MLK NA changes mission, meeting dates
By April York and Blair Poe
The Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association (MLK NA) will be moving in a new direction after it met on Tuesday, February 8. During the meeting at the Living Arts and Science center, the group discussed major changes in the direction and missions of the organization, starting with a change in leadership. At the meeting, former secretary Rachel Carpenter was elected to her first term as MLK NA president.
After elections, neighbors discussed ideas that the board of the association had discussed at their previous meeting. While previously the organization had rallied around major issues in the neighborhood, Board members felt that such issues did not exist as much anymore. Carpenter said that since they didn’t want to dissolve, the Board envisioned the neighborhood association taking on a “more social avenue.”
Former association president Angela Baldridge mentioned that the Board had suggested meeting only six times per year and re-orienting its mission towards “bringing neighbors together.” The group at large agreed to this proposal and as their first step towards being more social will have a dessert potluck at the next meeting. Reaching out and making connections with other neighborhood associations was also cited as a future goal of the group.
Baldridge noted that while the mission may be more social and community building, the neighborhood association would not abandon all of its previous projects. Neighbors mentioned the Back to School Rally many times as one of the projects that would be kept. By choosing just a few projects to focus on, the thought was that it would allow everyone to focus and avoid burn-out. The group also discussed the possibility of restructuring future meeting times so that it would be easier for parents and families to be involved.
In keeping with the theme of new leadership and a new direction for the association itself, First District Council Member Chris Ford spoke to those present about his plans for the future and about issues which were important to community members. Among other things, Ford discussed the need for making the Lyric Theater more accessible as a community space and better marking of bike lanes.
The next MLK Neighborhood Association meeting will be Tuesday, April 12, at 7 PM in the Living Arts and Science Center. Anyone living in or near the neighborhood is specifically invited. For more information about the MLK Neighborhood Association, visit their website, http://mlkna.org/.
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