Director, Brooke Kidd, with poets of Dialect of Prince George’s
What a week! Last Saturday was a very busy day in Southern Prince George’s. Camp Springs hosted a Community Shred, PGAAMC hosted their Community Treasure Chest event at Oxon Hill Library, and Suitland had its own neighborhood celebration and parade! Creative Suitland also joined in on the fun in its own special way: A Parking Lot Sweep Up/Block Party.
As most of our audience knows, our parking lot needed a lot of love and attention. The daily traffic and inconsistent maintenance resulted in heavy pollution, broken glass, and loads of volunteer shrubbery. We reached out to the community to help us get our exterior up to par with our interior (see our latest post on our Renovation Process) and what an accomplishment!
Patrick Washington, aka Black Picasso, was one of our big heroes of the day. Not only did he help secure supplies (gloves, gardening tools, etc.), but he brought music via DJ RBI, making this work day feel more like a party, less like a Community Service Task. Patrick also invited some poets from Dialect Prince George’s County to help out and share some work. This piece in particular by Youth Poet Ambassador Nala Washington struck a nerve as she so eloquently addressed Food Equity in the county. Did you know that Prince George’s is a registered Food Desert under the FDA? Pay attention to the youth, you might learn something.
It’s safe to say, with the help of Kyle Reeder of Food Justice Coalition, Lady Di and Joy Alford of Collective Voices, poet Hiram Larew, parent Ivana Miranda, the Revenue Authority, and all other community members our parking lot looks MUCH MUCH better. We cannot wait to open our doors to the public as they cross this new, revitalized threshold.
