Baking A Cake

         Marginalized communities are places that seem to be left out of the forefront in most people’s minds.  I was included in this until my journey through this class.  Through the readings that we have done and the experience being in Optimist Park, my feelings toward marginalized communities have changed.

            I use to think that part of being a citizen was helping out those in need.  My thoughts would then go to marginalized communities as being needy.  I tagged along with the common idea of giving them gifts that we, as a different community, felt these communities needed.  This class has taught me that this approach is all wrong.  We should not just give items to marginalized communities that we think they need.  We should give them what they tell us they need.  The talk that Miss Sorenson gave to our class has really stuck in my mind.  She expressed how frustrated the people of marginalized communities get when they receive something that is not needed in their neighborhoods, for example a community garden.  They want volunteers to come in and get to know them personally.  Volunteers working with the community to bring about change are more of what these communities are looking for. 

            By attending the Optimist Park neighborhood meeting, I experienced this concept first hand.  The people in the community were excited to see us there and had plenty of ideas to give to us on what they felt needed to be done.  Miss Simuel felt very strongly about the neighborhood borders.  She wants signs placed on the outskirts of Optimist Park’s border to let people know when they are entering the neighborhood.  A classmate mentioned that he drove through Optimist Park all the time and did not even know it was a neighborhood with a name.  I probably would have been the same way, if not for this class. Mr. Atkins also brought up an idea that he would like to see put in place.  He mentioned the fact that many of the kids end up playing basketball out in the street because there is nowhere else to go.  He felt that cleaning up the old Habitat for Humanity building and making it a neighborhood hangout spot including a basketball court would be useful in protecting the youth of Optimist Park.

            I felt that all the ideas mentioned would be helpful to the community. It was also important that I heard these dreams come from the people in the community.  I would have never thought of a basketball court or border signs on my own.  They are not things you notice or have concern over when first entering the community.  They are ideas that only those living within Optimist Park could give you.  Now I tend to observe more wherever I go.  I look at the types of people I see walking around, the building structures surrounding me, and even the resources available to the people living there.  Hearing and seeing the needs of citizens in marginalized communities first hand really impacted the importance of working with them to create an improved neighborhood that will be keep up the changes over time.