Massachusetts’ First Majority Black City On The Rise!
Urban and Suburban revitalization is happening fast in the city of Brockton Massachusetts. The Boston Globe Reported that in the past two decades, the once mostly white city of Brockton has transformed into New England’s only majority-Black city and the home of some of the country’s largest Haitian and Cape Verdean populations. ”The community is revitalized and becoming more youthful prosperous again” stated one resident at the 28th Annual Brockton Cape Verde Festival where members of Black Coral were invited by Brockton City Councilor Maria Tavares to discuss creation of several educational programs and in the long term a Cape Verde Cultural Center where people could learn computer science and multimedia skills and also volunteer to help reinvigorate the Arts in the city. Brockton has a long and varied history in the arts and such endeavors bring jobs, revenue and economic opportunities. In fact we were informed that in 2021 Brockton Arts, an organization that supports artistic development in Brockton, helped to bring the Milton Art Museum to Brockton.
Formerly the museum had a home at the Massasoit Community College campus in Canton in 2003, showcasing the art at the college until it was placed in storage in 2019.Now thanks to a $25,000 grant and community support patrons can view art such as an etching by French artist Paul Cezanne at the Milton Museum of Art at 50 Centre St. in Brockton Mass Development Creative Catalyst supplied the grant of $25,000, which enabled the museum to make its home at 50 Centre St. in Brockton, where it shares an entrance foyer with the art gallery at ENSO Flats. Maria envisions a Brockton with more Arts of many cultures and green spaces that complement and highlight the best of what Brockton has to offer. The people that she represents in Ward 2 are hardworking and talented individuals they just need opportunity and a light to shine for all to see what can be accomplished.
Main Street Brockton has seen Cape Verdean entrepreneurs put their stamp on its growth and progress as all communities are invested in seeing the city regain its stature as not only the friendliest City in the state but a prosperous one where friends from all backgrounds and family are valued Brockton aims to be the city that draws in millennials looking to raise families in safety and security. Eat your way down Main Street in Brockton proclaims the Brockton Enterprise in a recent article touting the excellence of Cape Verdean cuisine that can be found in several new Bistros and eateries across the city. Most of these hidden gems serve a mix of Cape Verdean and American cuisine.'Work of art” A New Brockton restaurant serves up Cape Verdean cuisine and culture located at 820 Main St.
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Why has Brockton seen so much positive outlook from its citizenry? Some would say its people are wholly invested in Brockton’s recovery, there is a lot of civic pride and Brockton has always been a city of people willing to fight the good fight to provide for their families and communities it was one of the first cities to integrate schools in the South Shore it has always supported Veterans and it also was one of the first cities to build a facility to address opioid addiction amongst its youth. In 2014 Governor Deval Patrick announced a series of actions to address the opioid addiction epidemic in Massachusetts that prepared and strengthened the state’s ability to
respond to the opioid crisis. Brockton was one of the places where people were invested in prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. From this concern The CASTLE (Clean and Sober Teens Living Empowered) is one of two short-term stabilization programs for ages 13-17 with a substance use disorder in the state of Massachusetts. The CASTLE provides safe withdrawal from alcohol and/or other drugs through medication management services. Treatment includes psychiatry and pediatric medicine, dual diagnosis services, primary care referrals, 12 -Step meetings, AA and NA commitments, and other psycho-educational groups, individual and group counseling, family therapy, case management, and aftercare planning. The daily schedule incorporates classroom time with specialized teachers. For more information, go to www.castlekids.org 20 Meadowbrook Road Brockton, MA 02301,Phone: 508-638-6000.
The City has worked hard to beautify and to correct shortcomings in its zoning ordinances and update the regulations to reflect current land use and development trends Brockton is well on its way to sustaining the unprecedented growth seen over the last few years. The Department of Planning & Economic Development undertook A study to modernize and contextualize its zoning codes. Originally adopted in 1965 and infrequently amended, the zoning ordinances do not reflect the shared vision of downtown expressed in the present. ”There is a heavy focus on green spaces net zero building and renewable energy options in public buildings to save the city money. Property owners were stifled by outdated requirements to seek zoning relief for the various projects the community desperately needs and wants them to build. In the past these time-consuming actions and legal appeals added too much risk and uncertainty to a deal epically in a time when financial markets are in turmoil and demographic shifts as well as changes in workforce patterns like remotely working from home impact local economies.”
“Modernizing Brockton’s zoning is granting residents a clearer understanding of building requirements and allows for a more complete view of how a proposed building would fit into and interact with its neighborhood.” According to a Department headed by Rob May Director of Planning and Economic Development for Brockton.
The Department of Planning & Economic Development will begin convening a Steering Committee in November 2022 to help guide this modernization process and ensure resident input is incorporated into the proposed ordinances. The Committee’s work will be posted at this site. Organizations like South Shore Haitians United for progress (SHUP) are on board as well SHUP works to assist the Immigrant community in the south shore area in accessing existing social services and educational programs that empower the community to be self-sustaining. SHUP's purpose is to provide a voice for the Immigrant community in the south shore area while offering social and education programs that empower individuals in the community. SHUP conducts community outreach with the goal of establishing stronger links between residents of Haitian heritage and the Brockton community at Large; They cater to the unique and specific needs of persons of multicultural heritage, never denying services to any person or discriminating against any individual for any reason whatsoever.
There were 86000 Haitians in Massachusetts In 2021,and conservatively 80,000-85,000 Cape Verdeans the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Brockton, Stoughton & Avon Towns was Cabo Verde, with over 14,650 residents, followed by Haiti with 14,327 and Brazil with 1,655.
Black Coral Inc is seeking out Artists from ALL nationalities to present two and three dimensional art concepts and or digital portfolios or photos of their work for possible inclusion in the Cultural Arts Center although it is a few years away the planning stages have begun. Send submissions to BlackCoralinc2021@gmail.com and we will add you to our 2023 emailing list for monthly updates via the Black Coral Inc newsletter. Any Artist who would like their work to appear in the newsletter must simply send us permission to print and identify that it is your original work if selected to be highlighted you will receive a free 2023 Quarterly subscription to High Soaring Millennials Magazine!
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