Block 2: “Rooster crows when the sun’s up”
Block 2: “Rooster Crows When the Sun’s Up”
It was early on a Friday morning and I’m somewhere over east, near Avalon Park. The neighbors are already out tending to their gardens. Some are sweeping the sidewalk. The first person I encountered was Mr. Daniels, the local superhero and Block Club Captain.
The 80th and Constance Block Club is a part of our One Block at a Time program – a cohort of block club captains that meet quarterly to share best practices and block wisdom. We facilitate the meetings and provide the clubs with whatever resources they may need. Some blocks need a lot of help, but this block, to my delight, is well kept. Mr. Daniels says it wasn’t always like that though. Four years ago a group of My Block, My Hood, My City volunteers came out to help clean their alley and he credits my organization with helping to galvanize the neighbors and re-invigorated the block club.
He tells me, “there’s good blocks and bad blocks but neighbors make all the difference in the world.” It’s true that the 80th and Constance Block Club needs support: simple things like replacing a concrete barrier that had been hit by a car or to cut down some overgrowth on the north end, but the real difference maker is introducing yourself to neighbors, making everyone feel comfortable.
Mr. Daniels learned his community organizing strategy from an older gentleman on the block who has since passed and now that he’s in his fifties himself, he’s keen to teach someone younger how to carry on tradition and maintain pride. He introduced me to a young man that lives near him, somewhat of a protégé. The idea fills me with a lot of hope: pass the torch of decency, rekindle the flame of community organizations.
As Mr. Daniels and I were walking, I noticed a small orchard with pears and apples. No need to head to the country when you can pick fresh fruit right in South Shore. I kept hearing the crows of a rooster too. After about six howls I had to know where it was coming from. He told me a neighbor keeps a coop in her backyard. I’ve heard some folks get upset when people play loud music or when neighbors congregate outside but not on this block. The rooster rules here.
It all reminded me of a quote from Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X.” There was an intense scene in which Malcolm’s wife Betty was standing over his shoulder as he was working on his next presentation and she was talking to him about all the bills they have to pay, all the stresses the family is enduring because he’s on this journey of a lifetime. She’s pleading with him that they improve the circumstances of their life and Malcolm turns and says to her, “You can't stop the rooster crowing once the sun is up. And the sun is up.”
I liken this line to my philosophy on community organizing. The sun is up for Mr. Daniels. He couldn’t stop looking after his block if he wanted to. God’s got a battery in his back and he understands that the more connected his block is–the safer, healthier, and happier it's resident will be.
