Goodness Weekly 08.19.2024
“Stories are a communal currency of humanity.”
― Tahir Shah
What’s Good
We were thrilled to host the Good Futures Accelerator Kickoff last week on our campus that brought together a group of faith leaders from all over San Antonio whose congregations are interested in developing a plan to use their property for the good of your neighborhood. We’re so grateful to be in a community that is engaged in this important work.
Shared Stories
Katie Best-Richmond, Program Manager, H. E. Butt Foundation
When I tell people I am the program manager of storytelling at the H. E. Butt Foundation, they usually think I read stories to kids. They imagine someone like Miss Anastasia engaging a group of children at The Twig or a community member on Second Saturday in the park.
And in some ways, they aren’t entirely wrong. Many of the books we all read to kids impart lessons we want them to learn. They can be about resilience, trying new foods, loving your hair, understanding people different from you, and learning how to dream new and exciting things.
At my job, I might not be reading books out loud, and I might only be speaking to adults, but a lot of the same principles apply. I get to tell stories to our neighbors about what life is like in San Antonio so that we can all grow and learn together.
You might say, “I already know what life is like here! I’ve lived here forever!” And while that might be true, life for you might look very different from someone’s life in a different neighborhood.
San Antonio is one of the most economically segregated and impoverished cities in the entire country, and this did not happen by accident. When San Antonio was developed, neighborhoods were drawn around race. This resulted in families who were of Mexican or Black descent being prohibited from buying houses or living in neighborhoods like Alamo Heights. The deeds on the houses explicitly said this. So, while the city poured money into developing Alamo Heights and other white neighborhoods on the Northside of town, the Brown and Black neighborhoods on the West and East Side were largely ignored. This created a divide in our city where some neighborhoods had all the resources (houses, schools, doctors, etc.) and some didn’t even have paved roads or air conditioning in their school buildings. This was happening all the way into the 1970s/80s.
So, what does that mean today? And what does that mean for a community located in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in San Antonio? It means we need to prioritize thinking of how we care for our neighbors, both those that live next door to us and those that live across town. And storytelling is a huge part of how we do that.
At the H. E. Butt Foundation, we believe storytelling helps us know our neighbors and our city a little better. We help people share their personal experiences in the city and connect them to the historical context of the city so that we can see how policies and laws helped shape the lives we live today. Living in separate neighborhoods people tend to hear one side of the story of San Antonio, so we think it is essential to build relationships between neighbors with different lived experiences so we all can learn a more whole story about the city we call home.
Sunset Ridge is already engaged in the work of getting to know their neighbors. Now with the Charis Park open, the community has the great opportunity to be close with neighbors who have never and maybe will never walk through church doors. And what a beautiful opportunity this is! It means everyone at Sunset Ridge Collective can learn a more holistic story of the neighborhood and their neighbors. With each story shared, the whole community can draw a little closer and understand each other a little better. And this is the space where true transformation occurs. It occurs when relationships and bridges are built across differences.
So as the collective continues to engage in the community, the question we need to keep asking is, “How can we build relationships with our neighbors whose lives look like ours and those whose lives look very different?” Sharing stories that reflect our experiences, needs, and gifts as a neighborhood, community, and city is a beautiful start.
This Week
Wednesdays Mission Compost Pick Up
Saturday, August 24th
Urban Tree Company’s Intro to Block Prints Workshop
Betty’s Co. Pop Up
Coming Up
Starting in September, Miss Anastasia will be leading storytime at Second Saturdays! Many of our neighborhood families have gotten to know Anastasia over the years through The Twig and will be thrilled to see her in Charis Park.
Lunchtime Yoga Flow with NYX Wellness, Mon-Fri at 12pm, upstairs in Room 200
Sign up for your class here.
For weekly hours of One Another Coffee, Scott’s Pizza, and NYX Yoga, please feel free to check our calendar and follow us on Instagram for any updates.
Inhale:
May I listen carefully
Exhale:
to the story of my neighbor
