Kelly Hamilton Herald- Jan-May 2019

I CALL HOMEWOOD HOME
THIS COLUMN IS DEDICATED TO THE STORIES OF HOMEWOOD RESIDENTS
was born in Homewood in 1964 me back to the old Black Arts Festival
when I was a child. I can still wood began to take a drastic
In the late 80s, early 90s Home-
I on Tioga street. Shortly after
that my family moved to Frankstown
Road, not too far from Crescent
elementary school where I
remember the sound of brothers change for the worst. What was
once a thriving neighborhood with
black pride and businesses slowly
attended the first grade. I have
became inundated with drugs,
two older sisters Chris and Tracey,
one older brother Jason, and one
younger brother Vance, there are
five of us all together. Although I
was too young to fully understand
what was going on at that time,
my older siblings did. Until this
very day, my older brothers and
sisters can share a vivid story of
what they have experience during
gangs and crime. The basic infrastructure
of Homewood began to
deteriorate, and it seemed like it
was every man for himself.
Homewood today is not as bad as it
was in the 90s. There are organizations
that are striving to make
Homewood a better place to live
and work. The Harambe Festival
is coming back and building up
the riots in Homewood as a result
momentum, slowly but surely
of the assassination of Dr. King.
One thing that I can remember
about Homewood as a child was
the elaborate Homewood Arts Festival.
I can remember seeing hundreds
of people on Frankstown,
playing African drums on the
streets and the smell of good food
everywhere you went. Afros and
dashikis were adorned by almost
everyone. Homewood was a place
black businesses are starting to
return. New housing is underway;
this will provide new opportunities
for families to live and flourish.
I know it will take some time, however
Homewood is picking up momentum
Bennet and Hamilton avenue. of Black Power and Pride. Although
and headed in the right
Back then the Black Arts festival
was huge, even today if I smell a
certain incense fragrance, it gives
me a sense of nostalgia that takes
I was never a great roller
skater, I can remember going to
the famous Homewood Coliseum
with my brothers and sisters.
direction.
- Brandon Jennings
Historic images of
Homewood.
Courtesy of the Carnegie
Museum of Art, Charles
“Teenie” Harris Archive