This is Our Winston Now!
Momentum is proud to announce a collaboration with the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility at Winston-Salem State University as we kick off our integrated city-wide campaign, Our Place Our Space.
CSEM’s participation is attributable to their belief that diffusion does not occur spontaneously; that it requires intentionality and formal dissemination strategies. Consequently, for CSEM, community engagement is the utilization of local research to identify and generate actionable opportunities for community stakeholders to effectively pilot both short-term community-based interventions and long-term structural reform.
Our Place Our Space empowers the voices of black residents, business owners, clergy, and artists to take ownership of our stories, our success and our futures by claiming place and space in the face of unwarranted gentrification and the threat of economic elimination.
Our Place Our Space gives utterance to, “This is Our Winston Now!” by utilizing ownership as a strategy to move our community forward. The core of Our Winston Now (OWN) is rooted in economic development and alludes to the clarion call to reach back and fetch the best of what black Winston was in the early 1900’s as found in landmarks such as the Winston Mutual Building and the joint business venture which produced the Safe Bus Company.
The adverb ‘Now’ expressed in OWN- both contrasts the past and refocuses the current moment.
The strategy of OWN encourages black Winston to go back and get the best of what our community is capable of- yet boldly demands and empowers us to reclaim Our Place Our Space in this season.
The Goals of Our Place Our Space Campaign is to increase awareness around the following initiatives:
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Educate and empower historically black communities of Winston-Salem on issues that will greatly impact their livelihood to include housing, economic and workforce development, along with physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
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Increase economic inclusivity for minorities in Winston-Salem / Forsyth County that will feed the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by increasing minority-owned businesses, upward mobility and equitable opportunities for residents to take advantage of wealth-building ventures.
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Strengthen property tax bases by exploring policies and strategies that protect, preserve and produce an attractive supply of housing.
