HOUSTON – The one thing that has stayed constant in Houston's historically African American Third Ward neighborhood, has been change.
Some say it has come with a hefty price. Neighborhood leaders fear a lack of opportunity, high unemployment and crime are jeopardizing the very fabric of the community.
“We want this area to be revitalized, but we don't want the people who have lived here pushed out. To change the character and culture of this particular area,” Robert Muhammad, of the Nation of Islam said.
Wednesday, community leaders brainstormed and pledged to pool their resources, not only to revitalize, but get the Houston community to reinvest in Third Ward, while protecting the integrity and identity of the neighborhood.
They’re taking a multi-prong approach toward solving the problems that have been plaguing this area for years.
“Whether it be housing, whether it be job training whether it’s to empower citizens to be able to do more and reshape their community,” Preston Allen, of Wheeler Avenue Triangle Ministries said.
They believe bringing those resources and opportunities back, will instill a sense of hope in the young people, who often feel hopeless and set the tone for a brighter more robust future.
These young 14, 15-year-olds need to be trained to do something other than pull out a gun and we intend to that. We're not talking about planning, we're talking about doing,” Edward Smalls, of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, said.
