Project Summary

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South Madison neighbors join forces to share ideas, break barriers and build community. With regular meals, discussions and trainings, and a community newsletter, we will build consensus about new directions and ways to conserve a neighborhood worth staying in.

About me

I am a 36-year-old single father. I'm white and grew up in a middle-class neighborhood near the South side. I was raised by a liberal-minded family with values of equality and social justice. I moved to this area to work on a small farm and in the past few years, I've realized how low-income neighborhoods are excluded from planning and government decisions. I see privileged people wring their hands about gentrification and displacement of poor communities, but it's often too late to stand together and seek solutions from the grassroots. I see this grant as a way to provide our neighborhood with needed resources. Our neighborhood association has some great people working together in the core group. A.J., an older African-american, has found a passion for getting people involved and can offer guidance to people of all ages. Armando and Rocio, a Latino couple, have been crucial in building bridges with the immigrant community, which is typically very segregated in our city. Sarah is a co-chair (with A.J.) and offers good energy and experience organizing. She has been a driving force in our local community bike shop which specializes in youth education and empowerment. Michael is an African-american building contractor and has a lot of experience with public funding and the workings of local government. All in all, we have a great core group and are ready to build a better neighborhood.