Image found at http://sub.resilientcities.org/content/CreatingResilience/MilwaukeesGreaterJohnsonsPark/tabid/85/Default.aspx
Johnsons Park, in addition to Alice’s Garden, is part of a 13-acre piece of land off Fond Du Lac Avenue. The park is named after C.L. Johnson and his wife Cleopatra, long time residents of the community and founders of “The Ideal Tailoring Shop” and the “Community Contributions” employment agency.
The vast size of the park allows for many types of recreational activities. There is space for a neighborhood game of baseball, as well as a community pavilion and playground for young families and their children to enjoy. A nearby resident explained that people from all over frequent the park during the summer seasons.
As part of the Lindsay Heights Initiative vacant lots in the Johnsons Park community were once selling for $1. This was part of a much larger incentive to bring home buyers back into the city. 1925 North 17th Street is not only home to Ms. Goodwin, but doubles as “A Step Above The Rest – Child Care Academy,” her private daycare facility.
A cheerful bunch of kids from “A Step Above The Rest-Child Care Academy” pose for a picture while on an afternoon tour around Johnsons Park.
Located at 1930 West Walnut Street is The Christ Presbyterian Church. Every Sunday at 10:45 AM Reverend Dr. Michael Miller and Reverend Ernest Glenn conduct service. Youth groups and the church choir meet here on a weekly basis. The church also serves as a distribution point for SHARE, “a nonprofit food buying club that offers nutritious products at reduced cost through a volunteer-run, community-based distribution system .” (THE SHARE TIMES Vol.24)
Just down the block is The Christ Presbyterian Church Annex, the J.O.Y. CENTER (Just Outstanding Youth). This non-profit organization is a fully operational school and community center directed by Candase Franklin and Herman Orr. The center is in partnership with and serves as a meeting point for the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association. Its mission is to set “Measurable goals for preparing young minds for a successful transition from youth to adulthood.”
Artist Statement
Despite the eight picture maximum, my Photo Essay includes ten. This was necessary to most accurately tell the story of my photo tour of the Johnsons Park Neighborhood. Going into the assignment and tour I had in mind that my essay should reflect on and promote what this community really has to offer its residents. In doing so I was quickly convinced of the opposite, it is not what community offers it’s residents but rather what the residents offer to the community.
My first trip to the neighborhood was early spring break with a couple group members for the final project. We parked across the street from the entrance of Johnsons Park, and on the opposite corner, Alice’s Garden. I was surprised at the size of both the park and the garden. The park needed a little spring cleaning but all in all was in fair condition and equipped with a batting cage, field, pavilion, and playground. As we passed through the park we ran into a group of kids being pushed around in carts by their daycare instructors. The daycare founder was extremely nice and invited us on a tour of her house, which doubles as her private daycare facility. She was knowledgeable of JPNA and described associated summer events at the park. We also spoke with an elderly man enjoying the weather on his back porch. Both homes sit on once vacant lots purchased for only $1 under the Lindsay Heights Initiative. The residents we encountered were all very kind.
Later that evening I attended a JPNA meeting at The Christ Presbyterian Church Annex, The J.O.Y. Center. Herman Orr is a co-director of the center which is in partnership with the neighborhood association. The center also serves a school and community center for kids. Tony Gibson, an association spokesperson, conducted the meeting and provided food and refreshments, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Topics on the meeting agenda included updates on The Lindsay Heights Zilber Initiative, an introduction of the UWM Service Learner – Neighborhood Video Project, rental property updates, information from a recent special crime meeting, and spring activity plans for the neighborhood. The collection of residents seemed very professional and concerned. To say the least, they were all very much involved in discussion. I quickly realized that they people at this meeting were the same people responsible for much of the community’s success. It is this volunteer commitment that makes the community what it is, and that sets it apart from neighborhoods just blocks in either direction.
On my most recent trip to the neighborhood I paid a visit to The Christ Presbyterian Church itself, just down the block. As I was standing out front and taking pictures of the building, Reverend Dr. Michael Miller and his associate came to the door and invited me in. They welcomed me to take pictures of the church and provided programs and pamphlets to be used in conjunction with my photo essay. The building was in excellent condition and was well decorated. The reverend explained that in addition to Sunday services, youth groups and the choir meet weekly. The church is also a distribution point for SHARE, a community based food buying club. Touring the community and interacting with its residents was very enlightening and expressed a different side of inter-city Milwaukee. I had fun.
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