas but I do take an honest approach to the issues we face. It is time for the people and the city to take care of these issues together so that Revitalization can truly occur.

What Will 2009 Have For South Dallas?

I am new to South Dallas, I have been in South Dallas now for about 2 1/2 years. South Dallas has seen great progress this year, and 2009 appears to be up and moving and the future looks brighter every day.

However, I am aware of the history of unfulfilled promises to South Dallas. I stay connected with things going on in City Hall through their website (dallascityhall.com). I visit the websites dedicated to redevelopment of South Dallas, such as, Southfair and ICDC. I visit Dwaine Caraway's (Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dallas City Council District 4) website hoping there will be a new update about what he is doing in my neck of the woods. I frequently look for articles relating to South Dallas on The Dallas Observer and The Dallas Morning News websites. And I recently found local government access channels 16 and 95 where I can watch City Council Meetings and other related shows. All sources seem to agree that there are great expectations for this time being the right time for change in South Dallas. But this has all been promised before. People have rallied around these ideas for decades! Literally. Just go to D Magazine website and search for articles about South Dallas. You will see articles from the 70's and 80's all exploring what needs to be done to bring South Dallas up to par with other parts of the city. Imagine what South Dallas could be today if those plans and ideas had become reality instead of continuing down the path of neglect.

With all eyes now focused on the potential economic development of the Southern part of Dallas, City Hall would be foolish to allow the opportunities for meaningful change slip away yet again. I fully believe they have the power over anyone or any corporation to make a significant change. The people are and have been ready to work with City Hall, as long as they measure up to their promises. The current City Council and Mayor are the most capable of bringing about change.

Another very important factor in the success of South Dallas comes in changing the built in mentality of South Dallas and the residents there. This will be the ultimate task. Recently an article was published on Dallas Morning News website regarding the perception State Fair visitors have of the immediate area around Fair Park (Tod Robberson: State Fair, South Dallas Worlds Apart. Tues. Oct. 21, 2008).
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/northsouth/viewpoints/stories/DN-robberson_22edi.State.Edition1.26fe299.html.
I found many things said to be personally insulting. People continue to place everyone in a box. The number one thing that 2008 has taught me is that I love my part of the city. People could not be more wrong about South Dallas. I live right outside of Fair Park on the Southwest side of the Martin Luther King Blvd Entry to Fair Park. The article stated that people leave the fair and exit South Dallas as soon as possible, taking with them potential economic contribution. The article questioned if there were more options for dining and entertainment, would fair goers even have the nerve to visit such establishments? I for one was cautious of this exact same thing as you can tell by earlier posts. I have been happily surprised that my worries were laid to rest. In order for South Dallas to receive the economic development it so desperately needs, we must change the negative perception held by other Dallas residents.

South Dallas is rich in culture, with excellent restaurants and other things to do. Stay tuned for a post regarding this.

I proudly tell others that I live in South Dallas. To me, it is the most up and coming part of the city. I look at the development along Baylor and the Cedars area and pray the development continues to reach us in the Fair Park area. I think about the people of South Dallas and how deserving they are of a clean and safe environment to raise their kids and grow old. South Dallas is filled with wonderful people who just want the city to keep the promises they have kept for other parts of the city. This community has fought so hard for change and will continue to do so whether or not the real change really comes. Because of a few, residents are grouped into negative stereotypes that do not honestly reflect the character of the majority.

I was recently encouraged to continue this blog. You will hear much more from me in 2009. Thank you to everyone for your support. May God Bless, and may 2009 bring renewed dreams and aspirations.