Celebrating the enduring spirit of the African American and Japanese American communities of San Francisco’s Western Addition.
Prose, poetry and visual art by community writers and artists of Shizue Seigel’s Write Now! Japantown and Write Now! Fillmore writing workshops explore the parallels and contrasts of two communities. What do they remember of the old days? What do they treasure? What are their challenges today? What keeps them going, and what can they teach us?
Community spirit still burns brightly, though neighborhoods have been scattered by incarceration, red-lining and blight, and the wholesale demolition of 100 blocks of housing and businesses. Destruction came quickly; renewal came much too slowly. Today, gentrification endangers our churches, community resources, family-run businesses and close-knit networks.
Prose, poetry and visual art by community writers and artists of Shizue Seigel’s Write Now! Japantown and Write Now! Fillmore writing workshops explore the parallels and contrasts of two communities. What do they remember of the old days? What do they treasure? What are their challenges today? What keeps them going, and what can they teach us?
Community spirit still burns brightly, though neighborhoods have been scattered by incarceration, red-lining and blight, and the wholesale demolition of 100 blocks of housing and businesses. Destruction came quickly; renewal came much too slowly. Today, gentrification endangers our churches, community resources, family-run businesses and close-knit networks.