“Well, that's because we get to tell it our way.” — TYRA

These interviews strive to provide the beginnings of an independent grassroots community archive in which East Gainesville residents can establish a robust self-representation of their experiences, priorities, and needs. This project as a whole was born from a desire to reclaim community agency over the East Gainesville narratives that are told, as well as the data and statistics that are gathered.

“We're more than just numbers and statistics and data. We are here in these communities. Have you come out here? Have you seen how you talk to us? We are real, live people.” — TYRA

While the perspectives gathered here by no means represent the entire East Gainesville community, they begin to both untangle and complicate the socioeconomic structures that have succeeded in ranking Gainesville, Florida among the top five worst cities in the U.S. based on disparity statistics.

“I think fear is just ignorance not knowing. So anything you fear, you don't know, you gonna be defensive about it. You're gonna be scared of it. And I think that's the problem we're dealing with here.” — JULIUS

This set of interviews took place in February and March of 2019. It is our hope that this project doesn’t end there, that it sparks genuine dialogue and relationship building between East and West Gainesville, between transient and long-term residents, between local politicians and the communities they serve, and between neighbors. It will take all of us working together to bring about individual, interpersonal, and systemic change.

“We can't say that people haven't been informed. Cause we know what's going on. Now, it's up to the people that live here, the community, the politicians, everybody to be held accountable to do their part.” — JULIUS

Lil Afrika is a welcoming space in the heart of the Eastside community that will provide opportunities for active transformation for our neighbors in East Gainesville—and beyond—to reach full potential. Lil Afrika gives residents a choice, hope, and purpose for a better quality of life. It strives to break the vicious cycle of crime, incarceration, and death that plagues many folks that live in Gainesville’s low-income disenfranchised communities by providing friendship, enlightenment, mentorship, life skills, guidance, and love. Lil Afrika represents the home in all of us, while creating a centralized place for community growth and development.

GET INVOLVED

“We need volunteers. We need University of Florida students. We need people from the community.”

“Because it takes a village, right?” — TYRA

This archive is just a starting point. Get offline and get involved! Lil Afrika needs your help to get off the ground. Contact Tyra “Ty Loudd” Edwards by messaging Lil Afrika on Facebook.