Real Hartford

More than Violent Acts

Hartford cares. Hundreds from Hartford and surrounding towns showed up to prove this. In the crowd, I spotted a former student of mine from a few years back, a former professor of mine from even more years back, and two colleagues–one from each place I’m employed at. There was an unofficial bloggers’ seating section, where innocent, objective reporters were being plied with strawberries by an unnamed city official. Under canopies, a dozen community groups set up to hand out literature, candy, magnets, and let people know what they offered. Knox Parks Foundation, Rebuilding Hartford, My Sister’s Place, CREC, Community Renewal Team, and Hartford Public Access were among these organizations.

A “Wall of Commitment” (giant posterboard) was set up for attendees to write on. Many used this as a place to publicly promise to make changes in their actions as related to Hartford; others used it to say what they are already doing (what organizations they are affiliated with) or what they think about the city.

The two-hour long program moved rapidly, lagging only during the extended candlelight vigil toward the end. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra performed several times during the night– a pleasant surprise for me, since I’m not the type to seek out orchestra music (or whatever kids these days call it).

Ted Carroll, President of Leadership Greater Hartford (organizers of the event) gave the greeting, which also moved along. I don’t want to be the person to point this out, but there is some irony in thanking the Hartford Courant and WTIC radio for being media sponsors of this event, since the Hartford Courant along with other local media are part of why the national media picked up on recent incidents, causing damage the Hartford’s reputation. Some on the Courant staff have written meaningful columns after this, but we should remain critical of any outlet that would post video without any context. We live in the age of the internet, when material is quickly picked up and dispersed. Few bother to investigate their sources, as Christine, Heather, and I were discussing. False information gets spread nearly instantly, and is difficult to rectify later. It’s fine to be diplomatic if a company is giving money, but let’s not forget their own role in why the event has to happen at all– even with such a great showing of people from Hartford who do care about our community, I have to wonder how much damage this will undo.

MIRA and Mind Evolution, both spoken word artists, earned robust applause from the audience. MIRA performed “I Wish We All Had Daughters,” and Mind Evolution, “When I Grow Up.” There was dance, drumming, a puppet of what I believe was a Phoenix (it was a bird of some kind, I think), and a series of “conversations” (interviews and speeches).

Rabbi Donna Berman announced that there would be a second Hartford Cares gathering held at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in July. That one will allow the community more of an opportunity to be active in the conversation.

From my chats with people, there was a lot of surprise about the number of people in attendance and the racial diversity. A few thought that the “cheese factor” would have been way higher than it was. Actually, until the grand finale of dozens of adults and children crammed on the bandshell stage, singing and swaying, it really was not corny. And for those who must know, there was absolutely no singing of Kumbaya.
Continue reading More than Violent Acts…

Hartford Cares Vigil

I tend to link to articles by bloggers who are cheerleaders for the city, and having been a cheerleader (decades ago), I’d like to say something about what that means. Despite appearances, cheerleaders are not delusional. We are well aware when our team is losing. We know when the team is struggling. And, we know when it’s kicking ass. Because the cheers aren’t along the lines of “We suck, we smell, our championship has gone to hell,” we might seem to be in denial of reality. But, I think the purpose of the Cheerleader is to accentuate the strong points, urge the team toward success (or improvement), and make the whole trip a bit more interesting. I am thinking about Heather Brandon, Helder Mira, Luis Cotto, Jude, Amy Bergquist, and Julie Dixon while writing this, but also those without blogs who are cheering for Hartford in other ways.

There are dozens of government and community organizations that exist to improve the city and the lives of those in it. Some of the groups receiving better publicity, unfortunately, all seem to be centered around the Yuppies (young urban professionals). Like Julie, I think it’s better to have them involved than not involved, but it is easy to see why those whose understanding of Hartford is only through the media, might believe that there’s not much going on here in the way of community. I’d like to see the more media savvy groups reach out to lift up other community organizations– not just the careers of young professionals. That would be terrific goodwill.

One organization that has the right spirit in this moment is Leadership Greater Hartford. LGH, formed in 1977, has their goals right on:

*Provide current and emerging leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to be effective in a changing world;

*Create a network that reflects and embraces the wide diversity of leadership within the community;

*Provide a forum for people from different experiences to come together and undertake collaborative endeavors;

*Engage members to assume important community leadership roles for the future.

Continue reading Hartford Cares Vigil…

Growing Green Co-op Open House

I received the following in an email from Imani:

THE GROWING GREEN CO-OP INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR AN OPEN HOUSE!

Join us Saturday, June 28th from 10am-2pm for a peek of the progress on our newly renovated community space located at 197 New Britain Avenue (next to Alchemy). Come meet some of the farmers participating in our year round farmers market and register for our summer youth activist camp beginning in July.

Board Members will be available to answer questions about co-op member benefits, why you should join our community and how you can get involved. Children’s activities will be planned and plenty of parking is available at the Trinity College Hockey Rink right next door (the market is located directly between the co-op community center and the rink).

Come find out what’s up with our new “BICYCLE RECYCLE” project led by our very own bike enthusiast Rob Graves. We will mark the first official day of our year round farmers market featuring local honey, produce, maple syrup, sprouts, flowers, (sign up for a weekly flower share!) eco-friendly cleaners and body care products, organic linens, local artisans as well as featured Green Business members of the Co-op! Knox Parks will be our featured environmental organization offering information about their Rain Barrel Fundraising Project. Bring your CFLs, batteries, old cell phones & ink cartridges to be recycled. If you are an artisan, a farmer, an activist, an entertainer or a volunteer - who would like to be involved, just let us know!

Co-ops are formed in response to a local need. When government and the economic marketplace fail to provide quality goods and services to the public, people have historically cooperated to provide for themselves and their families. The Growing Green Co-op is a consumer driven co-op that has evolved out of a desire for availability of high quality, local, sustainable products as well as the desire to support local, sustainable businesses through our Green Business Referral Network. We are a vibrant community of extraordinary like-minded folk who are determined to grow our local economy- including the development of our own “CT Currency” while walking more lightly on the earth. The co-op serves as the vehicle to connect others sharing similar desires and needs. Welcome!

How to Build Community (Against All Odds): Part Two

This is a continuation from Part One:

Imagine other cultures through their poetry and novels: Although La Paloma Sabanera closed in December 2007, there are still many places in the city to explore other cultures through literature– the Hartford Public Library (main and branches), The Jumping Frog, and the Catholic Bookstore are just a few places where books can be found. There’s also several free book tables/carts in 56 Arbor Street.

The literature is just one place to begin.

Listen to music you don’t understand*Dance to it: The Artists Collective has dance and musical workshops for youth. Last year, one of my students gave a presentation about his involvement in The Artists Collective while growing up in Hartford, and after listening, not a person in the classroom could even entertain doubts that this young man was profoundly and positively affected by his experience.

The Charter Oak Cultural Center is home to many musical, theatrical, and other cultural events, ranging from Punk shows to Juneteenth commemorations. Continue reading How to Build Community (Against All Odds): Part Two…

How to Build Community (Against All Odds): Part One

The Syracuse Cultural Workers created a poster which I’m sure many readers have seen before, but which I feel compelled to discuss regardless. The items in bold are on their list of ways to build community, and my comments are in a regular font.

Think of no one as “them”: Creating categories based on difference allows individuals to more easily justify the unjustifiable, to excuse the inexcusable. The result? When some kind of crime or wrongdoing occurs in an certain area or to a person who belongs to a different group (race, class, sexuality, ability, gender, religion, political affiliation, you name it…), it is not thought of as something that might concern all in society. Thus, it’s remains to be addressed in a productive way. The “answer” goes something like this: “avoid Hartford,” “bulldoze it and start over,” “more prisons,” “send criminals/undesirables to Springfield.” Those sentiments are not productive by any stretch of the imagination.

Don’t confuse your comfort with your safety: In my walks to work, I have felt discomfort. In my old neighborhood, I would pass a homeless shelter and park where people who were basically up to no good, or had no other place to go, would congregate. Even with the verbal street harassment which made the trip sometimes irritating, I never felt unsafe. Continue reading How to Build Community (Against All Odds): Part One…

Noisy Nights

Tuesday Feb. 19th from 5:30-7:30 pm:

The Neighborhood Training Institute is sponsoring a discussion at the Hartford Public Library (main branch) about changes to the noise ordinances in Hartford. On the panel: Calixto Torres (City Council President), Chief Roberts (Hartford Police Department), and Marilyn Rossetti (executive director of HART).

Green Activism on New Britain Avenue

The Green Vibration, formerly known as the Alchemy Juice Bar, seems to have rediscovered their mission. Last month they opened the eco-boutique in the space that’d been used as a yoga studio. The “juice bar” is now known as the Alchemy Cafe. The menu doesn’t seem to have changed any, but what’s most noticeable is the chalkboard wall covered in what looks like someone’s (or several people’s) environmentally-friendly brainstorm for Hartford. Some of the ideas listed on the board/wall: solar powered monorail, roof gardens, and reminders to boycott Wal*Mart and Home Depot. They’re also starting a cooperative, but there is an error on the information page for that– there are several farmers’ markets in Hartford, not just the Billings Forge one. Anyway, the food buyer’s club option is an appealing way to sidestep places like Whole Foods and Wild Oats, which have what I need but charge too much for it.