IfSC Director and Team Attend Northside Community Exchange Breakfast in Houston
Date: 6/10/2019
Author: Charlene Shroulote-Durán
On Thursday, June 6, 2019, Dr. Philip Berke and a team from the Institute for Sustainable Communities (IfSC) traveled to Houston to attend the Northside Community Partnership Exchange Breakfast held at the Missionary Baptist Church.
The community partnership exchange breakfast is a community-based effort that was launched in 2002 by Charles White, founder of Charity Productions. The core set of principles for these gatherings revolve around fact-based information, distribution, and community-paritipatory research. Sharing a multi-level interactive action platform, of organic principles that address artificial barriers designed, authorized and sustained by public policy. According to the Charity productions website in 2002 the breakfasts grew and “became a living organism with 135 community stake holders from several neighboring subdivisions, now active in over 60 neighborhoods, in Houston Harris County.” A decade late ad additional six breakfasts northeast/west have been added making that a total of ten events a year in three sections of Houston. This year, there are plans to expand and add three forums in the southwest with a capacity to host 400 people.
Mr. White hosted the event and gave a lively address. Dr. Philip Berke and the Institute for Sustainable Communities were recognized for the work done in collaboration with Charity Productions and our community partners. Mr. White thanked the institute and Texas A&M for including the community in its efforts to collect data, produce knowledge, and share real solutions with the communities they work with. Dr. Berke gave a few words and shared gratitude for the relationships built over the years and pledged to continue working with and providing opportunities for collaboration in the future.
In attendance were seven individuals campaigning for election or reelection in local and state political positions as well as a driving infractions attorney who gave a short speech about knowing your rights as a driver when pulled over. In addition to Dr.Berke, those attending on behalf of the institute were Dr. Deidra Davis, Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Malini Roy, doctoral student in Urban and Regional Science, Charlene Shroulote-Durán, Associate Director for the Institute for Sustainable Communities, and Dr. Sierra Woodruff, Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning.
