Welcome to the new IndyEast Promise Zone Blog! The first 5 posts will introduce the AmeriCorps VISTAs in the IEPZ office for the next year. They will help committees in each of the goals—Live, Work, Buy, Safe, and Learn, as well as help communicate what the Promise Zone designation means for our community.
First, Whitley Wynns grew up in Indianapolis and is our AmeriCorps VISTA for Safe IndyEast and Learn IndyEast. Whitley will be helping to create a welcoming environment and to make sure all children receive exceptional education within the IndyEast Promise Zone. I asked Whitley a few questions about her background and here are her answers:
What do yo
u love about Indy?
I love the friendliness and diversity of the Indianapolis community. I have always felt welcome and safe within this community, despite the rise in crime.
What concerns you in or about Indy and the way it is growing?
I love how Indianapolis is growing! I love the economic development that is coming with the growing population and the tourism! I am concerned that residents who have lived here for some time will be pushed out due to higher cost of living. Also, along with a growing population comes more crime.
What attracted you to your specific VISTA position?
I was attracted to the Social Systems Analyst VISTA because of my studies. I am finishing my Masters in Political Science and I am interested in how policy has influenced social injustices. Looking at the education system and the public safety infrastructure within the Promise Zone along with policies in place will lead to a better understanding of what residents experience as obstacles.
What is something related to your specific VISTA position that you are really excited about or looking forward to doing?
I have a background in education and education policy. I am looking forward to working to improve schools within the Promise Zone and seeing how education will have an overall effect on the community in terms of career readiness, higher household income, higher graduation rates, strong test scores, etc. I’m also interested on how education alone will have an effect on overall public safety and ending the cycle of generations falling into the same pattern.
Who is a person that inspires you?
My parents. They have kept me involved with my community and set a strong foundation for me to want to serve the public.
Tell me something about you that would surprise most people.
I’ve played the piano since I was in 2nd grade and trombone all through middle school.
You can look forward to reading updates about Whitley and the committees she will be working with to accomplish the goals of the IndyEast Promise Zone.
Bailey Shannon is our IndyEast Promise Zone’s Work VISTA. She will be helping to turn the Promise Zone into a neighborhood bustling with the activity of business, industries, and commerce with living wage jobs for residents. Here are her answers to my questions:
Did you grow up in Indy?
I partially grew up (ages 12-18) in a suburb on the northeast side Indianapolis, Fishers. While attending college at Ball State University I had a summer internship that was on the Near Eastside of Indy at Growing Places Indy. I fell in love with this part of Indianapolis that summer and knew I wanted to move to the Near Eastside upon graduation – and I did!
What do you love about Indy?
I love that Indy is small enough to be familial and large enough to be explored every day.
What concerns you in or about Indy and the way it is growing?
I see a lot of commercial development and redevelopment that could potentially displace people and local businesses who have been there a long time. I would hate for that to happen.
What attracted you to your specific VISTA position?
While community development and revitalization is intersectional and multi-dimensional, I believe that a person’s ability to work and earn a living wage is crucial in transforming a person’s life, a family, an economy, and a community. I also wanted to acquire knowledge and skills in a (personally) somewhat unfamiliar area of community development.
What is something related to your specific VISTA position that you are really excited about or looking forward to doing?
I am excited to see people using their gifts and talents, skills and knowledge, passions and interests to change their lives and their communities. I also look forward to meeting with current and potential local business and local residents (including my neighbors) and listening to their desires for our community.
Who is a person that inspires you?
Jeanie Kirkhope is a Catholic Worker living in rural Appalachia. I had the privilege of living with her for a couple days a few summers ago. She is dedicated to loving people with her entire self and helping people reach their full potential. She understands that everything is connected and chooses to live her life in a way that holistically addresses the complexity of the issues that people living in rural and impoverished Appalachia experience. She empowered me to do the same wherever I ended up – love people with my whole life and whole self. She is one of the many reasons why I chose to live, work, attend church, and exist in the same place, the Near East side, specifically the Englewood neighborhood.
Tell me something about you that would surprise most people.
I dislike this question. I am a vegetarian, I only have one cousin, my sense of humor is similar to that of a 5th grade boy, I have journals and journals and journals of (hilarious) poetry from elementary school.
This week I would like to introduce Rebekah Wood! Rebekah is the Promise Zone VISTA for Live IndyEast. Her focus is to promote redevelopment of housing that encourages new and affordable options for near Eastside residents. Here are Rebekah’s answers:
Did you grow up in Indy?
I was born in Indianapolis but after a year moved to Springfield, Missouri. Most of my childhood and teenage years were spent in Evansville, Indiana. I moved to Indianapolis after finishing my undergrad at IU for the city, family, and job opportunities.
What do you love about Indy?
There are few things that I don’t love about Indianapolis. It’s a totally different vibe than Evansville or Bloomington. I like being in a bigger city but it’s still a close community; you can see that neighbors here truly look out for one another. I have loved getting to know the people and organizations driving the development of this city. I believe that Indianapolis is definitely in a growth period and that this growth period has come at a time when people have more working knowledge about what makes a community sustainable, strong, and healthy. I am looking forward to seeing Indianapolis in a few years after some of this growth has taken place.
What concerns you in or about Indy and the way it is growing?
My biggest concern would be the resistance that is encountered as Indianapolis is developing and growing. There are people who have lived here their whole lives and like the Indianapolis that they grew up with. But as population, workforce, and technology are changing, we need to embrace a city that can grow with it. I know that as long as we work together toward a future that encompasses the voice of every neighborhood, we can create an even deeper sense of connection that will result in an even stronger city.
What attracted you to your specific VISTA position?
I believe that there are currently many broken systems reinforcing archaic perceptions and further suppressing certain populations. I am too aware of the suffering and injustice to sit back and not take some kind of action to bring about a more equitable future. Through teamwork and collaboration, the cycle of poverty can be broken. This position allows me to work and gain experience that will make me more successful in bringing about change now and in the future.
What is something related to your specific VISTA position that you are really excited about or looking forward to doing?
I’ve only been here a couple of weeks but I have already met some incredible people working hard to increase the quality of life for those living in Indianapolis. I feel that sometimes I can be pessimistic when it comes to being able to affect change; however, the more I learn about initiatives, neighborhood groups, and work of the city government I have become much more optimistic about the future. There are so many people who care and who want to make a difference that it’s really got me excited to see their plans come to fruition.
Who is a person that inspires you?
This is a tough question because there is not just one person that has inspired me, it has been a compilation of people I have met. Anyone that has overcome major setbacks, who has been successful despite odds, who’s been selfless, loving, compassionate, and forgiving…these people inspire me and make this life worth living. It is my hope that I can continue to inspire and bring light in a way that is a testimony to all who have inspired and affected my life for good.
Tell me something about you that would surprise most people.
My biggest dreams include Presidency.
Did you grow up in Indy? If not what brought you here?
I did not grow up in Indiana, I grew up moving around a lot but currently live in Fountain Square. I was born in Tennessee and, so far, I have also lived in South Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and Indiana (obviously).
What do you love about Indy?
I love that I was able to sell my car several years ago and now use IndyGo, Lyft, or my feet to get from point A to point B.
What concerns you in or about Indy and the way it is growing?
In my neighborhood I have seen several multi-unit rentals and small apartment buildings get turned into enormous, single-family owned homes and it concerns me. There are people who have rented in my neighborhood for many years and work in the nearby restaurants who are being pushed out of the neighborhood, further and further away from where they work. This does not seem like an improvement to me.
What attracted you to your specific VISTA position?
I am interested in the way that people communicate and how to communicate productively. It isn’t always obvious or intuitive how best to inform people so that everyone understands or takes action.
What is something related to your specific VISTA position that you are really excited about or looking forward to doing?
I’m not sure that I can think of a single thing. I have been enjoying meeting new people, taking photos, and learning more about Indy’s near Eastside.
Who is a person that inspires you? Why and how does that affect how you live your life?
I have met so many people throughout my life that have inspired me it is difficult to choose one. I have always admired my grandparents, who immigrated to the U.S. when they were teenagers. They faced many obstacles throughout their lives and always stressed to me the importance of education and being active in the community that you live in.
Tell me something about you that would surprise most people.
When I was 7 years old, I hiked the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, with my parents and no, they did not carry me.
This week, meet the Buy IndyEast Promise Zone VISTA, Mary Clanton! Mary has lived on Indy’s near Eastside her whole life and if you too are an Indy Eastside native, you might know her mother! Here are Mary’s responses to my questions:
What do you love about Indy?
I love the communities that have been created in Indy. When I enter each different part of town, I enter new communities. Each community has its own unique setbacks, but also has assets and various people and perspectives, which shapes the culture I experience around me. These perspectives influence the biking trails, restaurants, and other social amenities in the area, and also give insight to the minds of the people in the surrounding community.
What concerns you in or about Indy and the way it is growing?
It concerns me that minority populations might not ever be effectively engaged in the shifting work and structures of Indianapolis. It worries me that there are so many disengaged citizens who have the opportunity to utilize countless resources, if they only felt comfortable and invited to do so.
What attracted you to your specific VISTA position?
I chose to focus my year of service on Economic Development, as one tool in the process of urban revitalization because business ownership is very important to me. I believe that African Americans specifically don’t own enough of the businesses and resources in our own communities, which we so often utilize. Business ownership can lead to empowerment, leadership, and community investment, which is of really high importance in underserved minority and low-income communities.
What is something related to your specific VISTA position that you are really excited about or looking forward to doing?
I am looking forward to the community engagement piece of my goal. There is still a great need in this area of focus, and even though I’m not sure how to bridge it, there are many resources and people living in the community who could be of service and have a greater understanding than I.
Who is a person that inspires you? Why and how does that affect how you live your life?
My mother, Kim Clanton, inspires me. Her work in social service organizations has allowed me to know some of the experiences that have shaped people, before they were in their state of need. Learning about various family dynamics and inapplicable neighborhood resources has effected the way I view and value neighborhood assets and development resources. It has also shaped my love for people and the way that I will hopefully assist others when I can be of service.
Tell me something about you that would surprise most people.
As much as I love to help people, direct service is not where my heart is. I prefer to be hands off. I want to get to know the people and understand individual circumstances, but I really like to work independently, effecting change at a higher level.