Jasmine Byrd Interview, September 14, 2019

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:00:05.370 --> 00:02:46.220 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Carmen Bolt interviews Jasmine Byrd on September 14, 2019 during the Celebrate Petworth Festival. In this clip, Jasmine Byrd discusses gentrification in the area. SUBJECTS: 2019 Celebrate Petworth Festival; Petworth (Washington, D.C.); Brightwood (Washington, D.C.); Gentrification; Upshur Street (Washington, D.C.); Affordable housing; Local businesses

My name is Jasmine Byrd and I've been a lifelong Ward 4 resident. My father is from this community and my mother is also I'm a Ward 4 resident within the Brightwood area. And so I've been here all of my life. I've seen drastic changes, positive changes within the community and cultivating this diversity.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the changes you've seen?

Okay, so within the systemic changes, like the community, recreational center has definitely changed this [inaudible] Upshur has become this big, vibrant, small business, thriving community and at work in itself has like cultivated this community. It's just a sense of unity and welcoming within our community here. You know, all of our kids go to school together. We just really enjoy sharing stories on their [inaudible] native Washingtonians are still living within this neighborhood.

And then we have several just new developments throughout the neighborhood like where houses are now condos. I know you notice that there's a roof top over there and they might be like a four condo unit. There's also another roof top condo unit and that actually used to be a church. And so the church is sold and from the church selling it is now a three to four unit condo unit. And so we've had a lot of development and a good development, healthy development within our community. Before, this street right here, Upshur Street, I think we only have four local businesses, well actually five of General Home has always been here. But we have only a handful of local businesses that have been here throughout the course of the years of my life through my three decades. And so it's great change and it's interesting to see everything evolve.

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Um, you know, at this point in time, the the market in itself, the housing and the commercial real estate market was going through a drastic shift. And so it was it was difficult at first to see you know old things turn into new things. But I know throughout other neighborhoods within the city I want to say like within Ward 4 it has been very like, like basically like a cultivating pot where though it's not like a his and hers or theirs and others, most of the information and the networks and the communities are really open. It's just about you know, extending yourself or you know, and you most time you're welcome when you when that happens. So, it was a big shift, but it was a positive shift. Like we have so much more going on now. This festival has been going on I think it might be like the sixth year. Yeah. So I mean, as good change and as long as you you know, you have to thrive in order to keep up to sustain. So I mean, and that's with anybody within Washington, DC, like our our wealth gap has changed drastically and so it's about you know, having multiple streams of income so that you can sustain.

[inaudible]

So the recreation, which is on the corner of Eighth and Taylor Street, used to be this big brick wall there and it wasn't that high was maybe like four to three feet high. That wall is gone now. And it's now it's just like a little fence. But that wall used to be like, just the community stays like everybody will hang out there. And I can remember my dad picking me up and sitting me on the wall and just hanging out at the community center. So within the community center, like I have small children, and so what the changes of the playground and the renovations and things like that it's more welcoming and inviting for my kids. So as much as I missed that wall, I don't it's okay.

[inaudible]

Yeah, exactly, yeah.

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I just saw that this area just continues to thrive and welcome and respect the individuals that have been here before them, and continue to pay homage and be welcoming to newcomers. And now we can continue to build this big diversity pot where so we all can learn from one another and embrace one another's cultures.

[inaudible]

Really just Go Go has been like a huge staple within this community. And I just hope that within the continuing changes throughout the district that we keep and pay homage to that. I know recently, we have like a native Washingtonian resolution for a day. And I think that's great and I just hope that we continue to introduce and including native Washingtonians throughout the change and that that voice doesn't fade away.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.