Heartbreak is inevitable when you hear the horror stories of people whose lives are impeded by greed or hate. It can happen in Wadesboro.
That heartbreak also has the potential to uplift an individual from poverty — poverty of mind, body and neighborhood.
There are many people in Wadesboro who are homeless. I too was once homeless here in Wadesboro. There is a minority of home-owners but a majority of renters.
The word discrimination is very visceral when invoked, but, it is a necessary word to express what I’ve seen occur. Too often, I’ve encountered agencies with employees who lack the desire to affect meaningful change or ask their superiors to help change the system.
The Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Eviction (HOPE) program was established in 2020 to help renters mitigate their financial issues impacted by COVID-19. It’s an amazing initiative to help low-income renters combat poverty.
HOPE halted the spread of COVID-19, to some degree, by giving people the ability to heal at home. During my 14-day quarantine at home, I faced eviction. Fortunately, I was able to benefit from HOPE and recover from COVID-19.
Yet the HOPE program became improperly used by scammers and eventually became inactive. People will abuse beneficial resources, causing them to become unavailable.
Since 2019, when I moved onto Orchard Street, I am constantly asking, how can companies keep mistreating people? Neglecting peoples’ concerns and complaints? I’ve asked churches and religious institutions, via their membership, to please come help. Mostly, I’ve asked our town council, social service workers, Economic Development commission and the Chamber of Commerce personnel, to please assist with cleaning up Wadesboro.
Inspired to take part in the uplifting acts of my community, I attended the public meetings and actively listened. Later, I asked questions about issues that I felt I could help resolve if given the opportunity and tools to get the project done. December 2021, was exciting because I sat in the same building and in the same room as those men and women who help to shape the destiny of my life to some degree.
Is it easy seeing buildings overran with high amounts of litter and trash, or seeing men, during peak Mon-Fri work hours, languishing around in the street, intoxicated and foul mouthed? No! The concern and fear of bodily harm is real.
As I walk through the clean, uptown part of Wadesboro where the once-a-month town council meetings are held, I continue to feel hopeful. It’s inspirational, to learn that Alice Walker chose Wadesboro NC to be the filming location of “The Color Purple.” A film depicting self-hate and community ill-will, expressed through the Black Codes, is still relevant in 2022.
It’s disappointing that dilapidated, unsafe buildings seen in “The Color Purple,” could just as easily exist today.
So what can be done to change these issues?
Campaign Clean-UP was created this year to help eliminate poverty. With a team of less than five, Campaign Clean-UP adopted Orchard Street to begin restoration. After a few months of cleaning, I asked the town council for assistance in procuring funding for my newly formed corporation. A presentation was submitted to the council and I received a favorable reply from its membership.
Orchard Street has so many fascinating gardens and vegetation. So often, you can hear the frustrations of the downtrodden — shooting, fighting and violently arguing — everyday, every weekend and every year. Sadly, our local community considers this behavior normal instead of debilitating.
My hope is that many will listen and my prayer is that many will help forge a path to publicizing and ensuring access to needed resources and support.
Shahidah T. Brewington Bey, Wadesboro