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Atlanta — IN winter 1916, several hundred black families from the Selma, Ala., Cotton Belt began quietly defecting from the Jim Crow South, with its night rides and hanging trees, some confiding to The Chicago Defender in February that the "treatment doesn’t warrant staying." It was the start of the Great Migration, a leaderless revolution that would incite six million black refugees over six decades to seek asylum within the borders of their own country.Emmett Till and Tamir Rice, Sons of the Great Migration
The story of my son...from Mississippi to Tennesee; from Tennessee to Massachusetts; from Massachusetts to Connecticut. It's been five generations since the migration of the Wilkerson/Wardell/Harris family,which began in Mississippi. The majority of my great grandfather's family ended up in New York and Chicago. My grandfather moved his family to Memphis, TN but he did not go on to New York or Chicago. Although he decided to remain in Memphis, he encourgaed his seven children to continue heading north for a better life for themselves and their children as many of them were beginning to get "too settled" as he put it. He himself had to drop out of school when he was in the third grade to begin working in coal mine in order to take care of his mother and siblings. My dad, Hessie Lee Harris, the eldest son of the seven children decided to head to Massachusetts in the early 70's; choosing to stop in Boston, MA to raise his five young children, four of whom are Black males. Dad's motivation for leaving Memphis when he did were strikingly the same as my great grandfather's reason for migrating towards the north 70 years before - to escape the racism and violence towards Blacks.
My dad also wanted his children to have better access to education and opportunity, so Boston appealed to him because of the great institutions there. Growing up, Dad always talked about his "seeds", which is how he referred to us, his sons. I remember that exciting day when my son, Kolton was born and my dad whispered to me, "You know, he's my seed too, you know?" I was so proud to connect my son to my dad's legacy, which he often shared with us through stories of my grandfather and great grandfather. The burden of that legacy was one that emerged as the fears of raising a Black son grew within me each year Kolton did. Kolton is now 23 years old and preparing for graduate school. His undergraduate degree was completed at Connecticut College where he graduated with honors and was the institution's first African American male commencment speaker. I get excited every time I think about how awesome he is. And every time I do, I feel a piercing gaze coming from the "silent son" that I've raised alongside Kolton. He's been fed and nourished by generations of headlines and commentary echoing from stories like Emmett Till's and Tamir Rice's. Yes, it's that "burden of legacy" I mentoned earlier, racism.
So after reading Isabel Wilkerson's article this morning, I was left with the question, "Where are today's Emmett Tills and Tamir Rices?" Kolton graduated past their young ages and therefore cannot be today's Emmett and Tamir but I still worry about him being another Black man having his Black body possessed, violated and destroyed. I don't know where Kolton will take his "seeds" but I pledge to continue working to ensure that they will not be tomorrow's Emmett Till and Tamir Rice. I also pledgeto keep praying that all of those "silent sons" stop getting nourished and eventually die, so that all young Black boys can live! #nomoretaken
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By Ryan O’Connor, Director of Programs, 8 80 Cities Recently 8 80 Cities wrote a blog post about open streets being a labour of love. That being the case, the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans felt like a family reunion of sorts. It was rejuvenating to see old and new friends who share our passion for open streets and are working tirelessly to create healthier, happier, and more connected communities across the world. The event, which took place on September 15-16, brought together more than 50 leaders who currently organize open streets programs or are interested in bringing the...
The post An Open Streets Family Reunion: Reflections from the 2018 Open Streets Summit appeared first on Open Streets Project.
We hope you are getting ready and feel excited about the Open Streets Summit in Gretna/New Orleans! Taking place from September 15-16, 2018, the Summit will feature tours, presentations and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Attendees will learn about the nuts and bolts of starting or scaling up open streets programs, including: Route design and planning Partnerships with business and officials Social inclusion Safety and logistics Marketing and promotion Program evaluation through measurable goals and metrics If you haven’t done it yet, click here to register for the Open Streets Summit only or...
The post Open Streets Summit Draft Agenda appeared first on Open Streets Project.
The Open Streets Project is proud to announce that Ed Solis from Viva Calle (San Jose, CA), Romel Pascual from CicLAvia (Los Angeles, CA), Jaymie Santiago and Charles Brown from New Brunswick Ciclovia will join us as speakers for the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans and Gretna! Taking place from September 15-16 2018, the Summit will feature: Behind the scenes tour of the City of Gretna’s inaugural open streets program. Workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Training and inspiration for both -novice and experienced- open streets organizers and supporters...
The post Open Streets Summit Speakers Announced! appeared first on Open Streets Project.
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