Artwork, fundraising begin to add women “Heroines and Humanitarians” to Flint’s sculpture pantheon
By Paul Rozycki A heroine of the Flint water crisis, a matriarch of civil rights, an Olympic gold medal boxer, an ardent advocate for the poor, a benefactor of a major library, and a tireless champion in the NAACP: all these Flint women are deserving of sculptures in their honor, a Flint Institute of Arts sculptor and a Mott Community College trustee contend. Jane Trotter, Flint Institute of Arts sculpture instructor, her students,...
Central American turmoil and revolution highlight Flint author’s first novel
By Paul Rozycki It may have been St. Paddy’s Day March 17, but that didn’t stop a number of leading Hispanic leaders and their families and friends from gathering at Mott Community College Sunday afternoon to launch a newly published novel by Flint-based author Martin Barillas. About three dozen attended the event at the Regional Technology Center. Barillas’ novel Shaken Earth: A novel of Guatemalan life against Nazi influence is a...
Residents convene, share and reflect at “Connect the Blocks” Flint Neighborhood Summit
By Jan Worth-Nelson Qualities of neighborliness–collaboration, cooperation, valuing each person’s worth– were on full display Saturday at the “Connect the Blocks” Flint Neighborhood Summit at the Flint Food Bank. “Value people,” said Megan Heysa, president of the Eastside Improvement Association, whose group planted flowers and painted 53 porches last year. “You’re dealing with...
“Neighbors Changing Flint” addresses funding strategies to reach community goals
By Patsy Isenberg The complicated task of seeking out sources for grants to accomplish a goal and then applying for them was the theme of the fourth workshop of the “Neighbors Changing Flint” series Wednesday evening at the Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village. There’s a lot to it, but the presenters at this workshop know how to do it and did their best to communicate it to about 50 people in the audience–many of...
Kids swarm City Hall to read books with Weaver and Howard University spring break students
By Patsy Isenberg Twenty third grade through fifth grade students from Freeman Elementary School in Flint swarmed City Hall Wednesday to read with college students from Howard University, solve a problem about shoe laces, and consider what makes people feel happy and sad in their neighborhoods. The event celebrated March as National Reading Month and included 42 Howard University students from Washington D.C. who came to Flint for an...
“Neighbors Changing Flint” third session explores reuses of vacant lots
By Luther Houle Ashley Everhart, agency director of the Neighborhood Engagement Hub, began the third meeting of the series “Neighbors Changing Flint” with an eye-opening statistic. “Within the city’s boundaries, we have almost 60,000 vacant lots,” she said, citing the Flint Property Portal, a popular website for identifying lot owners and status. She said that number includes both lots owned by the Genesee County...
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