This is Community

Having the courage and confidence to take on leadership isn't always easy, but in the case of Mashonda Taylor, Executive Director of Woodlawn Foundation and Valencia King, president of the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association in Birmingham, Alabama's Woodlawn neighborhood, it was inevitable. This conversation reveals the influence strong, Black, female leaders are having in the Woodlawn community in Birmingham, AL. Their collaboration and partnership is helping to bring about holistic community revitalization and creating healthier places for residents.

Now more than ever, we need to show communities that have been impacted by a long legacy of racism and race-based inequality that we can do better.

One key to that is to increase collaboration.

In this bonus episode of This is Community Logan Herring, Sr., executive director of Purpose Built Communities Network Member REACH Riverside--an organization working to improve opportunities and outcomes for residents in the Riverside neighborhood of Wilmington Delaware, talks to Delaware Senator Chris Coons about working across those silos that exist in federal programs designed to address poverty.

This conversation took place at the first-ever virtual Purpose Built Communities Annual Conference in November of 2020.

The research is clear: for too many Americans, zip codes determine destinies. In other words, the places in which we are born and grow up have a greater impact on our life outcomes than any other single determinant, including genetics. But is there a new movement taking place in community development, philanthropy, and policy that is responding to the overwhelming evidence of the importance of place in fighting poverty? In this bonus episode of This is Community we hear from Geoffrey Canada, Founder and President of the Harlem Children’s Zone; Carol Naughton, President and Interim CEO of Purpose Built Communities; and Kwame Owusu-Kesse, CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone who are coming together to answer this question. This conversation was moderated by Othello Meadows, Managing Director, Portfolio Strategy & Initiatives at Blue Meridian, and took place in late 2020 at the Purpose Built Communities Virtual Annual Conference.

As the COVID-19 vaccine has been made available, we consider the racial inequities and historical mistreatment of Black and Brown communities in research and within the health care system. Suffice it to say, that relationship has been somewhat tenuous over the years.

In this special episode of This Is Community, Danny Shoy, President and CEO of the East Lake Foundation, facilitates a Facebook live conversation about the COVID-19 vaccine with Dr. Jayne Morgan, Clinical Director of the Covid Taskforce for Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. Thanks for tuning in as Dr. Morgan answers some of the most pressing questions and concerns about the vaccine. It is our hope this conversation about the COVID-19 vaccine helps create awareness intentionally through a racial equity and social justice lens.

“IT ALL GOES BACK TO RACIST POLICIES AND PRACTICES.”

In this episode, hear more about how the Riverside neighborhood is similar to other Black and brown communities, as well as how they are different. Their response to the current reality has focused on a holistic approach for addressing community needs-—particularly creating a forum for teens. Find out more at purposebuiltcommunities.org/podcast.

“WE ARE ACTUALLY SOLVING THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO SOLVE FOR A LONG TIME AND THINKING INNOVATIVELY AND NOT LOOKING AT BARRIERS SO MUCH ANYMORE.”

Hear more about how Woodlawn United is serving as the stable force in a historic Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood amidst the pandemic, convening community partners to help them pivot and adjust. Find out more at purposebuiltcommunities.org/podcast.

THIS [COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT] WORK DOES NOT HAPPEN UNLESS YOU'RE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP.

Being proximate and cultivating relationships is difficult to do when everyone is intentionally distancing from each other to support public health. Hear how Network Member AmplifyGR in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is cultivating relationships—even amidst crisis—with for nonprofit and for-profit organizations, aligning around a common purpose to create a healthier community. Find out more at purposebuiltcommunities.org/podcast.

"ALREADY HAVING PARTNERSHIPS AND ALREADY UNDERSTANDING THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY IS WHERE WE EXCELLED.”

Hear how thoughtful, historic investments in children, affordable housing, and all aspects of the social determinants of health are setting up the Bayou District of New Orleans for meaningful recovery. Find out more at purposebuiltcommunities.org/podcast.

“LIFE STRESSORS ARE SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US DEAL WITH EVERY SINGLE DAY. BUT IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT PEOPLE AND FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY FACE DISPROPORTIONATE AND COMPOUNDING CIRCUMSTANCES.”

In this episode, we hear about how in Omaha, Nebraska, the trifecta of crises—health, economic and racial justice—are affecting poor and Black and brown communities. Find out more at purposebuiltcommunities.org/podcast.

“WHEN CRISIS HITS, IT IS CRITICAL TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ASSESS THE LANDSCAPE AND IDENTIFY THE TRAUMA.”

Residents in the Grove Park neighborhood on Atlanta’s westside have been hit particularly hard by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving an estimated 75 percent of residents unemployed. In this episode, we hear what is transpiring on the ground and how the Grove Park Foundation pivoted for a swift crisis response. Find out more at purposebuiltcommunities.org/podcast.