ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200089
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALVIN NASH
AT ONE time, Roanoke's Henry Street served the total community by providing a segregated area where black people could go and get a hair cut, see a movie, get medical assistance and seek entertainment.
Most necessary community services could be found in the Henry Street area. In addition, we had segregated schools that thrived and produced community leaders. History has proven that when people are thrown together and forced to exist within a certain boundary, they often acquire the strength and wisdom to be creative, and survive. Henry Street provided that culture.
When desegregation gave people a choice as to where they could shop and see a movie, Henry Street crumbled under its own weight.
I remember when I no longer had to go to the Virginia Theater and was free to go to the American Theater to see a full feature movie (although I may have had to sit in the back for a time), it was a wonderful experience. I don't recall ever returning to the Virginia Theater except when I did not have the extra 50 cents to attend the American or Jefferson theaters. When Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington could play and stay at Hotel Roanoke, they did, although I am sure they always cherished fond memories of the Dumas Hotel.
The important question today is: How can Henry Street best serve the Roanoke community in 1997 and beyond?
It saddens me to see what was done under the heading of urban revitalization to the Northeast and Commonwealth communities. Hundreds of families were literally kicked out of their communities, which were shut down and turned into urban corporate revitalized areas. I am not complaining against progress, but I will always hate the process. It saddens me to see the Second Street road bisect the Gainsboro community, knowing that if the community could not stop the development, there should have been at least $2 million set aside to make sure every house that the road didn't actually touch was enhanced and stabilized. We all know that a healthy housing stock helps prevent neighborhood infringement.
The reason for this infringement related to moving traffic in and about Roanoke, and several studies indicated that the Second Street road was needed. I do not doubt the studies. But I can assure you that if the traffic analysis had put the road through Raleigh Court, South Roanoke, Old Southwest or any other organized, established neighborhood, either the road would not have been built or there woud have been a significant reward to the neighborhood for the infringement.
Unfortunately, Gainsboro was not organized to counteract the road plan. In order for this not to recur, two things need to be in place: (1) leadership and organization within the community, and (2) leadership on City Council that respects the rights of the community and would never approve a major infringement on a community without a significant payment. Hopefully, these two conditions will develop and this type of encroachment will never happen again.
There have been tremendous injustices done to the Old Northeast, Commonwealth-area and Gainsboro communities. No question, community infringement has been taken to a higher level with these communities. People have a right to be angry, they have a right to want restitution, and they have a right to express those feelings. The problem is to resolve these issues and move on.
I recommend forgiveness. The ability to forgive is a very important part of the healing process. To forgive does wonders for freeing up your mind to be creative. Forgiveness does not mean that you condone what has been done. It does not mean that you sympathize or forget, but rather that you use it as a valuable lesson to teach our children. I would generally advise anyone - especially a young adult starting out in life - to always praise in public, criticize in private and never give up trying to find solutions. Never give up the tenacity that turns the great problem into an even greater opportunity.
When I was younger, I was mistreated in many ways due to racism, lack of economic opportunities and probably other situations I didn't realize. I decided that for me to concentrate on my manhood, growth and responsibilities to the community and my family, I had to forgive.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not misunderstanding of the past that could lead to history repeating itself - it is a lack of a vision for the future. As a community, we must provide leadership to each other in the healing process. This idea is not going to be appreciated by those who are angry, those who don't know any other way, and those who are not interested in solving the problem. But it will be of great interest to all those who care.
Each of us who makes up this community needs to decide where we stand and what is important. I have studied the Henry Street problem for many years, and I do not see any situations or circumstances that cannot be resolved quickly and permanently.
The healing process does not require brain surgery, but it does require a little surgery on our hearts. The healing process for City Council, the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and other decision-making entities involves respecting the integrity of all communities equally, and honoring their quality of life. Generation after generation of city management has failed to protect certain communities. The healing process for city management is leadership.
Henry Street must serve the community in at least four ways. It has to complement the adjacent community of Gainsboro by offering activities and services that are friendly and productive to the community. It must be coordinated with the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. It should be embraced by Downtown Roanoke with a blend of economic activities that include tourism and opportunities for private investment. And it needs to offer youth educational opportunities that dwell on the history of Henry Street and Roanoke, and also offer future opportunities that are computer-driven and that encompass the world of technology.
I have come up with a list of hopeful suggestions to help move along the project. I hope hundreds of people will share their ideas to members of City Council. I propose that:
* The issue of Henry Street development be put to a citywide referendum and the Roanoke Valley be allowed to decide about Henry Street revitalization.
* At least four more public hearings be held to get further input from the public.
* City Council and the housing authority try to persuade the Harrison Museum of African-American Culture to build on Henry Street by offering land, infrastructure and a contribution to the museum's building fund if it decides to do so.
*City Council and the authority turn the Henry Street Revitalization Committee into a new, sworn-in commission of the city with control of all property and land use.
The black people in Roanoke are a major reason for its being an All-America city. Black people live in almost every part of this town and contribute to education, medicine and other endeavors. The morality of the black family has been impeccable. I have always experienced a sense of honor, decency, loyalty and a quality of life considered not only positive but also the standard way to manage one's life.
Yet the whole issue of separatism is over. It did not work and will not work, no matter who tries to revive it. Those who dwell on 20-20 hindsight will experience only a blindness to the future. There needs to be a positive focus forward. My experience has been that 90 percent of the people in all communities would like to see Henry Street make a positive contribution to Roanoke.
The only thing that can stand between great redevelopment or the continued demise of the general area is leadership.We have forgotten about the character contents of leadership and have put far too much emphasis on the color of the contents. There is potentially strong leadership in this valley, and we need to create an atmosphere for that leadership to emerge.
I believe Roanoke can win a sixth All-America City award, more than any other city in the history of this country. I further believe the project to anchor the award could be the Henry Street revitalization project and a Gainsboro development program.
Alvin Nash of Roanoke is deputy director of Total Action Against Poverty and executive director of The Blue Ridge Housing Development Corp. The views here are his own.
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