So, I was chillin with Ellis and Timmy and we got on the topic of how unhealthy fast food is for you. They urged me to watch the film “Super Size Me” (which I have yet to do). Now, me, personally I loooooove fast food. There hasn’t been a day gone by that I haven’t eaten it. I’m surprised that I don’t smell like a Big Mac Meal. BUT they raised great points that got my attention, such as how much better organic foods are for my system, how you feel differently, and how you have much more energy.

I’ve decided to take that challenge. I guess in a way this is just like my own little “Super Size Me”, but the opposite…haha. 3 days into this I’m not totally buggin out right now. I have found healthy ways to substitute the foods I’d usually eat, and I’m getting my kids involved too. Instead of that sausage egg and chesse McMuffin, I eat blueberry waffles, an egg, and mixed fruit. No more “chicken nuggets” with a fry and a soda, now it’s a turkey sandwich made at home with some veggies and an apple juice. I’m going to put 100% into this. It can only help me. A little exercise along with this new lifestyle wouldn’t hurt either. I gotta get it tight for the 3rd Rail Snow Jam :p So here we go: 30 days, No Fast Food, Healthy Living, and Positive Attitude….oh boy, what have I gotten myself into. My journey continues…

Kirsten
ILiveOnClayStreet Staff

Popularity: 15% [?]

Peace from Clay Street.

A few weeks ago we organized a meeting at the Parrish House on Duke of Gloucester to talk about race.  In simplest terms, our panel consisted of 3 black people and 3 white people and was diversified based on age and gender, equally representative of generations (ages of 19 to the late side of 50’s).  It was a private conversation and at the request of the panelists was closed to any media.  We gathered around 7pm and at 8pm we began filming.  What follows is some of the more pertinent points that were made. This was an exercise in true expression; the panelists should all be commended for their bravery and honesty.  We believe you will be left wanting more and that was the goal.

 As you watch these clips we ask you to log on and add your input and let us know how these points make you feel.   

Here is a brief bio for the panelists in order of appearance:

Alderman Fred Paone (Ward 2 City Council)

-Native Annapolitan, career prosecutor (Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit), Alderman from Ward2, Visiting Professor at AACC, community volunteer, husband and father.

Wayne Taylor

-Director at the Annapolis Community Action Agency, a former Alderman City Council member, active in all facets of youth development in the Annapolis area

Kevin Beasley aka “Ogun”

-MC at the forefront of the Baltimore Hip Hop movement, works aggressively with at risk youth both on the streets and behind bars, his music and work has been featured prominently on area radio stations like 92Q and 95.5 WPGC.   

Bob Nichols

-Native of Anne Arundel County, a former Marine who spent extensive time overseas in places like Somalia, lives in the Clay Street area on West Washington Street since 2002.  

Raphaela Cassandra

-Junior at St. John’s College, is a director of a youth-leadership program called Epigenesis, which works to empower youth from the Annapolis area.

Zina Pierre

-President and CEO of the Washington Linkage Group, Inc. – a government relations and strategic consulting firm based in Washington, DC.  WLG represents municipal and international governments, corporations and non-profits in the areas of  lobbying, advocacy, grant writing, public relations, international trade.  She is an ordained minister and was the first woman licensed to preach in the history of the First Baptist Church of Annapolis.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Much has been said about the housing redevelopment projects that will be taking place in the Clay Street neighborhood in the coming year. There have been plans, studies, meetings, etc. that have taken place and soon the practical application of all that will begin. The theoretical will become real in the winter when the first construction crews start setting up their port-a-potties and revving up their bulldozers and jack hammers.

Now for Clay to become the neighborhood it deserves to be, it won’t be enough to give it a housing face-lift. The area must once again become sustainable and regain its vibrancy. To do that there needs to be economic redevelopment.

On this front Clay has just begun to take its first theoretical steps with the publication of a commercial market analysis. Prepared by Randall Gross from Randall Gross / Development Economics for the City of Annapolis, this study details possible investment opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to set up shop in the old Fourth Ward.

The parking garage is a big issue to tackle when dealing with the neighborhood. On one side it is a strength and on the other side it is a weakness. It can attract people seeking parking in a crowded city, but it can also hide Clay and kill its visibility.

In his research Mr. Gross determined that:

• Most of the investment opportunities in terms of retail are in convenience stores with a total potential of $ 318.1 million by 2013. Now this is for the general population that could shop on Clay, which would only capture a portion of that expenditure potential.
• This warrants a demand of 24,900 square feet of “retail-mix” that focuses around 9,000 on a CVS-like health store, some 3,000 on convenience food store, 2,100 on fast-food, and up to 3,000 on a heritage restaurant that honors the history of the neighborhood.

However, this discussion was only the beginning. There was a brief proposal for revitalizing the entryways to the neighborhood to increase visibility by capturing traffic at the gateways of the neighborhood.

For us on iliveonclaystreet.com there is one good challenge and call to action. One of the key points made during the presentation was that there was a need to change the public perception of Clay Street if any business initiative was to thrive and return vibrancy to the neighborhood. One of the ways we can help is by letting people know: Clay is Good!

Popularity: 14% [?]

Martin Luther King Jr. said “The true testimony of a man is during times of adversity, not during time of plenty.” Currently, young Black Men in Annapolis face a multitude of adversities, for example, 50 % of all Black Students drop out of high school, over 75% of prison inmates are Black Men, almost 70% of Black Children are born to single mothers, and about 43% of all Black Children grow-up in low-income families. The question becomes, how will the people, families, communities, institutions, organizations and businesses of Annapolis address such desperation? One way to deal with adversity is to face adversity- reach out – and then make a difference.

The 17-Under Summer Basketball League “Get Real With Yourself” is a good example of organizations partnering together to face adversity; and there by, making a difference in the everyday lives of young Black Men in the City of Annapolis. Hence, the Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department, Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis and the Crusaders Inc. all joined together to create an on going summer event for nearly 60 young men who otherwise may not have participated in any positive summer activities. Robin Wood, a City of Annapolis Housing Authority community is where all games take place. The regular season games are played each Saturday at 6:30 pm, they started June 14^th and will end August 23^rd.  Playoffs will begin August 30^th and Championship Game Day will be September 13^th at 6:30 pm. The various neighborhood teams in the league consist of Robin Wood, Bay Ridge Gardens, Stanton Center, Annapolis Gardens and Eastport. However, this is much more than a Basketball League.

Bringing young people and the community together

Each Saturday, both teams that play the first game immediately proceed to a mandatory workshop which is held in the Robin Wood Recreation / Community Center at 7:30 pm. All five teams will participate in several different workshops. There will be a total of ten professionally facilitated workshops. Teen Age Pregnancy Prevention, High School Graduation Requirements, Career / Job Readiness, Drug Prevention, Conflict Resolution, Sports Psychology, and Gang Awareness are workshops that have been facilitated thus far. In addition to the workshops, the league perpetuates many other benefits, these benefits may not be systematically measurable, but they are obvious to the inquisitive observer. When one observes the games and all that surrounds them it is easy to see the spirited friendly competition and sportsmanship among players, the community satisfaction and community support by way of volunteerism, also, one can see the elementary school aged children who flock to the games to observe; some of them work as league maintenance personnel by setting-up chairs and tables for a payment of free hotdogs, sodas and potato chips. Old-School neighborhood basketball legends come out to see the new-school style. Mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, old and young come out to support the league. The 17-Under Summer Basketball League “Get Real With Yourself may not be in the same spectrum as the Rutgers League in New York, the Baker League in Philadelphia, the Dome in Baltimore or the Berry Farms League in South East Washington DC, but it is our league and it has generated a level of excitement that we have not seen in a very long time.

Besides producing grass-roots excitement, the league has served to simultaneously enhance the personal growth of our youth and has improved the quality and caring of our many institutions and organizations through a combination of teamwork, community involvement and personal involvement. This is the concept of “Servant Leadership”. Assistance and support from Robin Wood community members and Annapolis community members at large, the Annapolis Police Department, Anne Arundel County Public School administrators, teachers and counselors, Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis Commission members, Capital Gazette reporters, First Christian Church of Annapolis, Mt. Olive AME Church, Asbury Broadneck United Methodist Church, Mt. Masiah AME Church, First Christian Church of Annapolis, Second Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Annapolis, Mid Atlantic Community Church, The A.J. Spencer Consultation Company; the aforementioned have all helped to substantiate the league. Without this level of cooperation the league would not be possible.    

And finally, for the African American Culture, basketball is iconic – a vehicle for self expression and a dream to transcend the ghetto. Inner City Basketball is undoubtedly the catalyst that has spawned love and affection for the game worldwide. However, in this particular situation, the game serves as a hook to influence young men to get involved in a program that offers them an opportunity for self development. According to a report done at the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, Negotiating Among Opportunity and Constraint, The Participation Among Out-of-School Time Activities: page 6, Out of school opportunities( such as art, music, sports teams, community service, youth entrepreneurship opportunities and after-school programs) are increasingly seen as potentially powerful tools to promote positive youth development and to prevent problematic behaviors and poor outcomes (Caskin, Baker 2006).  There are two basic truths about a certain segment of the young Black Male population: 1. many of them are in deep trouble educationally, socially and vocationally, 2. because of this, many look forward to a life of despair and degradation. Basketball programs such as the 17-Under Summer Basketball League “Get Real With Yourself” is definitely not a panacea, nonetheless, it is an effective alternative. Collectively, we have the resources to implement other sound after-school and out- of- school programs. United we can make a difference. 

Popularity: 17% [?]

 We are looking for people who would like to be part of a panel discussion on race relations.   This panel will be filmed for purpose of viewing on the site.   The panel discussion will be taking place on the evening of Tuesday, August 19th at St. John’s college.

If you are interested in being part of this discussion please contact:  Timm Grins at 443.857.8775 or via email at ClayStreetAssociated@gmail.com .

Peace

Popularity: 9% [?]