Mid City Hosts “Walk & Talk” to Envision Neighborhood’s Future
Photo courtesy of Community Foundation for Mississippi
Jackson Association of Neighborhoods (JAN) hosted its first “Walk and Talk” event in the Mid City neighborhood on Saturday, April 20, a culmination of almost a year of planning among residents and several local organizations, including Operation Shoestring, Community Foundation for Mississippi (CFM), Revitalize Mississippi, Mid City Community Development Corporation and Northminster Baptist Church. The community-wide event was held at the old Capitol Furniture Building on Bailey Avenue, now owned by Operation Shoestring.
CFM Director of Strategic Impact Melody Moody-Thortis welcoming volunteers and participants.
“Part community visioning and part asset mapping, “Walk and Talks” put residents in the driver’s seat while connecting them to organizations and institutions with resources, technical assistance and systems they can access to implement their own ideas. By actually walking their streets together, residents can collect information and generate ideas together, focusing on identifying specific, location-based needs and possibilities that can sometimes help a community’s shrink what can sometimes feel like impossible change into actionable goals, tackling them one step at a time,” said CFM’s Director of Strategic Impact, Melody Moody Thortis.
The purpose of a “Walk and Talk” is to bring residents and neighborhood stakeholders together to talk about the needs and assets in their own neighborhood and to collectively identify solutions for implementing the change they want to see. Residents are encouraged to brainstorm together ideas and interventions for change in their community.
The success of projects like this is focused on residents coming together and deciding together how they want to shape where they live. Leading up to the event, Mid City residents gathered monthly at Operation Shoestring to discuss the neighborhood’s history, its current assets and to envision its future. The mile-long community has a rich history dating back before 1920 and is one of the oldest single-family residential areas in the city of Jackson. Mid City’s boundaries are Woodrow Wilson Avenue (north), Bailey Avenue (west), Fortification Street (south) and the rail line (east).
After breakfast and introductions, groups composed of residents, stakeholders and interested Jacksonians who came to learn split up into four teams to focus on different areas. Residents identified a local park and a nearly-abandoned pedestrian bridge as key areas of interest. One team discussed the needs and opportunities that exist for W.C. Gorden Park, a place that used to be the center of community activity. Another team explored Pleasant Avenue and the Charles Tillman Pedestrian Bridge, known locally as “the Catwalk”, that connects Mid City to Midtown.
Those with limited mobility formed a third team and boarded a shuttle van to ride Mid City, allowing participants to cover more ground across the neighborhood. A fourth team offered a “Sit and Talk” option for those confined to their homes or those that would otherwise be unable to participate; this group visited long-time residents on their porches, listening to their stories of the neighborhood and their ideas what the future of Mid City could be. All participants were supplied with clipboards to jot down their thoughts and ideas to report during the community visioning session after lunch. Children were also included in the conversation, learning about Mid City through coloring sheets while enjoying the free Kids Zone area with basketball, table activities and an inflatable obstacle course.
During the visioning session, residents came back together over lunch to discuss their ideas and findings.
Residents shared their favorite memories associated with the park and identified action items to make it the center of community activity once again. “The park is the heartbeat of the neighborhood. It’s what makes this community go,” said Mid City resident Albert Donelson who co-facilitated this group with Tolanda Jones, Community Initiatives Coordinator at Operation Shoestring. “And if the park looks bad, the neighborhood looks bad. This summer, I want to see kids in the park playing kickball, flag football, and other activities with the help of the foundation around us.”
Mid City resident pinpointing changes she would like to see in W.C. Gorden Park.
The Pleasant Avenue group explored that area of the neighborhood and the catwalk. The pedestrian bridge was built in the early 1970s in response to young children being injured or killed due to crossing the train tracks. Today, issues including lack of upkeep, lighting and ADA compliance serve as barriers for residents to use and celebrate this community asset.
Mid City Community Development Corporation co-founder Akili Kelly providing feedback to group.
“In order to do any substantial rehabilitation, the railway would have to modify their service in the area and that’s an issue for them,” said Akili Kelly, Mid City CDC co-founder, who led the group alongside JAN President Andy Frame. Ideas emerged from the group, including upkeep and beautification of the surrounding area including removing blight and resident clean up days.
The bus team identified some of the most important issues to them, including the need for resource workshops and health fairs to improve the quality of living for residents, ways to stop illegal dumping, and the need for capital to renovate homes and start small businesses.
Mid City Community Development Corporation co-founder Dr. Ashlee Kelly discussing Mid City.
“They didn't know about the Jackson Free Clinic, so we drove there, said Mid City Community Development Corporation co-founder Dr. Ashlee Kelly. “There is a disconnect between the Georgetown and Mid City resources.” This group also reminded residents to be aware of and check on elderly neighbors or those who may have mobility issues.
"JAN's Neighborhood Strengthening Committee focuses on providing tools and resources to neighborhoods that help solve problems and find solutions," JAN President and Revitalize Mississippi Executive Director Andy Frame said. "This was a great learning experience for us, and we are so grateful to all of the residents and organizations who worked with us, including Operation Shoestring, Community Foundation for Mississippi, Northminster Baptist Church, along with our sponsors, America Walks, Baptist Health Foundation and Volunteer Mississippi. It was a true team effort, and we will build on this momentum as we work with other neighborhood strengthening projects in the City."
As a pilot project of JAN’s Neighborhood Strengthening Committee, the association hopes this work can be replicated in neighborhoods across the city. Partnering with the Community Foundation for Mississippi, a toolkit is being developed about how to lead a community asset project and lessons learned from the pilot. Frame says JAN’s Neighborhood Strengthening Committee hopes to select another neighborhood to work with on a similar project, potentially next spring.
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