The Red Sweater Society: Weaving Together Gaps

Caused By GentrificationDeirdre Walsh2015 White House LGBTQ Fellow

As a kid….

I loved Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood.

After school, I would turn on the TV and hear:

“I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I've always wanted to live in a

neighborhood with you. So, let's make the most of this beautiful day. Since we're together we might as well say:

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

Won't you be my neighbor?”

Now that I’m an adult (sorta)…

• I realize that being a “good neighbor” is way more complex than I once realized.

• As a society, we often create “opportunity gaps” that put one neighbor ahead of another because they have access to superior education, economic mobility, housing, healthcare, etc.

• In order to understand these opportunity gaps in my hometown, Austin, Texas, I leveraged open data resources.

Opportunity Gap

The West-East Divide

Opportunity, in the context of this map, “has many dimensions, ranging from educational quality to social status to access to transportation.”

As you can see by the blue dividing line, which represents Interstate 35, west Austin has a much higher opportunity score than the east side of the city.

Source: Green Doors

Racial Gap

Austin also has racial segregation along this opportunity line. While the bulk of the White and Asian populations live in high opportunity areas in the western portion of the city and inner suburbs, the majority of the Hispanic and African American populations inhabit the lower opportunity areas.

white hispanicblackasian

Source: Green Doors

Things Are Changing…

On the map, the green dots just right of I-35 have a high development improvement score in the Change Index, which compares opportunity data in 2007 vs. today. The area highlighted has decreasing vacancy and poverty rates, while also having an increase educational attainment and median income.

This combination of indicators means that the area is undergoing revitalization and gentrification; however, it also indicates that the cost of living in this area is increasing and original residents must find more affordable housing.

Source: Green Doors

Austin Startup Map

Over the last several years, East Austin, a

historically low opportunity area, has become a hotspot for

tech startups (and hipsters), creating

massive development.

Source: atxup.com

So, what’s causing this

change?

Is this change good or bad?

• That depends!

• Even though East Austin is offering greater opportunity, the people who need access to those services will most likely not benefit…..UNLESS we do something!

“It is not enough to bring people to opportunity; the real solution is to bring

opportunity to people.”–Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

Action: Create Red Sweater Society

Inspire and empower local business contributing to the gentrification of low-opportunity neighborhoods to become PART of (not displace) the existing community.

The concept of the Red Sweater Society was inspired by Mr. Rodger’s desire to be and have good neighbors. Plus, he had an awesome red sweater.

Steps for Society Membership

Be inclusive.

Be informed.

Be giving.

Be inspiring.

Be rewarded.

Steps for Red Sweater Society Membership

1. Be Informed.

In order for business decision makers to understand how to best contribute to their community, they must first understand the challenges and possibilities of the region. For example, they might be wondering: what’s more beneficial sponsoring a youth football league or providing space for an blood drive?

Action: Working with St. Edward’s University, we will host the ATX Hack for Change in June 2016. This initiative will leverage top tech talent to create a real-time map of opportunities that local business can utilize to make “good neighbor” decisions based on open government data.

2. Be Inclusive.

• Become part of the community by meeting your neighbors and offering services that highlight the diversity and history of the neighborhood.

• Inspiration: Model behavior after Austin establishment, the Skylark Lounge. Johnny LaTouf, the owner of this East Austin gem, had one mission: create a place where all people are welcome and history is celebrated.

“The other bar people in town told me ‘Are you crazy? You cannot have a bar

that is going to have gay people, African-American people, Hispanic

people and white people coming to it. You need to figure out what your

demographic is and you need to go for it,’” LaTouf said. But he was committed

to the diverse vision.

Source: Austin American Statesman

3. Be giving.

• Once businesses are part of and understand the greatest needs of the community, the next step is to take action.

• Inspiration: A great example of this is the work Silicon Labs is doing with STEM education non-profit Changing Expectations. Together, they are hosting coding workshops for teacher who work in low opportunity areas starting in January 2016.

4. Be inspiring.

• During or after their corporate giving events, we encourage all businesses to share their story on social media platforms.

• As of today, there is VERY little social conversation around #redsweater. If the program grows, we could start doing spin off social conversations (ie. #redsweateratx).

#redsweater

5. Be Rewarded

• The final step is to proudly show off your achievements and let patrons know that you’re a recognized corporate citizen.

• Just like ratings like Zagat, Michelin, Yelp, and others, we will provide all organizations that share their giving story socially, a sticker to proudly display and let people know they are focused on being a good neighbor.

o

2015

Questions?

Want to get involved?

Contact me!