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DREAMS & NIGHTMARES<br />
WRITTEN BY MARAGE BLAKENEY<br />
44<br />
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is often<br />
attributed to the saying, ?I have a<br />
dream?. However, many times our<br />
dreams are shattered because of<br />
poverty, poor education, and crime.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, the dreams end up becoming<br />
nightmares that Dr. King did not<br />
envision. In fact, talkpoverty.org<br />
revealed that North Carolina is ranked<br />
40th in the country with a 20.9<br />
percentage rate of children living below<br />
the poverty line. According to US News,<br />
North Carolina is ranked 23rd in the<br />
nation for its Pre-K through 12th grade<br />
education. Based on these sobering<br />
statistics, how can we prevent our<br />
dreams from becoming a nightmare?<br />
Fortunately, Charlotte, North Carolina is<br />
addressing this question utilizing an<br />
innovative strategy called, the<br />
Renaissance West Community Initiative<br />
(RWCI). According to its website, ?the<br />
mission of RWCI is to promote a<br />
collaborative community centered on<br />
quality housing, education, health,<br />
wellness and opportunity. <strong>The</strong> ultimate<br />
goal of the initiative is to contribute to<br />
economic revitalization on West<br />
Boulevard. To achieve this vision, RWCI<br />
will: 1) develop and implement a<br />
high-quality cradle-to-career<br />
educational continuum that includes a<br />
child development center and a pre-K ?<br />
8 school; 2) ensure children and families<br />
have access to wraparound services that<br />
meet their unique needs related to<br />
health, mental well-being, job training,<br />
parent support, education, and social<br />
services; and 3) support the<br />
development of mixed-income housing<br />
that serves our targeted geographic<br />
area?.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Renaissance West Community<br />
Initiative is based on the success of East<br />
Lake in Atlanta. East Lake is a Purpose<br />
Built Community. In the mid 1990?s, the<br />
Villages of East Lake was riddled with<br />
rising poverty and crime rates. In 1995,<br />
community leaders devised an<br />
innovative way to revitalize this<br />
community by incorporating education<br />
opportunities, healthcare resources,<br />
and affordable housing. Within the two<br />
decades of its inception, East Lake has<br />
experienced a 97% crime reduction and<br />
100% employment rate.<br />
Realizing the success of the East Lake<br />
model, Charlotte established this same<br />
initiative in 2012 to revitalize the<br />
Boulevard Homes neighborhood. RCWI
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