By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)
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Dear Hannah,
As the name suggests, The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN) is a project that helps me learn more about where I live.
It began as an effort to organize the neighbors in our subdivision, then grew into an effort to learn about our adjacent communities - then their adjacent communities, etc.
As the name suggests, The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN) is a project that helps me learn more about where I live.
It began as an effort to organize the neighbors in our subdivision, then grew into an effort to learn about our adjacent communities - then their adjacent communities, etc.
It has grown into a powerful storytelling tool.
Love,
Daddy
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"LEarning (The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN))"
By Derrick Brown
8-12-2017
As the name suggests, The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN) is a project that helps me learn more about where I live.
It began as an effort to organize the neighbors in our subdivision, then grew into an effort to learn about our adjacent communities - then their adjacent communities, etc.
About one year ago, I was able to formalize the project into a google map with several layers.
These layers include community building blocks like voting wards, subdivisions, apartments, schools, churches, businesses, and crime.
Based on recent direct feedback, nobody cares to be shown how the map was built.
Those are too many details.
Many folks, though, care about what the map reveals.
So, let's use the map to help tell a compelling story - by the numbers.
Let's tackle the numbers first.
I live in a voting ward with 3000 registered voters.
2000 are White - and live North of what I call our "Mason - Dixon Line".
1500 of those White voters live in 5 key "North Side" communities.
The other 1000 voters are Black - and live South of that "Mason - Dixon Line".
I am one of them.
There are two candidates vying to be elected as representatives of our ward.
They both live on the "North Side".
Political campaigns have limited resources.
I would not blame these two candidates if they both focused their resources on targeting the 1500 votes in the 5 "North Side" communities.
So far - neither of them seem to be making themselves visible on the "South Side".
I ain't mad at 'em.
But they are overlooking an opportunity that is hard to see ... unless you have a visual aid.
Roll the demo ...
[Tour starts]
There are 50 registered voters in my community.
As I leave my community to drive my daughter to school, I pass a second community on my left.
There are 50 registered voters in that community.
Nearing the stoplight, the subdivision to my left has 50 registered voters.
The apartment complex on the right has 90 voters.
After we make a right turn, there is an apartment complex to the left with 230 registered voters.
Then there is another to the right with 100 voters.
If you are keeping score, that is 570 of my ward's 1000 Black voters ... who live within walking distance of my house.
It's a long walk, but they live within walking distance.
[End tour]
What does this say, and what does that mean?
Here's what it says to me - by the numbers.
The two "North Side" candidates will share 2000 votes.
Let's explore the possibilities of how that might happen.
If they split them evenly (1000 apiece), they will have created an opportunity for a third "South Side" candidate who targets Black voters.
If one candidate dominates the other, the third candidate who woos the "South Side" Black voters may have a say in which candidate wins.
Those are the two extreme possibilities.
Lots of other possibilities exist between those extremes.
So, the word to the wise is to make an effort to attract and organize those 570 voters who live within walking distance of my home.
It might matter more than we realize.
Selah.
About Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant)
I am Keisha's husband, and Hannah's father.
My *other* passion is empowering people via methods that balance skill & will, analysis & synthesis, ideas & execution, and activity & achievement.
I am the product of my mentoring relationships, peacemaking (and peacekeeping), and problem-solving ability.
I am a publisher, filmmaker, executive coach & registered mediator with engineering degrees from Clemson and Georgia Tech.
My education began when I finished school.
After school, I enrolled in a lifelong curriculum that includes the following classes ...
- ministry (serving people)
- entrepreneurship (developing solutions that serve people)
- stewardship (taking care of relationships, possessions, talents, body, mind, and time)
- literacy (reading & writing skills)
- numeracy (math skills)
- language (communication skills)
- self-expression (sharing "who you are")
- self-identity (knowing "who you are")
- analysis & synthesis (solving problems & sharing solutions)
KnowledgeBase is a ministry that has evolved from wisdom earned through lessons learned.
I want to share this wisdom to build teams of "triple threat" fellows - mentors, mediators, and problem solvers.
We will collaborate in simple, powerful ways that allow us to help people.
I now know that power is work done efficiently (with wise and skillful use of resources, interests, communication, and expertise).
Copyright © 2017 Derrick Brown. All Rights Reserved.
