The people & Place

OUR STORIES - COMMUNITY ASSET MAPPING

Disinvestment and decades of intentional and structural racial discrimination have resulted in segregation from more prosperous communities, substandard education, lack of employment opportunities, high levels of incarceration, and poor health outcomes that have devastated Black communities nationwide. The Riverside neighborhood in Northeast Wilmington exemplifies the consequences of this discrimination in the concentrated, generational poverty of those who live there. Many previous planning efforts have left the community feeling like their participation didn’t result in much progress, leaving community residents fatigued and distrustful. From the beginning, REACH Riverside has been keenly aware of this sentiment among the community and has been working steadily to overcome those negative expectations by changing the approach that failed over the decades.

As part of this planning process, the team sought out an approach focused on strengths and community stories, including ideas of personal history and memories to give voice to the community’s assets. In parallel, REACH Riverside established a Proximity Committee as well as a Community Health Committee that are regularly connecting with residents, providing the community with a real voice in their planning work, and a forum to honor the past, dispel inaccuracies, and address concerns. Residents hold Board positions on all three WRK Group boards (the Warehouse, REACH Riverside, Kingswood Community Center) and serve on these committees.

Lastly, the Riverside Relief Fund, supporting residents in 2020 during the height of the pandemic as well as more recent support of residents in the 11st St. Bridge area during Hurricane Ida flooding, has gone a long way to build trust and relationships.

As part of the community engagement event in June 2021, the planning team interviewed community members about their stories and experiences in the neighborhood. This event was part of a broader Community Asset Mapping approach, which is focused on celebrating, supporting, and building off of existing community resources as opposed to seeking out community deficits. The goals of the Community Asset Mapping approach include:

• Identify shared values and create a vision for where the community wants to be.

• Build on the community’s strengths (physical attributes as well as history, legacy, and cultural assets).

• Identify features, stories and memories that are important to the community and that can help shape the vision and identity for the neighborhood.

• Identify themes that can shape priorities and opportunities for future neighborhood investment.

• Collect rich and meaningful stories from community members.

• Help understand how the community has changed over time.

• Ensure that the plan is uniquely responsive and inclusive of NE Wilmington residents.

The approach to this plan focused on strengths and community stories, including ideas of personal history and memories to give voice to the community’s Greatest assets.

Through the interviews and planning process, residents spoke about the value of community relationships and mutual support for families –whether it be helping a neighbor with childcare or participating in after-school and summer activities for children. Giovanni Paredes grew up in the Riverside community and spoke about the importance of community events, arts, and music in his life and to the community. Memories of after school programs at Kingswood Community Center and the people that worked there and supported him through his youth are central to the idea of the Riverside and the Northeast community. Residents spoke of safe havens – places where the community can come together and feel a sense of belonging.

Local resident and urban farmer Jessica Westcott leads the nonprofit organization Planting to Feed and is committed to the community, building stronger relationships between residents and healthy, fresh food. Planting to Feed operates a community farm at Kingswood Community Center and started the first community fridge in Delaware – located at the Senior Center - and opened a second fridge at The Warehouse. Community and urban farmers are a central part of the work that Jessica is leading. A common thread through the interviews was the connection residents feel to community places like Kingswood and the importance of safe places that feel like home – where residents come together and strive to improve their community.

“So those garden beds are actually built by the community. The kids in the community, which I think is absolutely amazing.”

“We should be hiring some youth leaders that can relate to them [the children] and be able to build that relationship to guide them. We are all looking for someone to look up to.”