Opinion: Germantowners - Take a Moment to Listen

GERMANTOWNERS:  HAVE YOU TAKEN A MOMENT LATELY TO LISTEN??

Shhhh…listen for a bit…and you may actually HEAR the voices around Germantown sounding more harmonious, or at least practicing harmony as tryouts occur.  Not to belabor the music metaphor, I merely use it to frame a thought with a bit of fresh perspective.  Not to sound too Pollyannaish either, we gain even more of that perspective if we pause to reflect on something quite powerful, I think.  This is a time in Germantown when we’re not bickering, whining or pointing fingers for the entire world to see.  And things just feel promising…. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to launch G’Town Radio’s Podomatic series, called the “Northwest Soapbox.”  A lot of what I had to say then, I will repeat here because I have this urge to encourage that we LISTEN… to encourage that we get past the past, get past the rut of naysayers fussing about who’s in control….that we listen in order to change the paradigm we’re so accustomed to falling into when we get on our respective “Soapboxes;” that we listen to and recognize new voices, new ideas that may drive the process for a better Germantown. (By the way, if you haven’t tuned into Jim Bear’s Soapbox series, they’re worth checking out for great listening to ideas and freshness.)

Writing this article makes me think about so many good things happening in Germantown right now.  On so many fronts, Germantown is waking up.    Feeling empowerment is a good excuse (and cause) for celebration…it also means we don’t have time to complain about the past.  Hopefully, in celebrating power, many will add to the narrative.

People are excited and energized over this waking up, this grassroots empowerment.  A good cross section of Germantown has been talking and planning and working hard to think about the values, what we love, what we want to preserve and what must be improved.  Organizations – new and old – are talking to each other, really talking for the first time.  Germantown Community Connections (GCC) and the newly established Germantown United CDC have agreed to collaborate. 

The launching of Germantown United CDC with the fantastic forum of experts back in February has raised the bar on the information people yearn for in this community.  200 people came out to that forum. The Artists’ Roundtable has brought together a wonderful diverse, creative presence that defies doing ordinary things in ordinary ways.  The work in Vernon Park has engaged so many people from so many economic levels that doing a sustainable development there holds promise for so much more in that space.  Historic Germantown is broadening its appeal to make Germantown historic sites even more appealing as a destination for tourists.  Blocks and blocks of people want clean and beautiful streetscapes, with a good example being the beautification of the 100 Block of W. Rockland Street.  All of this represents clear evidence of this waking up, this harmonious resolve to make things better.  This list is not exhaustive…there are a lot of people unnoticed who are resolved to work toward a better Germantown.

Not to get too nostalgic, I can remember years ago shopping on Chelten Avenue.  It was the destination place for people from Tioga to Chestnut Hill…for all economic classes and types of people.  And when the blight started, many of us failed to notice that the complexion of shoppers had changed and that this change would diminish community power.  One day, we looked up and one by one, our favorite stores were gone.  Before we knew anything, Germantown Settlement seemed to be everywhere, controlling all public dollars, pushing low expectations that discouraged private investment.  Before we knew anything, Germantown’s commercial corridors became unattractive, trashy in more ways than just debris on the street…no longer a place in which to browse and shop. 

We’ve seen abandonment and neglect.  People have complained about this and that… crime, trash, and political corruption were always at the top of the list with Germantown Settlement in the same breath.  Three years ago, when Settlement declared bankruptcy and Germantown Community Connections stepped into the void, many people cheered.

For those who battled on either side of the Fresh Grocer closing fight last year, no way am I taking you through this again, but I don’t think we should avoid how this battle engaged a lot of people to try to work together for the first time…even the people on opposite sides of the battle.  Last year, not only did we experience how we were empowered in winning a zoning hearing, we all woke up to a larger issue … on both sides of this fight.  We woke up to the platform for the beginning of a renaissance in this community.  People have been willing to heal and listen to each other with a different kind of engagement and a renewed responsibility

So, I’d like to challenge everyone to LISTEN AND TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ENGAGEMENT…TO BE MINDFUL that we’re right at the point of a much more powerful promise of transformation.

Disappointed as some may be that we don’t have a Trader Joe’s, we now have a coffee shop – Wired Beans – where we should all be proud to gather and hang out.  Upset as some may be at the lack of political and community stewardship, I think we’ve reached a place where transparency and accountability will raise the bar to a higher expectation on behalf of the community’s interests.  This expectation puts a clear burden on all leaders up close and personal.  It’s no longer about the favored few…it’s about collective thought and collaboration….it’s about getting work done.

The sun is shining on all four corners of Germantown.  I can speak for Germantown United CDC that has been working hard to present the community with doable projects and resources to transform Chelten and Germantown Avenues into corridors where people can buy what they need and have fun doing it…where people have jobs and commerce is bustling.  These corridors should be where we are drawn just to go for a walk, to hang out…where people come to meet their friends and to be a part of a cultural, artistic place that feels dam good….where the historic treasures are as much a part of our lives as they were when George Washington slept and battled here.

But this narrative is just beginning…this power must be cultivated and used collaboratively by organizations and residents to bring back past pride and move decisively toward an exciting future.  We should be asking in our homes what can each of us contribute…what will make us pay attention and share the journey.  WILL WE LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN GERMANTOWN DAY AFTER DAY DOING THE WORK…will we join in to contribute and engage?  Without the noise of whining and complaints…with the new resolve to make things better…Germantown stands ready for exciting improvement.

Every serious movement for equality, improvement, and change of any sort demands people involvement…  People must be resolved and clear headed about working toward a better Germantown.  Every block in Germantown should have someone, or a group of people, dedicated to the day-to-day stuff that improves the quality of life for everyone…picking up trash, pulling weeds, encouraging maintenance, helping each other… Saying hello and getting to know your neighbors.  People who do this don’t stand for criminals and thugs to take over their blocks…people who do this vote at elections no matter what…people who do this have self respect and expect their leaders to also pay attention.  Every leader in Germantown should be on notice to try to discover ideas and resources to inspire pride and ownership for making Germantown better.

This I know to be true…Germantown is a national historic treasure that Germantowners want to share with the world.  There’s something about the soul of Germantown that people may not be able to articulate, yet visitors feel it as warmth and hospitality.  I believe this new energy, this waking up could be a tidal wave of sorts that brings together people from all corners.  Germantown United CDC, Germantown Community Connections, G’Town Restorations CDC, Freedom’s Backyard, working in tandem with neighborhood associations and the smart, talented residents, can literally change the landscape while celebrating the past.  I plan to be a part of that journey…I hope we can start a conversation that guides us on that journey. 

To those reading this narrative…please feel the soul, the spirit and the know-how of Germantown and engage with all of us to make it better… LISTEN TO THE HARMONY OF IDEAS AND RESOLVE TO GET WORK DONE…PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS CHORUS OF DISTINCT VOICES AND GET INVOLVED!!

Yvonne Haskins

Germantown