A Voice at the Table
An exploration around affirmative space for Black womxn in Roxbury, MA.
An exploration around affirmative space for Black womxn in Roxbury, MA.
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An exploration around
affirmative space for Black
womxn in Roxbury, MA.
March 2020
I
CORE TEAM
Melissa Isidor
Breeze Outlaw
Elaine Limmer
Nayeli Rodriguez
ILLUSTRATIONS
Zulay Holland
ADVISORS
Mary Anne Ocampo
Courtney Sharpe
Sabrina Dorsainvil
Brandi Blessett
Kai Grant
II
A VOICE AT
THE TABLE
An exploration around
affirmative space for Black
womxn in Roxbury, MA.
March 2020
III
IV
1
2
3
4
5
Background
Methodology
What We’ve Learned
Black Futures
Appendix
1
2
1
3
Project Intentions
A Voice at the Table is a research
initiative that explores the role that
affirmative spaces play in promoting
community building, empowerment, and
resilience for Black womxn.
Recognizing the intersectional framework that Black womxn hold in
our current society, this research seeks to empower the Black womxn’s
narrative in the realm of urban planning and design both in Roxbury
and the design practice at large. The intentions of this exploration aim
to unpack how planning and design for communities on the margins
of society helps us better tackle the deep-seated challenges we must
address to create the most inclusive outcomes.
4
Our research process sought to elevate communal narrative and
history into how we conceptualize design principles, processes, and
future developments. Between surveys and interviews collected over
the winter and spring of 2019, this project speaks to the cumulative
voice of 125 black womxn stakeholders in Roxbury, whether they live,
work, organize, or frequent spaces in the community.
The voices shared through this project reinforce that Black womxn
are diverse and multidimensional, and therefore the design of our
communities should reflect this nature as well. Our findings teach us to
strive for deep understandings of social politics and place. Holistically,
this exploration strives to push forward a conversation around the
need to embrace eclectic and diverse design standards, challenging
existing norms that foster exclusivity through homogeneous design
approaches.
5
Definitions
WOMXN // Terminology that is inclusive of femme, non-binary, trans,
and genderqueer people. We use this language throughout the
report to encompass the spectrum of gender identities of individuals
represented in this study.
HOW ARE WE DEFINING SPACE?
In the context of this study, space is defined as communal spaces—
space that is used, shared, and participated in by members in the
community outside of the home. These may take form as spaces for
community gathering, cultural exchange, or leisure, yet not limited by
an inherent utility.*
AFFIRMATIVE SPACE // These are spaces that are safe and supportive
towards Black womxn authentically expressing themselves.
BLACK SPACE // It is important to distinguish that Blackness
encompasses a spectrum of identities across the African diaspora
including but not limited to African-American, African, Caribbean, Afro
Latinx groups. In this study, Black spaces are distinguished as spaces
where the leadership and organization of the space is predominantly
Black-led, thus providing authentic spaces where communities may
find support and visibility of global Black experience.
*Often termed “third spaces,” we refrain from using this term due to the racial and
gender insensitivities, and other limitations around the origination of this term.
6
7
“Black women have had to
develop a larger vision of our
society than perhaps any
other group. They have had to
understand white men, white
women, and Black men. And
they have had to understand
themselves. When Black
women win victories, it is
a boost for virtually every
segment of society.
—Angela Davis
Political activist, academic, and author
“
8
Why Black Womxn?
This research seeks to bring the Black
womxn’s narrative to the forefront of
the design profession. While the urban
planning and design field faces an uphill
battle in diversifying its practitioners—
current action must work beyond
just diversifying the bodies but rather
also diversifying our thinking, values,
and processes towards planning
and design. This research proposes
that intersectionality serves as a key
framework for how we approach
design for more inclusive and equitable
outcomes.
Intersectionality, n.
The interconnected nature of
social categorizations (i.e. race,
gender, class, sexuality) that
create interdependent systems
of oppression, domination, or
discrimination
The design and planning professions
have a lot to learn from Black womxn and
the intersectional frameworks they are
conditioned in through their daily global
existence. Black womxn’s narratives
consistently consider multi-layered
systematic challenges, yet their voices
are consistently unheard.
Across society today, with the exception
of hypervisibility for commodification,
Black womxn remain underrepresented
and rendered invisible through various
lenses—in the physical realm, media,
historical representation, and beyond.
This ongoing invisibility and silencing
stems from the failure of discussion
around intersectional frameworks
to adequately recognize the levels
of oppression imposed marginalized
identities. Black womxn, especially Black
trans womxn, have constantly been
at the frontlines for racial and gender
justice, but have been the last in order to
both be recognized for their labor and to
reap the benefits of their efforts.
This research was inspired by the
breadth of Black womxn leaders in
the Roxbury community as artists,
organizers, and entrepreneurs who
are at the forefront of advocacy for the
betterment of their community through
each of their respective work. While
this research is specific to Roxbury, we
recognize the interconnected themes
and labor Black womxn contribute to on
a grander scale in communities across
the United States and globally.
9
About Roxbury
Throughout history, Roxbury has always sat at the
crossroads of culture and exchange in the greater
Boston region. Geographically, Boston was originally
a peninsula, which was connected to the mainland by
a narrow bridge of land called the, “Roxbury Neck.”
All land traffic into the city of Boston had to pass
through the town of Roxbury. As Boston expanded
through infilled marshland, Roxbury became
annexed into the city in 1868. Today, Roxbury sits at
the geographic center of Boston.
Throughout its early history, the neighborhood has
been home to waves of immigrants—including Irish,
Jewish, Scandinavian, Italian and Latvian populations.
Starting in the 1940s, Roxbury has grown into a hub
of Black arts and culture in the heart of the city.
Particularly in the 1960s and 70s the neighborhood
was almost entirely Black and sat at the center of
activism and community organizing efforts to fight for
justice and civil rights within the city of Boston and
our greater society.
Over the years and to this day, Roxbury has
served as a testament to the diversity of people
and cultures across the Black diaspora—
including African-American, Indigenous,
Caribbean, and African immigrant communities.
Today, Roxbury remains a predominately Black
neighborhood, yet not as racially concentrated as
it has been in prior decades. Still, the culture and
history of the neighborhood remains strong.
Roxbury is a gem of
Black arts and culture in
the heart of Boston.
52,944
POPULATION
8% of Citywide population
53%
— Kelley Chunn
BLACK/AFRICAN-AMERICAN
POPULATION IN ROXBURY
Second highest neighborhood
concentration of Black residents citywide
10
*Via Boston in Context 2019 Report, 2013-17 ACS Data
hROXBURY
A Nubian Notion, 1980s
Roxbury 1960
Knowledge Is Power, Stay In School by Dana Chandler, 1979
11
Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square), once the city’s second-largest
commercial district has struggled in recent decades due to disinvestment.
About Roxbury
A NEIGHBORHOOD IN FLUX
Roxbury is a community with great pride, history,
community, and resilience—but experiences challenges
around wealth and resources, poverty concentration, and
racially-motivated disinvestment.
In the 1960s-70s, a significant portion of lower Roxbury
was demolished to make way for the proposed Southwest
Expressway highway. Residents across neighborhoods
were successful in halting the highway’s construction,
yet significant demolition and displacement had already
taken place. During this time, the elevated rail that once
passed through Dudley Square (now Nubian Square) at
the heart of the district was taken down and moved to the
edge of the neighborhood. Today, the city still holds on to
many demolished parcels that have remained vacant for
decades.
READ MORE ON THE FIGHT TO STOP THE HIGHWAY:
People Before Highways: Boston Activists, Urban Planners, and
a New Movement for City Making, by Karilyn Crockett (2018)
12
Gentrification and property
affordability are identified as key
issues facing Roxbury today.*
Rising property and rental costs are displacing many
former residents, primarily marked by trends of lowincome
Black residents moving further to the margins of
the city, and college students and white millennials moving
into the neighborhood.
Median home values have nearly doubled in the past
five years, from a median sale value of $230,000 in
2013 to $430,000 in 2018.
To this day, city-driven planning processes in Roxbury
have continuously failed to address the core needs of the
community during the strategic development phase, to
empower and assist residents in building stable wealth and
ownership through both home and business ventures.
*Via interview and survey feedback collected in this research
CONCENTRATED POVERTY Roxbury is home to the highest
concentration of subsidized housing in the city.
RISING PROPERTY COSTS The ongoing increases in home costs are
among the highest rates in the city, second only to East Boston.
Boston Median Income
Roxbury Median Income
WEALTH GAP
Sales
$25,937
ROXBURY MEDIAN
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000
$55,777
BOSTON MEDIAN
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Folks who are not homeowners are
clearly being pushed out and college
students are coming in to rent many of
the spaces. I’ve seen a lot of the mom
and pop shops close down in the time
I’ve lived here.
— Chanel Thervil
Roxbury Median Income
Boston Median Income
LOW RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
Home Types
81%
RENTER-OCCUPIED
HOUSING UNITS
Renter Occupied
Owner Occupied
*Via Boston in Context 2019 Report, 2013-17 ACS Data
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15
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
2019
Interviews
Report Development
Review
Survey
Project Kickoff Final Report
Methodology Overview
This research effort was conducted over one year
from January-December 2019.
Our process sought to develop a multi-pronged approach towards information
gathering through both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
We began interviewing early in the process through a loose structure to help develop
and refine our research focus. By centering participants’ lived experience, we were
able to build more open dialogue and reach more personal and honest answers to
our inquiry. Beyond these conversations, the survey helped support, reinforce, and
reach a larger audience for information gathering and feedback.
In total, the project findings and outcomes speak to the cumulative voice of 125 Black
womxn stakeholders in Roxbury. “Stakeholders,” as identified in this project includes
Black womxn who either live, work, organize, or hang out in the community.
16
16 1-ON-1 INTERVIEWS
109 SURVEY RESPONSES
17
Why Interviews?
Interviews were held to explore experiences around access to
space and resources in Roxbury, through the lens of Black womxn
artists, organizers, and entrepreneurs in the community.
Outreach Strategies
REPRESENTATION
Interviews were primarily conducted by members of
the research team who identified as Black womxn. This
strategy helped foster more honesty and openness in
dialogue through commonalities in identity.
SNOWBALL SAMPLING
Our outreach approach for selecting interviewees was
largely grounded in building on established connections
prior to this research, then using the “snowball method,”
asking participants to recommend and/or connect us to
additional interviewees. Through this approach, we found
participants were more responsive when connected
or referred by a trusted mutual contact. Furthermore,
this strategy allowed us to leverage the power of social
networks to identify stakeholders and build a better
understanding of the connections between different
organizers in the Roxbury community.
COLD OUTREACH
To offset the bias that may come in relying only on referrals
to identify interviewees, we also reached out cold to
several potential participants. While responsiveness was
more challenging with this method, it helped diversify our
interviewee pool.
Interview Strategies
FLEXIBLE STRUCTURE
Each interview was approximately 45-60 minutes long,
primarily held in coffee shops, libraries, participants’
homes, or over the phone.
While we developed a pool of questions to ask, we allowed
flexibility to dive into new themes that had been brought
up in each interview. Additionally, we approached each
interview as a conversation, bringing our own narratives
into the dialogue.
The majority of interviews were audio-recorded and
transcribed upon consent from interviewees to better
documentation.
INTENTION SETTING
Before starting each interview, we made sure to clearly
state the intentions of the project as well as personal
intentions driving the work beyond the scope of the
research effort.
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Interview Question Structure
INTRODUCTIONS AND PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Starting off the conversation open-ended to let participants
guide the narrative from the beginning.
CONNECTION TO ROXBURY
Identifying each individual’s relationship to the community, identifying
neighborhood strengths, and key spaces for communal connection.
DIVING INTO CREATIVE, ORGANIZING, OR
ENTREPRENEURIAL WORK
Understanding the development of each individual’s work, purpose,
and processes. Here, we dived into questions around opportunities
and challenges in each interviewee’s work—including access to
space and resources, and experiences from past and ongoing
efforts.
CONNECTING THE DOTS TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Identifying the draw that keeps people to investing in Roxbury,
core challenges the community needs to address, and
futuristic visions for a healthy community.
19
16 Interviews
Over four months, we held interviews
and conversations with Black womxn
stakeholders across Roxbury identifying as
artists, organizers, or entrepreneurs in any
capacity. The diverse group we spoke to
spans multiple generations, representing
the voices and experiences of womxn in
their 20’s through 60’s.
EKUA HOLMES
Ekua is a mixed-media artist whose
work explores universal themes of
childhood, family, and remembering,
deeply influenced by a lifetime of
moments shared with members of her
community. She also maintains a strong
commitment to arts education and
outreach, serving as Assistant Director
at the Center for Art and Community
Partnerships at MASS Art and
Director of sparc! the ArtMobile.
*We recognize that beyond the scope of this research, there is a breadth of
other womxn in Roxbury doing the work to create change in the community.
We hope that this selection provides a representative sample to speak to the
larger themes and outcomes inferred through this research effort.
20
KAI GRANT
Kai is an organizer and entrepreneur
driven to reframe marginalized futures
through social entrepreneurship.
She the co-founder of Black Market
in Nubian Square (formerly Dudley
Square), a space launched in 2017 to
help eradicate the wealth gap between
indigenous Boston Black families and
their counterparts. Furthermore, the
Market serves to catalyze investment
and transformation of the Nubian area
through economic justice, arts and
culture, and civic engagement.
TYAHRA ANGUS
Tyahra is an artist passionate
about increasing representation of
Black and brown people in media,
particularly Black womxn, and even
more particularly Black queer womxn
like herself. Through her platform
AfroCentered Media, she seeks to
document and publish photos to
highlight, Black & Brown creatives,
spaces, and events throughout Boston.
ALESSANDRA BROWN
Alessandra is an organizer and
entrepreneur seeking to build
resilient community ecosystems
through innovative strategies towards
engagement, entrepreneurship,
and corporate responsibility. She is
the former Director at the Roxbury
Innovation Center where she worked
to build economic development in the
community through resources and
programming for local entrepreneurs.
21
BRIDGETTE WALLACE
Bridgette is an entrepreneur and
planner motivated to build innovative
platforms to create pathways for
marginalized communities to reach
their full potential. She served as
a leader in launching the Roxbury
Innovation Center and as a member
of the Plan Dudley (Nubian) Project
Review Committee. Currently, Bridgette
is developing G|Code House, a coworking
and living space in Roxbury
connecting young womxn of color
to educational and employment
opportunities in the technology sector.
ARIRÁ ADÉÉKÉ
Arirá is an organizer, herbalist, healer,
and wellness-worker passionate
about creating spaces and processes
for healing and community building.
Through her business, Seed of Osun,
Arirá runs a mobile and stationary
apothecary seeking to invoke traditional
medicine of the African diaspora. She is
also the founder of Ile Ase, a monthly
school and sanctuary space for Black,
indigenous people of color.
NAKIA HILL
Nakia is a writer, educator, and
journalist specializing in teaching
womxn how to use writing as a tool
for healing, self-care, and resistance.
Currently, she serves as the director
of the Writers’ Room program at
826 Boston, managing writing
programs for urban youth. Nakia
recently released her second book,
I Still Did It: Stories of Resilience, an
intergenerational anthology featuring
stories written by girls and womxn of
color in Boston.
22
NIA EVANS
Nia is a community organizer with
experience in policy, research,
and education, driven to create
community-led change that allows
marginalized people to live in space
where they are enriched, valued, and
free. Nia is the current director of
Boston Ujima Project, working to
organize neighbors, workers, business
owners, and investors to create a
community-controlled economy in
Greater Boston.
PRISCILLA AZAGLO
Priscilla is a poet, organizer, and
educator inspired to leverage
storytelling as a tool for information
sharing, affirmation, and capacity
building within the community.
Through her practice, she leads
workshops encouraging self-care and
healing through poetry and visual arts.
Priscilla is also the founder of Black
Cotton Club, a monthly pop-up jam
session with a live band creating space
for the community to share their
stories, collaborate, and connect.
SAM CASSEUS
Sam is a writer, organizer, and coder
passionate about creating accessible,
healthy, and safe space for womxn of
color to help them thrive. She is the
founder of Queens Talk, a womxn’s
empowerment meet-up for womxn
of color that is centered on mental
health and wellness. Additionally, Sam
is a full-stack developer advocate
for empowering people of color to
build careers in the coding and tech
industry.
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CANDELARIA SILVA-COLLINS
Candelaria is an arts administrator,
consultant, and writer working to
bridge the gaps between arts, culture,
and community. She was the first
director of ACT Roxbury—launching
notable programming including the
Roxbury Film Festival, Roxbury Open
Studios, Roxbury Literary Annual, and
Roxbury In Motion.
CHANEL THERVIL
Chanel is an artist and educator
interested in the racialized politics of
representation through her creative
practice. Her use of different patterns,
textures, and materials speaks to the
diversity in the subjects she depicts,
seeking to honor their dignity and
command empathy for their humanity.
DESTINY POLK
Destiny is a dancer, poet, organizer
driven to leverage art, creation, and
movement to spark radical change
in people and communities. She
is the founder and organizer of
RadicalBlackGirl, a platform where she
curates events, creates performances
and short films, and sponsors young
and developing talent in the Boston
community.
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KELLEY CHUNN
Kelley is a social impact entrepreneur,
speaker, and former broadcast
journalist. She currently leads her
own collaborative consultancy, Kelley
Chunn & Associates, which specializes
in multicultural and cause-related
public relations and marketing. Kelley
also served as the founding president
and now current board member of the
Roxbury Cultural District.
JESSICAH PIERRE
Jessicah is a writer, marketer, and
organizer who is passionate about
creating space for relationship-building
and empowerment amongst womxn
of color. Through her work she hopes
to inspire people towards social and
political change in their communities.
Jessicah is the founder and president
of Queens Company, a network for
womxn of color actively seeking to
advance their livelihoods.
JHA D WILLIAMS
Jha D is a spoken word artist, architect,
and organizer working to inspire people
to speak their truth through creating
spaces for artists, particularly those
that are of the LGTBQIA communities
of color. She is the co-host and founder
of the “If you can Speak it, You can
feel it” Open Mic Movement, as well
as the executive director and producer
of Womxn of Color Weekend
(WoCW).
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OVERVIEW
The survey is open until May 20, 2019 (11:59PM EST) Participants who register an email are automatically entered into
a drawing to win one (1) of three $40 gift cards to one of the following restaurants: Suya Joint, Soleil, and Oasis Vegan
Veggie Parlor. The drawing will take place in June 2019. The three (3) winners will be contacted via email.
HOW WILL THIS INFORMATION BE SHARED?
Compiled feedback from this survey will be incorporated into a final research report and shared on our project website
in late summer 2019: http://avoiceatthetable.us/
CONTACT
Mel Isidor
misidor@sasaki.com
8) What is one space you enjoy in Roxbury?
(eg: business, performance space, park or other physical location)
1) What is your age group? (check one)
4) What _____________________________________________________________________
is your home zip code?
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
9) Why do you enjoy this space?
5) What is your relationship to the Roxbury community?
(select all _____________________________________________________________________
that apply)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2) With which race/ethnicity do you identify?
_____________________________________________________________________
(select all that apply)
spaces, or events)
10) What is one event or program you enjoyed attending
in the past year in Roxbury? (eg: a specific, performance,
_____________________________________________________________________
workshop, class, etc.)
_____________________________________________________________________
6) If you checked “used to live in Roxbury” for the
_____________________________________________________________________
previous question, why did you move out?
_____________________________________________________________________
11) Approximately how often does this event/program
_____________________________________________________________________
occur? (check one)
_________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3) With which gender do you identify? (check one)
7) What is Roxbury’s greatest strength?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
12) Why did you enjoy this event/program?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ 1
_____________________________________________________________________
13) What are barriers to you attending events or
community spaces? (select all that apply)
enter buildings).
14) Imagine your ideal vision for the Roxbury community.
What exists in this vision that is currently not present?
(Dream big!)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
15) What is one question you would pose to the
community in Roxbury?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
16) Choose a color comes to mind when you hear the
word “home.” (Circle one)
17) Describe in one word, what is your superpower?
(i.e. your greatest strength or virtue)
_____________________________________________________________________
18) Enter your email below if you would like to be
entered in a drawing to win one (1) of three $40 gift cards
to one of the following restaurants: Suya Joint, Soleil, and
Oasis Vegan Veggie Parlor. The drawing will take place in
June 2019. (write clearly!)
Email: _____________________________________________________________
2
Why Surveys?
DIGITAL
The survey was developed in
conversation with interviews to
help us reach a larger audience
beyond our interview approach.
The survey feedback supported
and built on interview narratives
and understandings through the
collection of qualitative data.
The goal of the survey was to better understand the
strengths of the Roxbury community—both socially
and spatially. Questions were developed to identify
existing physical spaces and programming and the
social value factors that make them successful. We also
posed visioning questions to identify priorities for future
development as well as community conversations to
be addressed in order to overcome current challenges.
Additional questions around color association and the
comforts of home sought to investigate how color theory
may be leveraged as a tool for design solutions in the
built environment.
As shown to the right, we developed the survey
in both a print and digital format to make it
more accessible to different users.
A VOICE AT THE TABLE Research Survey
O 17 or younger
O 18 to 24
O 25 to 34
O 35 to 44
O 45 to 54
O 55 to 64
O 65+
☐ Black/African-American
☐ American Indian/Alaska Native
☐ Hispanic/Latino
☐ Asian
☐ Middle Eastern
☐ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
☐ White/Caucasian
☐ An identity not listed, self-identify:
☐ Prefer not to answer
O Woman
O Man
O Transgender
O Non-binary
O Genderqueer or gender nonconforming
O An identity not listed, self-identify:
O Prefer not to answer
☐ Currently live in Roxbury
☐ Used to live in Roxbury, but have since moved
☐ Work/have worked in Roxbury
☐ Organize events/programs in Roxbury
☐ Neighborhood visitor (i.e. attending businesses, public
☐ Other - Write In: _______________________________________________
O Weekly or more
O 2-3 times a month
O Once a month
O A couple times a year
O Once a year (annually)
O Only once (not a recurring event)
☐ I am too busy/have no free time.
☐ It is too expensive for me to attend.
☐ It is hard to find information about events/spaces.
☐ There is a lack of diversity/representation in the space.
☐ It is not physically accessible (i.e. no places to sit or ramps to
☐ It is too far away for convenient travel.
☐ It is lacking childcare or child-friendly activities.
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Survey Outreach Tactics
SOCIAL MEDIA
We reached people online
through posting across social
media channels.
MEET PEOPLE WHERE
THEY’RE AT
We held a 2-day booth at Black
Market in Nubian Square during
their monthly marketplace to
reach people in person.
LOCAL PRIZES
As an incentive for participation,
we raffled off three (3) gift
cards to local Black-owned
restaurants.
STREET POSTINGS
Posters and stickers were hung on
the streets around Nubian Square to
reach people on their daily commutes.
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Sample Survey
28
29
New Hampshire
109
Survey Responses
Responses were filtered for participants identifying
as Black/African-American, or Indigenous; and
inclusive of woman, female, genderqueer, and nonbinary,
and gender identities.
New Hampshire
Allston
Brookline
Jamaica
Plain
Fenway
Roxbury
South
End
Dorchester
The survey was open for three weeks in May 2019.
Participation was open to all respondents, for
which we received to 128 total responses from all
ethnicities and gender identities.
Roslindale
Mattapan
Hyde
Park
Milton
53%
of respondents are
Current or Former Residents
For former residents, 50% said lack of
affordability was the primary reason for moving
out of the neighborhood.
Number of Respondents
*Data gathered by zip code
1
2-4
5-7
8-13
14+
30
Roxbury
Connecticut
Rhode Island
An Intergenerational Perspective
Age breakdown of respondents
5% 65+
2% 17 OR YOUNGER
10% 55-64
17% 18-24
19% 45-54
35% 25-34
13% 35-44
Local Representation
with a Regional Draw
Community stakeholders extend beyond the people
directly residing in the neighborhood. Many responses in
our survey were gathered in-person at the marketplace at
Black Market, demonstrating the neighborhood’s regional
draw as a hub of Black culture both in Boston and
throughout Massachusetts.
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3
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Evolving Design Standards
Our research findings seek to elevate communal
narrative and history into how we conceptualize
design principles, processes, and future
developments.
Black communities, both within the United States and in a global context, are
consistently faced with having to defend their expression and livelihoods both within
the public and private sphere. These conditions shed light on the inequities and
problematic nature of dominant urban planning and design practice that has been
primarily fostered through white Eurocentric standards. Discussion of design values
and approaches often are exclusionary of diverse aesthetic qualities and cultural
customs around the desired needs and uses of space.
This exploration into Black aesthetics teaches us that the landscape tells a continuous
story and therefore its design must be reflective of the diversity of people who call it
home. A diverse cultural perspective adds layers to our collective understanding of
the range of values communities hold in understanding what constitutes good design.
When a community sees themselves reflected in the landscape, they are more likely
to invest back in the space. In this way, equitable and socially sustainable design
approaches must embrace eclectic natures, breaking down uniformity in standards
that perpetuate inequity and exclusion.
Affirmative space for Black womxn is grounded
in the notion of REPRESENTATION.
Representation, in this context, refers to spaces that recognize a multitude of Black
narratives. Through this research, we found that these spaces are predominantly
held or organized by Black womxn or other womxn of color where individuals can
own their narratives while finding support through collective experience. While
not topically “diverse,” these spaces are significant in that diversity extends beyond
political identities and recognizes diverse experiences.
Within a hyper-radicalized political climate, too often Blackness has been co-opted
and misrepresented as a uniform political identity. On a daily basis, Black womxn
are consistently existing in social and professional spaces where their full identities
are challenged through perpetual misrepresentation, stereotypes, and silencing.
These experiences breed negative implications on one’s self-perception, increasing
common feelings around isolation that has a significant impact on one’s mental
health and ability to thrive in all other aspects of their livelihoods.
Affirmative spaces combat these challenges, creating spaces that are safe and
supportive towards Black womxn authentically expressing themselves. These are
spaces where Black womxn are seen, heard, and honored as multidimensional
beings.
36
“
I feel the dynamic of a room for Black womxn
is different, where they’re very eager to connect,
and relate to one another, regardless of what
they look like. It’s much easier to scratch the
surface in those spaces where the masks are
taken off almost right away.
The key thing that stands out to me is the
authenticity of conversations. I often find
that the nature of conversation around Black
womxn feeling alone whether it’s in their work,
friendships, or just something else they are
struggling with by themselves. And then, within
a group, they feel a lot less alone. They find
support through others that are also able to
relate to their feelings and experiences.
— Sam Casseus
“
37
It’s a feeling of home. It’s like
the feeling of your bed at night.
Something that’s conforming itself
to your shape. It’s got the right
temperature. It’s got faces that are
smiling and welcoming, who know
you by name.
— Ekua Holmes
I can walk down the street
and see people who look like
me and aren’t afraid of me,
and aren’t surprised to see me
in the spaces where they are!
That’s a big thing that makes
me feel warm and fuzzy,
knowing that I can be myself.
— Chanel Thervil
38
On queer Black spaces...
I feel like connections are easier
because we’re just intersectional.
We know how hard it is and how
easy it is to be misunderstood.
In these spaces it’s just leaving
assumptions at the door with no
judgment because we’re already
judged everywhere else.
— Tyahra Angus
I feel loved and accepted, like
there’s camaraderie in the room
and it’s easier to meet people,
to laugh, smile, and hug—It’s just
love. That’s the best way I can
describe, that it is just a lot of
love that I don’t necessarily feel
in a lot of other spaces.
— Jessicah Pierre
39
Black Spaces Matter
Black spaces are essential to create spaces of empowerment
for Black people BY Black people. Black space is where the
multidimensionality within Black identity is honored. In
essence, they are both a tool of social protest and liberation.
MENTAL HEALTH
Addressing mental health needs in the
Black community goes beyond clinical
therapy which is often inaccessible
due to high costs, non-representative
practitioners, and deep stigmas
against seeking formal help for mental
health needs.
While there is diversity in expression
and experience across the Black
community, all Black bodies
experience anti-Black racism. Microaggressions
and everyday oppressive
conditions whether large or small
take a toll on one’s mental and
physical health over time. Affirmative
Black spaces allow people to find
communal support and release from
these conditions. These spaces are
key to providing opportunities for
self-development while not feeling
threatened, tokenized, or taken
advantage of.
CULTURAL EXPRESSION
AND PRESERVATION
Within Boston and the country at
large, spaces that are not intentionally
Black or brown-centered uphold a
presence of white dominance.
Black spaces are necessary outside of
the white lens for communities to tap
into ancestral roots and alternative
thinking models that build off
historical Black success and struggle.
Black spaces are essential to provide
opportunities for communities to
carry history and cultural customs
into the present. Furthermore, safe
spaces for expression and creation
build opportunity for collective healing
and sustainable platforms towards
collective action moving forward.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Struggles around race are inherently
linked with inequalities in wealth
and capital. In Boston, the Black
(specifically non-immigrant African-
American) households hold a networth
of only $8 comparative to
$247,500 for whites.*
Overcoming racialized wealth
disparities is rooted in building
stable platforms of exchange and
wealth-building that originates within
the Black community. Black spaces
provide opportunities to challenge
dominant values and practices to
develop alternative solutions around
wealth and capital distribution.
Opportunities for gathering within
Black communities supports the
development of social connections
that lead to collaborations and growth
of entrepreneurial and creative
pursuits.
*via Boston Globe
40
ADDRESSING ISSUES
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
Black spaces are necessary to hold
safe space within the community
to address conversations around
violence, transphobia, sexism,
colorism, and other oppressive
values that are co-opted from
dominant society. Too often these
challenges within the Black community
are exploited in media or other
destructive means that perpetuate
such conditions rather than building
platforms to overcome them.
“
As Black and Indigenous
people, we need to create
and hold space to decolonize
our minds and our bodies.
Too often people don’t know
what that means because we
normalize our oppression. So
you actually have to provide
that space of knowledge and
safe expression for people to
address this issue.
— Arirá Adééké
“
Addressing challenges within the Black
community will achieve the greatest
and most sustainable impact when
also driven and solved within the
community. Spaces are needed that
are sensitive to Black and Indigenous
processes towards conflict resolution
and healing, and psychological
liberation.
41
Overwhelmingly, respondents
described Roxbury’s greatest
strength as its people, history,
and lasting legacy of activism and
cultural expression from the past
into the present.
In Roxbury, historical narratives through lived experience
hold strong. The power of Roxbury’s culture has been
cultivated through generational connections and
knowledge sharing. Spaces for communal gathering—
whether for family, religion, artistic expression, political
action, or otherwise—have helped to ensure that Roxbury’s
history is one that is not lost. The community that holds
strong today acknowledges that their efforts contribute to
a lineage of persistence across decades to maintain and
hold space for full Black existence.
44
The people here are resilient and are able
to push back on forces that are designed to
transform and change the community in a
way that erases its history, erases its culture,
and erases the contributions that were made
to make it Roxbury. I think we are uniquely
positioned to fight in this way, because of
the wealth of people that have lived and
come through Roxbury and who’ve put the
neighborhood on the map because of their
work and contributions to the community.
— Bridgette Wallace
45
People Make Place
The most spirited spaces are nothing without the people
who have shaped them. In this way, we recognize the
role of design as a tool to enable people to empower
themselves. Cities and space are never stagnant, but
rather continuously evolving with the people and
generations who move through it.
Roxbury, like many Black communities across the country,
holds many landmarks that are still named from the
colonial era. Despite this context, the valued spaces
within the neighborhood highlight how the community
has claimed and co-opted space over time in an
environment that was never designed or built for them.
Whether through physical or social intervention, formal
or informal means, the narratives of Roxbury’s residents
have reflected themselves in the landscape.
Roxbury still has spaces
that are for, serviced,
owned by, and allow us
to be unapologetically
ourselves.
— Survey Respondent
46
BLACK-WOMXN HELD SPACE
Through our outreach, we asked Black womxn to
tell us their “superpower” (i.e. greatest strength
or virtue). Results showed that the top response
was CONNECTING, reflecting the nature of being
consistently cognizant and aware of other’s feelings
and how it contributes to the collective energy within
space.
Across interview and survey feedback, spaces
held by Black womxn prioritized recognition of
how experience is built collectively. Furthermore,
this empathetic nature is also a byproduct of daily
experiences in predominantly white spaces, where
one is constantly aware that their own needs may
not be fully seen or accounted for. Spaces held by
Black womxn commonly seek to offer release from
the anxieties and tensions felt elsewhere in society,
acknowledging that our existence and experience
consistently extends beyond the self. In this way,
safe spaces for gathering recognize that healing and
empowerment takes greater form when it happens
IN ONE WORD, WHAT IS
YOUR SUPERPOWER?
Top Responses:
Connecting
Empathy
Compassion
Love
Resilience
47
CARRYING HISTORY TO THE PRESENT
Reclaiming Space
At the root of Roxbury’s rich culture is a lasting
legacy of activism, organizing, and fighting to claim
space through various means.
Throughout the years, Roxbury has been the
grounds to a breadth of leaders for civil rights
and the betterment of the livelihoods of Black
people. These leaders include household names
like Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King,
Malcolm X and Melnea Cass, residents who carry
generational lineage in the neighborhood, and
newcomers who have found home belonging
within the community where they have not
elsewhere in the region.
Here, we recognize that past and present
collaborative efforts amongst Black womxn to
claim space, honor history, and build pathways for
health and healing for future generations. Core
to these efforts is the underlying message that
space for Black womxn is not always going to
be given, often it must be taken and reclaimed
through guerrilla tactics to fully acknowledge
their experiences and needs.
EARLY 1970s FRANKLIN LYNCH
PEOPLES’ FREE HEALTH CENTER
The Peoples’ Free Health Center clinic was organized
by collective volunteers, providing free medical
services to the community—most notably sickle cell
anemia testing. The clinic also held classes to educate
and empower community members to learn first aid
and train as lab technicians. Operated by the Black
Panther party, the clinic occupied a site illegally at the
intersection of Ruggles and Tremont Street on land
that had been seized from the community by the
Boston Redevelopment Authority. Beyond providing
free health services, the clinic was intentionally sited
to reclaim land and block to the proposed highway
route slated to cut through the community.
1974-1980
COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE
The Combahee River Collective was a Black queer
feminist group active in Roxbury and Greater Boston.
Through the development of a collective statement,
their writings laid the groundwork for ongoing
radical Black feminist movements and language
on intersectionality as a framework for liberation.
Beyond writings, the collective was active in political
struggles around police brutality and the public
school desegregation busing crisis. In 1979, the
group developed a series of informational pamphlets
for the community to build awareness and safety
precautions in response to a series of murders
against Black womxn that took place that year.
2019
THE ESTUARY PROJECTS
Carrying on the legacy of the Combahee River
Collective, the Estuary Projects is a guerrilla
installation series to memorialize the lives of 11 Black
womxn who were murdered four decades prior. At
the time of their deaths, their stories were largely
ignored by dominant media outlets. Led by Kendra
Hicks and a collective of volunteers, temporary
memorials were created at each site on the 40th
anniversary of each woman’s passing, remaining up
for 24 hours. At each location, the community held
space through ritual and gathering to memorialize
each woman’s life—making peace with history and
sending lingering spirits into safe passage.
NUBIAN SQUARE
50
Franklin Park
Where are affirmative
spaces for Black womxn
located in Roxbury?
types of spaces
have circle image of different types
(ie church, recreation, park, art, etc.
For a full list of spaces mentioned through this research, please see the appendix.
COMMUNAL SPACES FOR...
Programming &
Cultural Events
Connection to Nature
Art & Creative
Expression
Learning & Knowledge
Sharing
Religion, Spirituality,
& Healing
Food & Nourishment
Shopping & Economic
investment
Physical Health &
Recreation
Child, Elder, &
Family Services
51
Popular Spaces
Museum of NCAAA
Black Market
Haley House
Essential Body Herbs
Horatio Harris Park
Franklin Park
Folsom Street Community Garden
52
Dudley Library
Fort Hill
Hibernian Hall
Dudley Cafe
Frugal Bookstore
Soleil
Suya Joint
53
Space Design
Black Market
2136 Washington Street
FLEXIBLE & MULTI-USE
Across many of the popularly mentioned spaces, common
characteristics were that the spaces were dynamic, flexible, and
evolving with the community. These are spaces that are accessible via
various avenues beyond their inherent utility. Whether a marketplace,
cafe, or bookstore—popular spaces also served as meeting spots for
organizers or as venues for music, spoken word, visual art, and other
creative programming.
These activities create symbiotic benefits between businesses and
community by providing space for communal gathering where it may
be otherwise lacking, and in turn building awareness about each
respective business as organizers and creatives bring new faces
through their doors.
Popular multi-purpose spaces
4%
7%
8%
9%
16%
20%
WHAT COLOR COMES TO MIND WHEN
YOU HEAR THE WORD “HOME”?
Top responses through our survey feedback
were ORANGE and YELLOW—energizing colors
stimulating optimism and creativity.
5411%
6% 4%
17%
Dudley Cafe
15 Warren Street
Haley House
12 Dade Street
Frugal Bookstore
57 Warren St
55
Space Design
ECLECTIC & EXPRESSIVE
Materiality serves as a form of storytelling and self-expression. Here, we
feature a collection of design elements shared in interview commentary
as well as present in Black-womxn owned spaces across Roxbury.
Wood Elements
Foster natural and earthy
tones
White Walls &
Surfaces
For lightness, openness,
and flexibility of space
arrangement
Dark Accents
A grounding nature
on floors, ceilings, or
detailing
Bold Colors
Bring warmth, energy,
and liveliness into space
Black womxn owned or operated spaces in Roxbury
56
Mirrored Surfaces
Add reflective elements
for enhanced light and
openness
Patterns & Tapestries
For softened edges and
cultural expression
Murals
Bold statements that
highlight local artists
Flowers & Plants
Enhance connection to
nature
57
For Black Cotton Club I feel it
is very important for us to not
have a stationary location so
that we're able to challenge
and express ourselves in
different spaces.
— Priscilla Azaglo
POPULAR RECURRING EVENTS IN ROXBURY Organized by Black Womxn
58
Hive Soul Yoga
A weekly yoga class
centering queer womxn of
color
Black Woman is God
An annual space celebrating
and space showcasing Black
womxn performers, visual
artists, and vendors
Ile Ase
A monthly school and
sanctuary of afroindigenous
folk medicine
and ancestral reverence
Space Activation
Programming spaces serve as junctions of
economic and cultural exchange.
Black-centric programming and events are crucial for promoting community building
and economic investment within the community. Within Roxbury, programmed
spaces often serve the dual purpose as market spaces, including pop-up vendors
featuring entrepreneurs from within the community. Inclusion within such spaces
creates accessible marketing and growth opportunities for micro-businesses and
artists where vending spaces are otherwise too costly or non-existent.
Programmed spaces provide opportunities for networking within community
members to meet like-minded organizers and creatives seeking to connect and grow
collaborations.
Black Cotton Club
A monthly curated jam session
featuring local performers and
vendors
BAMS Fest
A free annual art, music,
and soul festival featuring
local and national acts
Roxbury Film Festival
An annual international film
festival celebrating films by,
for, and about people of color
59
WHAT IS ONE QUESTION YOU WOULD P
WHAT FUTURE WOULD YOU WANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN? HOW COULD YOU DO YOUR PART
AND NOT BENEFITING FROM THE DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVED? • WHO SHOULD INVEST IN
DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH PROGRAMS)? • WHY AREN’T WE TAKING CARE OF OUR PUBLIC SP
OR LEADERS TO INVEST IN THE RESTORATION OF THESE AREAS? CAN WE HAVE RUNNING PL
SPECIFICALLY FOR WOMEN-OWNED AND BLACK BUSINESS? • HOW CAN OUTSIDERS HELP? S
MUCH OF YOUR INCOME DO YOU SPEND ON SMALL BUSINESSES PURCHASES? • WHAT’S NE
AREN’T THERE MORE BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES? • HOW DO WE STOP GENTRIFICATION? •
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES HERE FOR FUTURE TEACHERS? • HOW CAN WE FIX THE STR
HOW ARE WE AS A COMMUNITY GOING TO BUY BACK THIS AREA AND MAKE IT GROW? • WH
IS A TRASH CAN? • WHAT HAPPENED? • WHAT IS YOUR HISTORY AND WHY DON’T YOU TEL
UNITY MEAN? • WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING? • WHY DO W
HAVE LIVED AND HELPED BUILD THE COMMUNITY CAN AFFORD TO STAY AND HAVE A SAY IN
HOW DO WE KEEP RENTS AFFORDABLE SO WE DON’T RUN RESIDENTS OUT OF THE NEIGHB
VISION FOR OUR COMMUNITY? • WHO HAVE WE INSPIRED AND WHO HAVE WE ENCOURAGE
TO THE GENTRIFICATION AND POLICIES THAT DO NOT SERVE US AND CHANGE THEM? • WH
• WHY AREN’T THE BLACK CHURCHES DOING ANYTHING ABOUT HELPING THEIR CONGREG
FIGHT AGAINST GENTRIFICATION. • WHO/WHAT IS STANDING IN THE WAY OF WHAT IS NEE
COMMUNITY CAN BE CREATED? BUT IF THE QUESTION IS TO BE ASKED, LET THERE BE PEO
Y’ALL FOOD SO GOOD? • HOW CAN WE SHOW BETTER SUPPORT FOR ONE ANOTHER? • H
CAN WE BUILD FOR US BY US!? • HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE NEED FOR A BROADER RA
COME TOGETHER AND MAKE THIS A SAFE SPACE? • WHAT MORE DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? T
INFLUENCE WE’LL HAVE. • THE WORLD IS CHANGING, DO YOU THINK THAT WE CAN? • WHY
CAN WE DO BETTER? • HOW CAN WE GROW AND BUILD TOGETHER? • WHAT CAN WE D
CHANGE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN’T CHANGE FOR YOURSELF? • IF YOU WOULDN’T RAISE
GET TO KNOW OUR NEIGHBORS AND BUILD A FRIENDLIER ATMOSPHERE? • HOW DO WE EM
WE WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD EACH OTHER? • HOW CAN WE RECLAIM OUR SPACE IN TH
HOW CAN WE HELP KEEP SPACES? • WHAT CAN OTHER COMMUNITIES LEARN FROM THE W
PREVENTS YOU FROM INVESTING, POOLING RESOURCES, AND BUYING THE COMMUNITY IN W
WANT TO ASK ANYTHING. WHO WILL ANSWER ME EXCEPT MYSELF? • HOW CAN WE COMBA
OF ROXBURY? • WHY ARE WE ALLOWING GENTRIFICATION TO HAPPEN WITHOUT ACTIVELY S
YOU DO IF YOU DID NOT HAVE TO APPEASE ANYONE OUT SIDE OF YOUR SELF? • HOW CAN
INSTEAD OF OPERATING IN SILOS? • HOW DO WE SURVIVE AND MAINTAIN OUR CULTURE IN
DO WE HEAR FROM ELDERS ABOUT WHAT THEY’D LIKE TO SEE RESTORED FROM THE COMM
• WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE IN ROXBURY? • WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN? •
OSE TO THE COMMUNITY IN ROXBURY?
TO BUILD IT? • HOW CAN I HELP? • HOW CAN WE GET MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE OLDER
YOUR COMMUNITIES (WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING, URBAN RENEWAL OF SPACES, AND
ACES? THERE ARE SO MANY BEAUTIFUL PARKS HOW DO WE GET THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ACES? AND COMMUNITY YOGA PROGRAMS? • WHY ISN’T THERE MORE FUNDING AVAILABLE
PECIFICALLY “BLACK GENTRIFIERS”? • WHAT CAN WE DO TO CREATE MORE UNITY? • HOW
XT? • HOW CAN WE COME TOGETHER MORE AND BEGIN TO BUILD COLLECTIVELY? • WHY
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO OFFER MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING? • WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
EETS AND TAKE CARE OF THE SPACES WE HAVE SO WE CAN KEEP THEM IN THE FUTURE? •
AT ARE YOUR DREAMS? HOW CAN WE HELP? • WHY ARE WE TREATING OUR EARTH AS IF IT
L IT’S STORY? • HOW CAN WE CONNECT RATHER THAN BUILD IN ISOLATION? • WHAT DOES
E FIGHT AND BICKER WITH EACH OTHER? • IS THERE A PLAN TO ENSURE FAMILIES THAT
WHAT BUSINESSES COME IN? • WHY IS IT ALRIGHT FOR US TO ALLOW GENTRIFICATION? •
ORHOOD? • HOW DO WE STRATEGIZE AND ORGANIZE TO CREATE/BUILD OUR COLLECTIVE
D? • WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BUY IT UP? • WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO CONTRIBUTE
Y DON’T WE HAVE MORE INDOOR SPACES FOR CHILDREN TO PLAY, EXERCISE AND LEARN?
ATION MEMBERS TO KEEP THEIR HOMES? I FEEL THEY WOULD BE INSTRUMENTAL IN THIS
DED TO OWN YOUR SPACE? HOW DO WE MOVE IT/THEM SO THAT INCLUSIVE AND PROUD
PLE TO PUT REAL AND PERMANENT ACTION BEHIND THE ANSWERS/SOLUTIONS. • WHY
OW CAN WE UNITE TO SAVE THE ROOTS AND HERITAGE OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD? • HOW
NGE OF ECONOMIC DIVERSITY TO SUSTAIN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY? • HOW CAN WE
HE COMMUNITY IS SHIFTING AND THE MORE PEOPLE THAT COME TO THE TABLE, THE MORE
NOT CAST A BIG NET AND THINK BIG? • HOW CAN WE BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING? • HOW
O TO ATTRACT MORE MINORITY BUSINESSES? • HOW CAN YOU WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO
YOUR CHILDREN HERE, DOESN’T IT MEAN IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE? • WHAT ARE WAYS TO
BED OWNERSHIP, EDUCATION, AND CULTURAL SPACES IN THE COMMUNITY? • WHY CAN’T
E BURY? • HOW DO WE CREATE MORE COMMUNITY LEARNING AND HEALING SPACES? •
AY ROXBURY RESIDENTS HAVE PRESERVED AND LOST HISTORY AND RELEVANCE? • WHAT
HICH YOU LIVE? • HOW DO WE KEEP OUR COMMUNITY CLEAN? • I’M NOT SURE IF I EVEN
T THE VIOLENCE? • WHY ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKS AGED 30-55 BEING PUSHED OUT
TRUGGLING AGAINST IT? • ARE YOU COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SPACE? • WHAT WOULD
WE LEVERAGE EXISTING RESOURCES AND BUILD PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS
THE FACE OF GENTRIFICATION? • HOW DO WE NOT LOSE OUR CULTURE AND VOICE? • HOW
UNITY’S PAST. IF WE DON’T RECOGNIZE OUR PAST, WE CANNOT BUILD A STRONG FUTURE.
HOW DO WE STAY UNITED? • WHY DO WE NOT INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY, OUR HOME?
Experiences & Challenges
Space Accessibility
SCALE
Diversity in access to a variety of spaces types remains
a core issue. For permanent rental space, there is a lack
of diversity in the scale of access to commercial space.
More specifically, there is are limited options for microbusinesses
to access permanent vending spaces. The
majority of existing and new development is at a scale
that excludes smaller businesses that may only have 1-3
employees. Thus, there are limited growth options for
businesses trying to scale up from temporary pop-up
vending or online shops.
COST
Beyond space types, high costs of permanent space
remains a top challenge. There are limited regulatory
measures at a city-wide scale creating affordability of
business and commercial space. Property owners serve
as gatekeepers to permanent space access, often setting
a steep barrier of entry for permanent space rentals in a
neighborhood with the lowest income levels in Boston.
Average commercial rents are consistently on the rise
despite ongoing vacancy and poor street maintenance
from the city and property owners. With the influx of
new and prospective development in Lower Roxbury,
commercial rents are pushing an average of $38 per
square foot.
Challenges: Multi-scale space access, from micro-space to large scale
62
ACCESS
Amongst organizers using space for temporary programs,
common challenges included lack of information on
affordable spaces access within the neighborhood.
Businesses do not always clearly advertise space rentals
and rates so one must be proactive in seeking access.
Many connections to spaces had been made through
existing relationships and word of mouth.
In seeking venue spaces, organizers have prioritized
seeking out Black or minority-owned businesses to hold
space, for a multitude of reasons:
From the beginning I was
reaching out to different
Black-owned businesses
and even if they did not fully
understand my vision they
would still take a chance
and open up their space.
— Priscilla Azaglo
(1) Investing back within the community
(2) Often the only spaces providing free or low-cost access
(3) Less bureaucracy or regulations around space use
However, this results in constraints in space variety
because there is a limitation of venues across different
scales. As organizers have scaled events, growth becomes
a challenge as there are limited Black or minority-owned
spaces to hold larger gatherings. At a larger scale, costs
substantially increase and prioritization of minority
ownership becomes compromised.
63
Resources & Financing
LACK OF MICRO-BUSINESS SUPPORT
Beyond direct space, access to grants, funding, or loans
for start-up capital is a core challenge for Black womxn in
Roxbury. Compared to the rest of Boston, Roxbury has
one of the highest concentrations of small businesses,
averaging approximately 10 employees per establishment
(BPDA, 2019). Still, these figures do not account for informal
organizing and entrepreneurial efforts, where people
may not go through formal business registration if they
are operating on an individual basis. Funding sources that
require formal business registration are one of the barriers
to access to capital.
I go out and talk to entrepreneurs,
many of whom are not people of
color and they question why I am
investing my own capital and not
operating off other people’s money.
And then you have to explain to
them, “Well, it’s either I invest in
myself or it may never happen.
— Bridgette Wallace
SELF-FINANCING
Across feedback from research participants, womxn
commonly self-financing their space, business, or other
work. Funding support for emerging businesses and
organizing efforts are either non-existent, inaccessible due
to bureaucratic constraints, or poorly advertised and not
reaching the communities that need the support the most.
On a larger scale, access to investment capital is still
highly racialized. Platforms that explicitly target uplifting
marginalized populations (i.e. Black, womxn, queer, trans)
struggle to access investment dollars from sources that
are largely held in white control. Even though some
entrepreneurs have seen national support through media
and press, investment dollars are still slow to follow
through. This poses an ongoing barrier for Black womxn
entrepreneurs to tap into the marketing strategies to
secure higher funding without compromising the integrity
and core values of the work.
RESOURCE BEYOND CAPITAL
When we asked participants where they sought
resources in the early stages of development,
responses largely commented on personal
relationships and social networks as core to
early support. Friends, mentors, and volunteers
who gave their time, advice, or provided
connections were recognized and valued
beyond any financial considerations.
64
Photos by Tyahra Angus
INTERGENERATIONAL COLLABORATION
In speaking with multiple organizers, valuing experience
and history is crucial for collaboration. There are challenges
around harnessing the knowledge that sits within the
elders of the community in partnership with the optimism
within the youth.
Existing community tensions revealed challenges to
overcome competitive dynamics around degrees of
suffering and experiences around race relations. Growing
up in different conditions and experiences around race
relations, it takes more work to unpack experiences and
struggles between generations. Support and accountability
are needed on both ends of the spectrum, with the
acknowledgment that folks across ages all contribute to the
collective community change.
Building intergenerational space was
more challenging in the beginning based
on communication barriers—but has
evolved over time. Within our workshops,
creating small group discussion has
allowed everyone to be heard while
there is less pressure of expression on
a large platform. I’ve seen that younger
folks are happy to see and hear from
older womxn in the space.
— Sam Casseus
Within intergenerational spaces, it takes more time and
consistency to build trust and collaboration. Fostering
such spaces must overcome technological communication
barriers as well as barriers in language and experience.
Intentionally facilitated spaces for intergenerational
exchange are key to ensure that the historical efforts that
impact communities today are carried with momentum
instead of creating perpetual cycles and stagnancy based
on broken chains of knowledge.
65
WHAT ARE BARRIERS TO YOU ATTENDING EVENTS OR COMMUNITY SPACES?
Hard to find information about events/spaces
56%
Too busy/no free time
38%
Lack of diversity/repre se ntation in space
26%
Too far away
19%
Too expensive
12%
Lack of childcare or child-friendly activities
10%
Physically ina ce ssible
2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
56% of survey respondents said
the difficulty of finding information was
the primary reason for not attending
community events and spaces.
66
Information Access & Sharing
INNER-COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS
Accessibility of information was identified as a top
challenge for people in the community attending spaces,
programming, or participating in community organizing.
Feedback from interviews and survey participants
highlighted that community information is highly
decentralized and pocketed across social networks.
Social media and personal references were identified as
core avenues for communications. These conditions pose
a particular challenge for information sharing between
generations. Social media was a preferred avenue of
communication amongst younger residents while email
and local newspapers remained popular amongst older
generations.
Individual and micro businesses and platforms are
challenged with the capacity to uphold a marketing
presence across the breadth of communication channels.
Strategies to overcome these challenges may include
collaborative channels for marketing and branding to
collectively elevate multiple businesses and platforms.
EXTERNAL INFORMATION ACCESS
Beyond inner-community communications, access to
resources and information with the city or other private
organizations remains a further challenge. Social media
platforms from outer-community organizations are
challenged to reach the audiences they claim to support.
Furthermore, marketing approaches limited to social
media are challenged to achieve true trust amongst
community members. Within Roxbury, word-of-mouth and
personal reference remain strong sources of connection to
opportunities and resources.
Given the breadth of resources available at a city-wide
scale, external organizations should center efforts on
building a better understanding of existing social networks
to create improved support systems for Black and brown
people to navigate bureaucratic barriers. Successful
approaches must foster engagement through both
physical and digital spaces.
The city has a lot of resources
but does a poor job of
connecting resources to people
who need them the most. You
have to be connected via word
of mouth to find out about
many opportunities.
— Jessicah Pierre
67
4
is at the root of
As a culmination of this study, our team
developed a design framework through Black
womxn’s narratives that considers both the
PRINCIPLES and ACTIONS to inspire how we
build more inclusive approaches towards
design and planning processes.
At large, this framework seeks to unpack how the design profession can better
leverage community voice to develop place-based design standards. In order
to create better design solutions, we need to diversify our principles, values,
and thinking. The root of change begins with developing interventions within
standard workflows. Core to this notion is the importance of elevating the
design process over outcomes as a framework for design justice. We must
acknowledge that expertise in the field extends beyond those with accolades. A
wealth of knowledge is held amongst Black womxn and other communities that
navigate systematic challenges on a daily basis. We hope this framework sparks
acknowledgment of Black womxn’s presence and contributions to our cities,
and pushes the principles to ground our approaches moving forward to build a
more just society.
71
Design Principles
As shown in the diagram to the right, our framework
highlights four core principles that were prioritized
amongst the work and experiences of the Black womxn
interviewed in this study: (1) Ground Intention, (2) Honor
History, (3) Uplift Underrepresented Voices, and (4)
Rethink Ownership. Visually represented and read from
the bottom-up, this diagram emphasizes that the most
impactful work grows out of a firmly rooted purpose.
These four principles serve as a conceptual framework
to build more mindfulness and conversation around
the values driving each project. Within a hyper productoriented
environment, it is crucial to build space for deeper
questioning around what drives our work, and who is it
truly for?
72
RETHINK Ownership
UPLIFT Underrepresented Voices
HONOR History
GROUND Intention
73
GROUND Intention
Leading with intention allows us to unpack the principles and values
that drive the work we wish to see through. Intentions are expansive
and help us envision larger societal impacts beyond conditional
constraints such as budget or client desires.
Intentionality challenges us to move past projecting goals that only
consider a snapshot in time. As planners and designers consistently
look forward to the future, it is crucial to remember that space is
transient and never stagnant. The value of design is not to reach a
point or outcome, but to consider how the interventions we design
within the environment shapes the way people continuously live,
experience, and move through the world.
Within a team, intentionality helps to build consensus and collective
understanding before any collaboration unfolds. Grounding intention
teaches us to be more present in our work and pushes our thinking
to consider how actions and processes shape design outcomes.
74
“
At the beginning of each group
session, we set our ground rules—
that we talk about our intentions
and expectations within the space,
and what we hope to get out of it.
That has a huge impact because it
gives clarity about what the tone
will be, and that we all came to a
collective understanding of how the
space will be held.
— Sam Casseus
“
75
“
When we know our history, we are
able to know the things that our
ancestors and generations before
us have accomplished. It helps to
empower us to know what exactly
we can accomplish. Learning from
the struggles and victories of the past
informs people to know what they’re
capable of how we can better create
change in our communities.
— Jessicah Pierre
“
76
HONOR History
In the spirit of Sankofa,* we must fully acknowledge and learn
from the past to build a strong future. Our present existence is a
manifestation of history—one that cannot be erased. As planners
and designers within the United States, this considers acknowledging
how both the theory and practice within the profession has been
built through a culture of uniformity and dominance that historically
and to this day perpetuates a system of excluding underrepresented
people, voices, and cultures in the design of our cities. If we choose
to uphold dominant design standards, we are choosing to ignore the
ugly truths of our past, thus creating fragmented visioning and the
continuation of ongoing inequalities in future space.
The lived experience of Black and brown communities teaches us
that history and the legacy of traumas are never buried. An equitable
future is one where history and culture are not erased. It is a future
where society builds strength and resilience through honoring,
reconciling, and healing from past successes and struggles to
develop more informed and innovative solutions moving forward.
*Sankofa — a term from the Akan tribe of West Africa, meaning that we must
consider our roots and history in order to move forward
77
UPLIFT Underrepresented Voices
Diversity and representation in planning and design extends beyond
tokenizing people based on politicized demographic markers (i.e.
race, gender, age, sexuality). Learning from Black womxn teaches
us that these identities do not holistically define a person. Elevating
underrepresented voices must also consider diversity in lived
experience and thinking.
Here, we must acknowledge that we all hold biases and blindspots
in how we understand and experience space. Uplifting
underrepresented voices helps to challenge and evolve from
existing processes, values, and systems that were designed to
exclude. Building a team of designers and decision-makers who
represent diverse narrative, thinking, and identity helps to foster
more innovative design solutions that address issues through various
perspectives.
We must also challenge and expand who we consider stakeholders,
designers, and planners of our cities. The experts and holders of
the most inventive ideas may oftentimes not be the people with the
highest titles or accolades. They may not even consider themselves a
planner or designer at all. The more proactive we are about elevating
underrepresented voices, the more we broaden the coalition for
support, engagement, and trust within communities.
78
“
I look for those people who are
marginalized and forgotten, almost
invisible because I know the value
that lies there. There are many
voices that should be not just
included at the table but should be
driving lots of the conversation and
innovation and development and
design. People often discredit the
knowledge that is gained from the
lived experience of learning how to
survive and move within the system.
— Bridgette Wallace
“
79
“
There's an aspect of vulnerability
and humility that you must have
in leadership so that in essence
the people lead themselves. You
give them ownership. You’re not
trying to tell them what to do.
You’re creating an environment for
people to empower them to build
experience and evolve.
— Ekua Holmes
“
80
RETHINK Ownership
As visionaries of cities intended to serve all people, we must
recognize that the work is larger than ourselves, our teams, or a given
site. Here, we must challenge our understanding of ownership not as
inferring domination or exclusion, but rather considering ownership
within a community as a framework for empowerment and collective
engagement. If people are empowered as owners of the places
in which they live, they are more likely to hold accountability, take
action, and invest in their space over the longevity of time.
When we think about ownership, it is important that we understand
the value of planning and design as a strategy to support
marginalized communities to physically own physical space and
assets as a tool for liberation. Within the United States, Black and
brown bodies inherently experience space differently because they
are living within a landscape that was rarely designed or built for
them.
We must also actively recognize design as a process to create spaces
where people can own themselves, their stories, and livelihoods. We
must always consider how the interconnectedness of systems plays
into design outcomes. For example, recognizing that polished designs
may also warrant increased surveillance and police presence. A
society where Black and brown people are thriving is not one where
they have just been given the same things that white people have.
It will look different than what we have all come to know. Rethinking
ownership reminds us that amongst our diverse society we are not all
looking for the same physical things, but rather collectively we are all
seeking to own our narrative, histories, and cultural practices in how
we design, develop, and use space.
81
Design Actions
The following actions build off design principles to provide
space to allow us to envision what a future looks like where
Black womxn are thriving.
RECLAIM History & Legacy
TRANSFORM Health & Wellness
82
These four themes as depicted below serve to illustrate actionable strategies
that demonstrate affirming spaces for Black womxn in the future. The
depictions captured within this framework were largely derived through defining
affirming space for Black womxn based on interviews and survey feedback from
the womxn who participated in this study. As a collective, we practice in this
realm of Black futurism as exploratory. This implies that there is no one way that
Black futures can be predicted, however, there are elements necessary for Black
futures to thrive.
LEVERAGE Economic
Collectives &
ELEVATE Art & Culture
83
84
RECLAIM
History & Legacy
INVEST in preserving and building key physical
sites of Black & Indigenous histories.
SUPPORT past and present movements into
future developments.
MEMORIALIZE communal journeys in physical
spaces—honoring both the successes and
struggles that are rooted in place.
INTEGRATE history and education into
the public realm to foster more accessible
platforms for knowledge sharing.
LEVERAGE new technologies to bridge the
gap between neighborhood history and future
progressions.
85
TRANSFORM
Health & Wellness
BUILD flexible spaces to integrate diverse
practices toward health and wellness.
BRIDGE approaches to encompass mental,
physical, and spiritual well-being.
ELEVATE spaces that promote connection to the
earth to promote self-care and healing.
HONOR evolving practices of religion and
spirituality within the Black community.
DESIGN public spaces and connections that
promote physical activity and movement.
86
87
88
LEVERAGE Economic
Collectives & Collaborations
REINFORCE existing spaces, programs, and
organizing efforts.
DEVELOP infrastructure to promote collaborative
approaches towards communal wealth building.
INTEGRATE scaled economic models inclusive of
micro-businesses and informal pop-up ventures.
ENVISION long term interventions that promote
generational growth over short-sighted gains.
EMBED culture into economic strategies to innovate
more sustainable and place-based solutions.
89
ELEVATE
Art & Culture
UPLIFT local artists and creators as key
leaders to understand culturally sensitive
dynamics in place.
SUPPORT local artists in developing works
that bring the community together and foster
connection within the public sphere.
INCENTIVIZE interventions that activate
underutilized spaces to foster momentum
around community-driven investment.
PROMOTE cultural spaces that support the
past, present, and future preservation of
place.
90
91
92
APPENDIX
93
References
Pages 10-13 — About Roxbury
Roxbury Historical Society. (2014). About Roxbury - Roxbury Historical Society. [online]
Available at: http://roxburyhistoricalsociety.org/about-roxbury/
Boston Planning & Development Agency (2019). Boston in Context - Neighborhoods
(2013 -2017 American Community Survey). [online] Available at: http://www.
bostonplans.org/getattachment/8349ada7-6cc4-4d0a-a5d8-d2fb966ea4fe.
Now and There. (2018). The Conscious Artist: Identity and Social Responsibility in
Boston’s Black/Brown Mural Arts. [online] Available at: http://www.nowandthere.org/
blog/2018/3/19/the-conscious-artist.
Acitelli, T. (2017). The 5 Boston neighborhoods where prices increased the
most since 2012. [online] Curbed Boston. Available at: https://boston.curbed.
com/2017/11/21/16685644/boston-neighborhoods-where-prices-increased-most.
PropertyShark Real Estate Blog. (2017). Boston’s Top 5 Fastest-Rising Neighborhoods
in 2017 | PropertyShark. [online] Available at: https://www.propertyshark.com/Real-
Estate-Reports/2017/11/21/bostons-top-5-fastest-rising-neighborhoods-2017/.
Page 36 — What makes a space affirmative?
Agunloye, K. (2019). True Racial Representation Won’t Happen If the Nuances Are
Disregarded. [online] Adweek.com. Available at: https://www.adweek.com/digital/trueracial-representation-wont-happen-if-the-nuances-are-disregarded/.
Page 40 — Black Spaces Matter
Blackwell, K. (2018). Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People. [online]
The Arrow. Available at: https://arrow-journal.org/why-people-of-color-need-spaceswithout-white-people/.
94
Pages 48-49 — Reclaiming Space
Crockett, K. (2018). People Before Highways. Amherst University Of Massachusetts
Press.
Bassett, M.T. (2016). Beyond Berets: The Black Panthers as Health Activists. American
Journal of Public Health, 106(10), pp.1741–1743.
COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE. [online] Available at: https://combaheerivercollective.
weebly.com/
Gray, A. (2019). This Boston Collective Laid The Groundwork For Intersectional Black
Feminism | The ARTery. [online] Wbur.org. Available at: https://www.wbur.org/
artery/2019/06/10/boston-combahee-river-collective-intersectional-black-feminism.
Morales, K. (2018). Art project to memorialize lives of slain Rox. women. [online] The
Bay State Banner. Available at: https://www.baystatebanner.com/2018/11/15/artproject-to-memorialize-lives-of-slain-rox-women/
[Accessed 17 Feb. 2020].
Pages 62-65 — Experiences and Challenges
Boston Planning & Development Agency (2019). The Importance of Small and
Micro Businesses in Boston. [online] Available at: http://www.bostonplans.org/
getattachment/5d541617-a78e-4dab-b191-6b127f42b030.
Page 77 — Design Principles: Honor History
Carter G. Woodson Center. (2016). The Power of Sankofa: Know History - Carter G.
Woodson Center. [online] Available at: https://www.berea.edu/cgwc/the-power-ofsankofa/.
95
Survey Responses Open Data
See page 26 for more background on the survey.
1. Total Responses
109 responses
2. What is your age group?
Value Percent Count
17 or younger 1.80% 2
18 to 24 16.50% 18
25 to 34 34.90% 38
35 to 44 12.80% 14
45 to 54 19.30% 21
55 to 64 10.10% 11
65+ 4.60% 5
3. With which gender do you identify?
Value Percent Count
Woman 96.30% 105
Non-binary 0.90% 1
Genderqueer or gender nonconforming 0.90% 1
An identity not listed 1.80% 2
4. With which race/ethnicity do you identify?
*respondents can choose multiple answers
Value Percent Count
Black/African-American 96.30% 105
American Indian/Alaska Native 6.40% 7
Hispanic/Latino 9.20% 10
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander
0.90% 1
White/Caucasian 1.80% 2
An identity not listed 5.50% 6
5. What is your home zip code?
Zip Code Percent Count
02119 17% 18
02124 12% 13
02121 9% 10
02126 6% 7
02118 5% 5
02130 5% 5
02122 4% 4
02115 3% 3
02125 3% 3
02131 3% 3
02136 3% 3
02302 3% 3
01904 2% 2
02169 2% 2
02199 2% 2
02215 2% 2
02351 2% 2
96
02368 2% 2
01604 1% 1
01701 1% 1
01742 1% 1
01841 1% 1
01970 1% 1
02072 1% 1
02120 1% 1
02129 1% 1
02134 1% 1
02143 1% 1
02150 1% 1
02180 1% 1
02186 1% 1
02188 1% 1
02301 1% 1
02445 1% 1
03060 1% 1
48505 1% 1
02114 1% 1
02494 1% 1
6. What is your relationship to the
Roxbury community?
Value Percent Count
Currently live in Roxbury 26.40% 28
Used to live in Roxbury, but have
since moved
25.50% 27
Work/have worked in Roxbury 26.40% 28
Organize events/programs in
Roxbury
Neighborhood visitor (i.e.
attending businesses, public
spaces, or events)
22.60% 24
47.20% 50
Other 13.20% 14
7. If you used to live in Roxbury, why did you move out?
Response
The owner of my family's then home didn't renew the lease,
and raised rent.
Rent was raised
I had went away to college and when I came back could
only find affordable housing in mattapan.
For work
I was younger and therefore didn't have a choice. I would
love to move back.
Change in household
My family lived in Roxbury before I could remember. My
younger sister and I were displaced for personal reasons.
Parents moved
High rent
Because we sold our family house
I moved out of Roxbury in 2014 and have since lived in
Jamaica Plain and Dorchester
My family purchased a house in Dorchester. Would have
loved to stay in Roxbury but it's too expensive.
Cost less
Moved over 30 years ago to Randolph. More affordable
housing at the time.
I used to live in Roxbury but moved because of the money
issue. It is too expensive
I moved outside the USA
My family bought our first home in Dorchester.
I was young and living with my parents
Toxic home environment
I couldn't afford any apartments in the area. However it's
where I feel most at home.
Parents
I went to college
gentrification
Got a new place and couldn't afford Roxbury
Could not afford to purchase a home here
Suitable living options
97
8. What is Roxbury’s Greatest Strength?
Response
Accessibility to the rest of the city and upcoming community
businesses
Amazing people, beautiful parks and educational institutions.
Black (illegible)
Black owned businesses
Black people who can and should unite
Black people!
Blackness!
Bring diversity together
Central location dead in the middle of the city of Boston--can get
anywhere from the Bury
Central location in the city and historic black community
Community
Community Culture
Community and retained cultures is an asset
Community bonding
Community events, awareness of self (i.e. Community)
Community pride
Community, love
Community. Lots of diversity and culture
Cultural vitality and social capital; black-owned businesses; culturally
relevant products I.e. food hair products
Culture
Culture
Culture
Culture
Culture and sense of community History
Culture, programming for POC, roots
Culture, strength, and talent
Diverse community of color close to downtown
Diversity History Location
Easy -- its Black roots, history and community
98
Everything is possible and strong no matter the consequence of it
Family
Food places
Growing community
History, ability to be diverse.
History, legacy, and community resiliency
How it really ties community and BIPOC together. It's cool because
that's one of the more cultural spots of Boston. A lot of small
businesses owned by BIPOC there!
how we stick together and the deep reep rooted history
I live on the border of Dorchester and Roxbury, I call both sections
home.
I love Roxbury for the community, even when you're not "from
here" you feel like you belong.
I love the history of the neighborhood. Walking around, you can
feel the vibrancy in the people, the architecture of the buildings,
the local restaurants and the street art.
If you are black and native to Boston you know in Roxbury you
can find it all, food, hair stores, black owned businesses, malcom
x's old stomping grounds, black history clothing stores and most
importantly a sea of brown faces.
It's diversity, history, and representation, especially for black folks.
It is a place where I feel seen and that I belong as compared to
other predominantly white parts of the city. Also the parks/green
spaces are nice.
It's families
It's history/legacy
It's incredibly rich cultural assets and it's history. There are so
many untold stories in Roxbury. About diverse communities
living together happily that no one ever talks about. It's greatest
strength is its people.
It's neighborhoods, transportation (Dudley Station), Old homes
and buildings with beautiful design (very historic) Near Franklin
Park Downtown
it's people and culture! Always a friendly face and feels like true
community
It's people It's land It's rich history It's activist spirit The arts
It's proximity to the city. It's the easiest place to commute to and
from. I think it also is it's worse attribute.
Malcolm X and his legacy Black Market Black Business It's
people and long term residents deterring to stay put. Masjid
Alhamdulillah
Many people that talk about diversity forget about the
strengths that belong to homogenous communities of color.
Roxbury still has spaces that are for, service, owned by, and are
unapologetically Us.
my people
Our people! But we can also be our weakness. So much culture
and diversity.
People
people of color
People Unity
People who care and it's rich history of arts and activisim.
Proximity to Boston
Resilience
Resources
Rich history, strong community, people potential
Roxbury's greatest strength is its rich diversity--present and
past and the role it holds as a cultured compass to Boston's
communities of color
Roxbury's strength is its history and community.
The ability to come together for great events like this (Black
Market)
The Black community in Roxbury is different from Any community
in Boston. The history of Roxbury and the fight for better in your
black community
The black culture that fosters, celebrates, and elevates resilience
through art education
The Black people that live there.
The community is resilient.
The community is strong with powerful voices that bring
awareness
The community really comes together and supports each other
through everything!
The culture
The culture and pride of black people and history! You gave us
Bobby Brown!! Malcome X !!
The culture and pride!
The culture, small businesses, mom and pop stores Location,
history, and people!
The diversity and strong community involvement
The greater community
The history and African American community leaders in and out
of Boston
The history and the people
The history of struggle
The long standing history and power of the Black community. It is
geographically the heart of Boston and the strength and resilience
of the Black community is inspirational.
The love and unity, along with the compassion
The name, community, people
The natives are passionate, community-focused and know the
essence of Roxbury
The people
The people
The people
The people
The people and strong community. There are always people there
for you.
The people have seen and experienced a great deal and would be
perfect to provide insight to community leaders and officials on
projects impacting their space
The people of color
The people, so much potential, just need the resources to tao into
the energy
The residents
The sense of community and the togetherness. Also how it keeps
true to its root.
The sense of pride
the strength in the bonds of the people who live there
The strong sense of community, strong diverse black community
and I am so happy to be a part of it. My neighbors are amazing
and wonderful reprieve from the rest of segregated Boston.
The support of community community iinvestment
Unity
Unity of black people
When people come together united in the spirit of one, we are
strong!
Youth policing programs
99
9. What is one space you enjoy in Roxbury?
Response
Ashur Restaurant
Black Market
Bruce Bolling Building
Church on Dudly Street
Daily Table
Department of Transitional Assistance
Dewitt Community Center
Dudley Café
Dudley Library
Dudley Square Area
Egleston Square Library
Essential Body Herbs
Family Homes
Fasika Café
Fort Hill Park
Franklin Park
Franklin Park Zoo
Frugal Bookstore
Grove Hall Senior Building
Haley House
Hibernian Hall
Ideals Children Services of Roxbury
Inner Sanctum
Joe Steak and Cheese
Kroc Center
Lgbt center Boston glass
Malcom X Park
Michael Biven's Park
Muesum of NCAAA, “Big Head Museum””
Northeastern University
Paige Academy
Parker Hill Branch Library
Reggie Lewis Center
Roxbury Community College, Media Center
Roxbury YMCA
Silver Slipper
Slades
Soleil
Southwest Corridor
Suya Joint
The Freedom House
Tropical Foods
Washington Park Mall
First Church In Roxbury
Africa is the Beginning Mural
St Mark Congregational Church
Horatio Harris Park
First Christian Union Church
Boston Youth Fund (BCYF Youth Engagement & Employment)
Heritage State Park
Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex
John Eliot Square
AAMARP
Folsom Street Community Garden
Maxine's On Saint James
Shirley Eustis House
Kaba African Market
Madison Park Community Center
Roxbury Boys & Girls Club
Ugi's Subs
Grove Hall Community Center
Shelburne Community Center
826 Boston
Fairmount Innovation Lab
100
Fort Hill Bar & Grill
Mad Music Mill
Z Gallery
Faith's Nauturals (Out of Neighborhood)
10. What are barriers to you attending
events or community spaces?
Value Percent Count
I am too busy/have no free time. 39.80% 37
It is too expensive for me to attend. 12.90% 12
It is hard to find information about
events/spaces.
There is a lack of diversity/representation
in the space.
It is physically accessible (i.e. no places
to sit or ramps to enter buildings).
It is too far away for convenient
travel.
It is lacking childcare or child-friendly
activities.
53.80% 50
24.70% 23
2.20% 2
19.40% 18
10.80% 10
Other 3.20% 3
11. Imagine your ideal vision for the Roxbury community.
What exists in this vision that is currently not present?
Response
Clean streets, open grass areas to relax (outdoor community
spaces), emergency cares, stores with fresh produce... all of these
thing show investment in the community and it's people which
we do not have. It's disheartening to see the amount of trash and
abandoned lots in the city. There is so much potential but not
enough monetary investment and effort.
Minority-run shops lining Dudley Square. - More micro-businesses
and opportunities for entrepreneurs to grow from the ground
up - Opportunities for property ownership and economic
empowerment for residents - More afrocentric public art in the
neighborhood - Leveraging art as community engagement
The wellness center I want to use - Social clubs without ethanol -
Evening dining/ fine dining - women's clothing limited
A 3-level lounge to host a jazz club, dance lounge, and hookah bar
A Children's Museum, Skyzone and roller skating rink. It's terrible
these spaces do not exist in Roxbury
A community in which everyone contributes to changing their
community for the better and encourages each other to grow
A community space that is open 24/7 or close to it for people to
eat, hang out, and network, etc
A green space with innovative areas that would allow for local
talent to mix with imported talents. A place that has it's own art
district that shows Boston is home to brown people and always
has been. I would hope it's a place people would proudly say
they are from and knowing the history of how this space became
known as Roxbury. Bring back the Mecca!
A safe and cultural environment that celebrates black culture and
identity. A space just for us
A socialist, anti-racist economy and social structure that prioritizes
and gives power to the working class nationally oppressed people
who live here
accessible community art spaces and more black businesses
thriving
Active shopping centers, increased homeownership instead of
displacement, more public art displays, increased art spaces
Advertised
Affordable housing
Affordable Housing
101
Affordable housing! Community center closer to Dudley station.
African centered pedagogy
All owned and operated by people with Melanin. People taking
care of the space they occupy. Better food options. More
opportunities for the community (employment and creativity)
All the amenities that are located in the South End, eating,
shopping, drinking (lounges)
All the black people All the black business All black love! Healthy
relationships!!!
All the vacant stores fronts are filled by diverse entrepreneurs
who have ownership in the property and are dedicated well-being
of the community as it is now.
An art center, visual and performing Art studio for local artists
Beautiful, diverse, strong, vibrant community w/ businesses
owned by POC, excellent schools, housing we can afford with
opportunities to build community wealth
Better access/transportation Frequency of the 42 bus Extend
silver line, connect 1-3 4/5
Better housing
Better store shopping along with the mom and pop stores. Make
sure the stores in this area don’t leave.
Black ownership! I want to see more of it. People working together
and more unity
Black people being able to stay in their community
Black people can afford to live and do business in the community
Black-owned business and more housing, better rents
Black-owned community and helping to heal the community with
our culture
Block parties, annual art shows, more outdoor events
Boston as a whole has a history of segregation even within
communities of people. As a transplant to Boston (I moved from
Detroit 10 years ago), it can take time to feel like you've integrated
into a community because of this. Also, there isn't any uniform
platform that exists yet to bring people and information together
due to a number of things: one being access to technology that
takes into barriers such as age or language. I'm currently working
on a website with friends that aims to do such that and find ways
to overcome these obstacles and bring people together.
Choice of places: - have breakfast/coffee - a nice meal - listen to
music - art/performance space
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Clean community center, green spaces, decent housing for
homeless, poor people, and elders. Public bath and restrooms for
everyone
Dinner venues, speakeasy, shopping. Affordable housing. Land
that is green, flowers, waterfalls, sculptures, etc.
Every black-owned business coming together as one
Expanding on the QPOC spaces that already exist. A Roxbury
that values the prior contributions of Black folx and recognizes
that this was ours first. Doesn't try to change the essence of the
community. And affordable housing!
Hm, maybe more ownership of property. More venue spaces.
I vision a museum of Black people
I want the area to be like Black Wall Street--Black excellence in full
I want the violence to decrease and the community to get closer.
I'd love to see more housing opportunities, at the age of 21 I'm
not sure how likely it will be for me to live here when I start my
career
ideally, spaces in Roxbury would engage the community in
conversations and connections with each other. To hear each
others stories and to celebrate the history of this important
place. Discover Roxbury is now closed and it was an important
organization for telling Roxbury's History. The libraries could hold
History days where the seniors and others in the area could come
share stories so they don't get lost.
Improvement of physical green spaces and buy in of abandoned
properties. I wish these abandoned, empty buildings would be
owned by business owners that live in Roxbury! This would allow
for opportunities for the community to grow and gain property
value and income
Investment for our people by our people without the government
It could be a great arts and business district for POC, like Harlem
for instance, but there are many abandoned businesses and
homes. Those businesses and homes could be used to house
people or house business people.
Less drug use. Current challenges are people on drugs. You cannot
come out of your house without seeing someone on drugs
Less gentrification More black spaces
Less gun violence, more awareness to young children and most
importantly less gentrification.
Less violence
Making events affordable to people that live in the community.
More art spaces, Beautiful public spaces, Open markets, Clean
sidewalks, Murals and sculptures
More black businesses and affordable housing;livable wages.
More black-owned and female-led businesses
More black-owned businesses, lower cost of housing as well as
buildings for leasing
more community gardens, youth cultural/arts center, summer
dance festival with outdoor dance performances
More diverse opportunities for residents and homewonership
More foot traffic, diverse businesses, Juice bar, Ice cream shop
Restaurants, dry cleaners
More green space, pools, more businesses, resources for
homeless people with less opportunity than others
More green space! More consistent and well-publicized events
More homeowners and renters meeting on a regular basis to discuss
community issues Current meetings should be more widely
publicized to boost attendance
more housing and cleaner streets more jobs and training in the
community
More Lgbt safe spaces. More grocery stores
More open spaces for community members to lead programs
More spaces for black folks specifically queer women of color
More teen clubs, specifically for teen outings/parties
More unity Safe spaces daily
More variety of thriving local businesses. Initiatives that support
businesses within the Dudley area specifically. Dudley is the
economic center of the community and it seems like businesses
struggle to be successful here.
More ways for locals to get together and support each other
More. Lack owned business
Multi-dimensional space
My ideal of a better us new and improved is owning our own,
growing our own food, and having our own wealth and homes
My vision is that we support small businesses and close the
wealth gap
No one leaves that wants to stay (anti-displacement). Thriving
businesses; supportive spaces that promote cultured expression
Affordable and stable housing commercial space
Open garden space, outdoor events, strong community events,
investment in public recreational spaces- food pop ups etc
Parks. Green open spaces without "purpose."
Poetry, radical tender black femme healing spaces and art all the
time!
Programs that encourage and foster home ownership and culturally
significant business building
Public and private spaces that are community owned and operated
for business and culture that keeps people out in real life
connecting and creating with others, and off of their cell phones
Really revamping Dudley Square. Honestly, I would push white
people out of the " Egelston Square/almost JP area" because they
are really coming from both sides and I hate it. This might sound
segregated but Boston NEEDS an all black community. Only. We
should be able to strive without other people.
Spread of wealth Black Wall Street
Studio spaces for artists! More public art! It would also be great to
see a Roxbury Festival featuring the local businesses and nonprofits
in the area.
That it remains a Black space. I would like to see upwardly mobile
Black graduates moving, buying homes, creating businesses, etc.
The Black Wall street takes over a strip in Roxbury
The community having access to new developments and affordable
rent
The support and concern for issues that only we can fix
Thriving businesses owned an operated by black people;
Affordable housing; Welcoming and safe space for families; Fun
and exciting spaces for entertainment
To be able to collectively use the resources in the community to
take economic ownership
To stay black
Unity
Unity No Violence Patience Acceptance Understanding
Unity of people and community
We need more unity and harmony. The same offers as the suburbs
have--such as schools, community activities, better housing
options
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12. What is one question you would pose to the
community in Roxbury?
Response
Are you comfortable in your own space?
for us by us!!
How are we as a community going to buy back this area and make
it grow?
How can I help?
How can outsiders help? Specifically "black gentifiers"
How can we become self-sustaining?
How can we combat the violence?
How can we come together and make this a safe space?
How can we come together more and begin to build collectively?
How can we connect rather than build in isolation?
How can we do better?
How can we fix the streets and take care of the spaces we have so
we can keep them?
How can we get more people who are older and not benefiting
from the developments involved?
How can we grow and build together?
How can we help you keep your spaces?
How can we leverage existing resources and build partnerships
between stakeholders instead of operating in silos?
How can we reclaim our space in the Bury (A peace of the Rock)?
How can we unite to save the roots and heritage of this neighborhood?
How can you want someone else to change something that you
can't change for yourself?
How do we address the need for a broader range of economic
diversity to sustain the business community?
How do we create more community learning and healing spaces?
How do we embed ownership, education, and cultural spaces in
the community?
How do we keep rents affordable so we don't run residents out of
the neighborhood?
How do we not lose our culture and voice?
How do we stay united?
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How do we stop gentrification?
How do we strategize and organize to create/build our collective
vision for our community?
How do we survive and maintain our culture in the face of
gentrification?
How much of your income do you spend on small businesses
purchases?
I can't say right now
I would like us to always show support for one another any way
that we can.
I'd want to hear from the elders about what they'd like to see restored
from the community's past. If we don't recognize our past,
we cannot build a strong future.
I'm not sure if I even want to ask anything. Who will answer me
except mmyself?
If you wouldn't raise your children here, doesn't it mean it's time
for change?
Is there a plan to ensure families that have lived and helped build
the community can afford to stay and have a say in what businesses
come in?
Let's keep our community clean
The world is changing do you think that we can?
Unity
What are some of the educational opportunities here for future
teachers?
What are ways to get to know our neighbors and build a friendlier
atmosphere?
What are your dreams? How can we help?
What can other communities learn from the way Roxbury residents
have preserved and lost history and relevance?
What can we do to attract more minority businesses?
What can we do to create more unity?
What do you want for your children?
What does unity mean?
What future would you want for your children? How could you do
your part to build it?
What happened?
What is your history and why don't you tell it's story.
What more do you have to lose? The community is shifting and
the more people that come to the table, the more influence we'll
have
What needs to change in Roxbury?
What prevents you from investing, pooling resources, and buying
the community in which you live?
What will it take for you to contribute to the gentrification and
policies that do not serve us and change them?
What would you do if you did not have to appease anyone out
side of your self?
What's next?
When are we going to buy it up?
When are we going to get more affordable housing?
When are we going to offer more affordable housing?
Who have we inspired and who have we encouraged?
Who should invest in your communities? (When it comes to
housing, urban renewal of spaces, and development of youth
programs)
Who/what is standing in the way of what is needed to own your
space? How do we move it/them so that inclusive and proud
community can be created? But if the question is to be asked,
let there be people to put real and permanent action behind the
answers/solutions.
Why are African American folks aged 30-55 being pushed out of
Roxbury?
Why are we allowing gentrification to happen without actively
struggling against it?
Why are we treating our earth as if it is a trash can?
Why aren't the Black churches doing anything about helping their
congregation members to keep their homes? I feel they would be
instrumental in this fight against gentrification.
Why aren't there more black-owned businesses?
Why aren't we taking care of our public spaces? There are so
many beautiful parks how do we get the local government or
leaders to invest in the restoration of these areas? Can we have
running places ? And community yoga programs?
Why can't we work together to build each other?
Why do we fight and bicker with each other?
Why do we not invest in our community, our home?
Why don't we have more indoor spaces for children to play,
exercise and learn.
Why is it alright for us to allow gentrification?
Why isn't there more funding available specifically for womenowned
and black business
Why not cast a big net and think big?
Why yall food so good?
Why you so far away?
13. What is your superpower?
Response
Ability to connect with others
Ability to listen and engage
Able to distill big complicated terms so that everyone can understand.
Affirming friend
AM
Ambition
Artistic vision
Assessing others' needs and helping them connect to the resources
they need and their sense of seld
Being a black woman
Being able to connect with others.
Being myself
bing me
blackness
Boldness with love
Bounce back magic
Brain
Brainstorming
Caring
church
communication
compassion
Compassion
compassion
compassion
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Connecting
Connection
Creating opportunities to learn
Creative
Creativity
Culture/Heritage
Emotional intelligence
Empathetic
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
energy fixer
Exploration
Forgiveness
Friendly
Good judge of character
graciousness
Hard worker
healer
healing
Helping others
Humility
I get things done and can ride any wave
I have them all I am a goddess
Intensity
Intuition
Intuition
Kindness
Knowledge
laughter
Leadership
Listening
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Love
Love
Love, Divine
Loving our people and getting along with them
Magic
Make everyone feel like they're at home
melanin
My heart!
my personality
My shine! Love for the people
My smile
My voice
My voice
organization
Organization and event planning
passion
Patience
Patience
Personable
Player
Power to bring people together
Powerful
Recuperation
Resilience
Resilience
Resilience
Resourceful, connecting with others
Smile and my ability to connect with all people
strength
Strength, resilience
Stubbornness and passion
Super vision
supporting and networking
synthesizing ideas
Talking
Tenacity
The ability to create
To tap the pulse of the people
vigilance
Visionary
Voice
vulnerability
Wisdom
Choose a color comes to mind when you
hear the word “home”?
9%
4%
7%
8%
20%
16%
11%
6%
4%
17%
Value Percent Count
Red 8% 8
Orange 20% 21
Yellow 17% 17
Lime Green 4% 4
Green 6% 6
Blue 11% 11
Turquoise 16% 16
Violet 9% 9
Pink 4% 4
Purple 7% 7
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109
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March 2020