PROLIFIC
The greatest human act is to inspire. Our addition of 'PROLIFIC' in our organization name is in part to pay homage to the late-great Nipsey Hussle along with the meaning it holds to our mission. This work aims to provide an abundance of opportunities in communities of color as it relates to enjoying, curating, engaging, and existing in places + spaces meant for US.
To be prolific is to be creative, abundant, and rich in all that we do. To be prolific is what we believe exists in Black + communities of color that has carried our ancestors for generations past and generations to come. We won't be around forever but it is our hope that the work we do inspires everlasting impact that builds PERMANENT pathways to a better quality of life, financial access, and community resilence.
OUR MISSION
To curate places and spaces in Black + other communities of color that bring joy, provide a safe space to gather, and provide access to resources that contribute to a great neighborhood space. We believe comfortable places + spaces should exist in Black neighborhoods the way they used to. We believe Black places + spaces MATTER for us to be free, be joyous, and to be able to provide for our families. We believe our communities should access to these places automatically and we will do whatever takes to curate them one Black neighborhood at at time.
THE WHY
Traditionally, placemaking has been a temporary solution to empowering communities to activate vacant lots, under utilized spaces, and the like to create a community space. This is something not new to communities but hasn't been amplified positively in Black + other communities of color. Sometimes placemaking projects are great during their activation time period but soon falter after all the fanfare dies down. The pop up programs go away, the trendy aspect disappears, the media moves on to another story, the people leave, and mostly...the momentum for change soon also disappears. It's a temporary fix or alternative that doesn't translate well when Black communities are hoping for permanent change and impact.
Which is why we've decided to run with the term "place keeping" to highlight the work we do in the communities we serve. We want to create spaces + places in Black communities that are inclusive of the old and new generations of culture, community, and Black space. We want to empower PERMANENT places for Black joy, Black entrepreneurship, Black community development, housing, safe spaces, and sustainable communities. Keeping Black folks in place while bringing rejuvenated life into the community allows us to pay homage to the generation before us and the generations coming behind us. Our primary goal is about creating permanent spaces for sustainable economic mobility and sustainable Black + other POC communities.
Black Wall Street laid the foundation for our work. Our mission is to reimagine and recreate communities for economic prosperity, generational wealth, food access, and enhanced quality of life. We're reimagining segregation design models meant to destroy our communities to rebuild and surge our communities. 4 US BY US.
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The impact of establishing PERMANENT places + spaces in Black and other communities of color provides the ability to access (healthy) food choices within a 10 minute walk, recreation access, dining, good schools, sustainable local businesses, and community spaces. We believe great places in Black communities have ALWAYS existed in the urban fabric of Black towns, neighborhoods, and communities long before the term 'placemaking' or 'urban renewal' existed. Creating permanent staples for public gathering in our communities starts small with the notion of building collective group economics.
THE 4
The '4' captures the elements of what we believe truly creates great, sustainable, and functional places in Black + Brown + other communities of color. It is the foundation of how we implement place keeping community-led projects. The 4 foundations of our work:
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urban planning and policy exposure + awareness
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economic mobility for community resilience
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empowering sustainable community development in Black communities
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cultivating food access opportunities through entrepreneurship.
WHO WE ARE
PROLIFIC PL4CES is an incorporated 501c(3) based in Texas focused on curating permanent spaces for economic mobility in Black communities and neighborhoods. We educate communities about urban planning, policy, and design, elements of group economics, and community development as a means to establish incubators for sustainable community ecosystems.
Then we DO THE WORK in the community! We do this side-by-side with communities to implement real change through project-based community engagement embedded with tactical urbanism and place keeping.
We advocate for empowering sustainable, self-reliant communities of color that can turn temporary special attractions and/or events, vacant lots, or buildings into hubs for community growth & education in their own 'hood!
SUPPORT US!
If you would like to support us in building our network to provide these project-based services and technical assistance to Black + other communities of color you can donate below! We are an incorporated nonprofit and can provide a tax write-off letter if needed.
Thank you so much for supporting our vision in empower communities having permanent spaces for community economic mobility and safe spaces for US!
4 US BY US!