Developing the Beloved Community from Within Legacy Keepers
By Makeda Johnson, Managing Editor
Hagar Civilization Missionary Community Development Corporation
Historic Westside News wishes to honor the Legacy Keepers. Residents and stakeholders whom are actively focused on building The Beloved Community from within. It is our desire to highlight these community champions and their efforts and share stories of the many assets that are within our residents, stakeholders and community organizations whose dedication has empowered them to make a way out of no way, often with limited resources they serve and empower their neighbors. Among them is Precious Muhammad a visionary leader that continues the commitment of her ancestors whom also lived, worked and contributed to the stability of the Westside community for the development of The Beloved Community.
We hope that you will enjoy the article on Hagar Civilization Missionary Community Development Corporation (HCTM) it is a testimony of what transformational community development can provide when vested developers whom not only understand and appreciate the assets within the Westside communities but are committed to be a part of the solution.
We can build the Beloved Community but only if we can work together and shift the traditional mindset that community development requires external developers and look within and support our small property owners and developers to be a part of the process. To fail to include them would be missing the point made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in this quote on what is required to build the beloved community “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as quantitative change in our lives”. Qualitative change pertains to shifts within one’s mindset, attitude and approach (Soul). It is evident in how interactions occur do we truly listen? How we view, see and value each other as assets essential to the creating an inclusive beloved community.
The envisioned beloved community consists of an inclusive population that is financially and physically healthy with employment & opportunities, affordable housing, access to healthy food, healthcare and education.
Gathering spaces, social service systems that support the development of productive citizens.