The Literacy Lab’s Post

Libraries are on the mend after pandemic challenges. Check out this article to see how federal funding and community love bring them back stronger than ever! https://lnkd.in/eXw9Wae7 #libraries #community #pandemicrecovery #strongertogether

Contribute to the preservation of Linden Avenue’s history in Redding, CA. Share your family's stories and memories, along with any photos or news clippings you may have. We’ll digitize these items to safeguard the history of this predominantly Black neighborhood, raising awareness through published documents, photos, and oral histories from residents and their descendants. About the Project: "History and Housing" is a collaborative project led by Civic Hacker Network, involving experts, community members, and students. Together, we are creating a living, interactive digital asset (an ArcGIS StoryMap) about the creation and dismantling of a predominantly Black neighborhood in Redding, CA. Workshop Location: 📍 Linden Apartments, Redding CA The Community Room **This location is significant because the apartments were built on the lot where the ABC Store, a small grocery store owned by Black women, once served the old neighborhood. Upcoming Events: 📅 Friday, September 27th: 1 to 4 p.m. 📅 Tuesday, October 22: 6 to 8 p.m. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. #socialgood #history #Redding

Planting roots for a family legacy! 🌳🏡 When building a family home, consider the quality of local schools. Let's craft a dream space where education blooms alongside every cherished moment. 📚🌟 #FamilyHomeEducation #DreamsWithDepth #kingfoundation #landforsale"

On this Labor Day, more often than not, we are continuing to grapple with shoestring resources that typically accrue for community organizing and capacity building efforts within public agency led processes. All in service of improving and strengthening our cities and regions: better access to food, homes, transit, parks, schools and jobs, stronger adaptation and resilience preparation to the ill effects of climate change and other emergent community needs. It doesn’t have to be this way. As novel examples illustrate well across several community constellations in California alone—Allensworth Progressive Association in Allensworth, 40 x 40 Council in Oakland, Santa Ana Shared Financing Collective in Santa Ana and others—communities are flipping the script and orchestrating the future of their own neighborhoods. When we as communities assert power and articulate our collective visions we can attract resources in abundance. This is no mirage! This is a snapshot of an alternate reality that can be true for more communities and must be a reason to not mourn but celebrate today—the promise held within community’s collective labor. #CommunityVision #CommunityPower #AbundantResources #LaborDay

Even when people try to do the right thing, NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) gets in the way. ============" In San Jose, Calif., the average cost to build just one unit of low-income housing shot up by 24% in 2022 alone, hitting a new high of $938,700, or roughly what it costs to buy a three-bedroom bungalow there, according to an October report commissioned by the city. San Francisco permitted 856 housing units this year through October. New Braunfels, Texas, which is one-eighth the size of San Francisco by population, permitted 1,940 units in the same period, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development." https://lnkd.in/gTMzs_mS

"Your opinion matters! 🌟 Help shape the future of our parks, programs, and events by filling out the Peoria Park District Community Survey. 📝 Your feedback helps us better serve YOU and our community! 👉 Take a few minutes to share your thoughts: [link] Let's work together to make Peoria's parks even better for everyone! 🌳🎉 #PeoriaParks #CommunitySurvey #YourVoiceMatters #BetterTogether"

Any time I get overwhelmed at the Herculean tasks that might be in front of me, I just think back to Chief Engineer William Gooding. Gooding was tasked with building a 96-mile canal through muddy, rocky, swampy, and insect-infested terrain to connect Lake Michigan to the Illinois River and thus provide an all-water route from the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico. He was beset by economic crises, labor shortages, the near bankruptcy of the state of Illinois and meddling politicians. Yet, he persisted. And, after 12 years, he was able to open the I&M Canal in April 1848, (hence the reason we've been celebrating the 175th Opening of the Canal over the last year). As a result, the Midwest exploded and Chicago grew into a booming metropolis. Read (or listen to!) the story on our Substack: https://lnkd.in/g4kS7bhQ 📸 @trails774 **** Unfamiliar with Substack? Here are some tips: 1) Click the link above. The landing page may ask you if you would like to subscribe. Please do! Then, you'll receive an email every time we add a new Canal Story. 2) Subscribing is FREE. Just make sure to look for and click the free option. Or, you can choose one of the paid donation options, which will help fund our programming throughout the year. 3) More questions? Reach out. We're happy to help. #iandmcanal #iandmcanal175th #illinois #community #storytelling #enjoyillinois #history #historymatters #nationalheritagearea #illinoiscommunity #chicago #visitillinois #illinoistourism #americanhistory

Today is #Juneteenth, the federal holiday recognizing this date in 1865 when slaves in #Texas were told they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Some migrated to #Indiana and stayed until their death and were buried in segregated cemeteries. One site was recently uncovered at a proposed location for a new 20,000-seat sports stadium in Indianapolis. The discovery has paused the project for now. Eunice Trotter, director of the Black Heritage Preservation Program for the nonprofit Indiana Landmarks, said the cemetery is one of many. "All over Indiana, there are Black cemeteries that are attached, typically to AME churches," Trotter explained. "The African American population was buried in the city's first cemetery, which opened in 1821 in the area between Kentucky Avenue and White River. And of course, there was segregation then, like there is even still today." The stadium proposal includes connecting the east and west bank to White River, with the future Henry Street Bridge across the lower southern area of the cemetery. City officials own almost two of 24 acres at the site. Trotter estimates at least 650 burials are there. The price tag for excavation and memorialization is $12 million. As accusations grow of increased efforts to erase Black history in America, there are fears more segregated cemeteries nationwide are being eyed for future projects. Trotter noted these locations present the least resistance. "They are in areas where the land is typically devalued, disinvestment, and abandonment," Trotter pointed out. "They become easy targets for development. Even here in Indiana, farmers who plant crops over cemeteries, when they are tending to their farm, they uncover headstones." In 2020, #Congress signed the African American Burial Grounds Network Act into law. The measure establishes a National Park Service program to provide grants and technical assistance to local partners to research, identify, survey and preserve Black cemeteries.

Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts .We are at our best when we serve others. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. #Philanthropy #ParksAndRecreation #CommunitySupport #HelpingOthers #Civilization #CommunityWellness #PublicParks #RecreationForAll #ServeOthers #SupportParks #CommunityPhilanthropy #WellnessThroughParks #ParksMatter #TogetherWeThrive #BuildingCommunity

I believe it is time to review my paper with Patrick Bixler, Dr. Vedlitz at Texas A&M University - The Bush School of Government and Public Service, William Brown, published in early 2024. This paper presents examples of emergency situations in Texas, similar to the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl that we are currently experiencing. Houstonians are facing significant outages, and marginalized populations are more severely impacted by the resulting damages and extreme weather. In this context, the role of nonprofits in enhancing community resilience is becoming increasingly important. This paper offers insights that may inform the development of community resilience policies. https://lnkd.in/guATXvxR