Virginia Medean on Meeting Needs and Addressing Problems (clip)
Interviewed by Ella Wise and Rachel Mossey on March 19, 2010
Virginia Medean: I think community takes people talking to each other and just finding what your similar needs are. I’ve met lots of people because I have a car, and I say to people, “Anybody need a ride to the other side of town?”
Ella Wise: What else makes a community? So we talked about walking and face time.
VM: I think meeting each others needs. Like my husband helped a young college girl to carry her sofa up to her apartment today, because he saw she was struggling. He lets her know that he and his wife live over here in this building, and you can see our car, it’s very noticeable, and be sure we’re always available to help or if she’s worried about something or needs something we’re right there. That’s community. Community is making people feel safe, they can go to their neighbors, they’re not afraid of their neighbors. The children are safe to play, you know? We’ve got some drug dealers they’re trying to get rid of, and it’s not a big drug infested apartment complex, but they’re there. And we, you know, you’ve got your problems, like you do anywhere. In a wealthy community, I grew up in a very wealthy community as a rich kid. There were—what’s the word—the perversion was incredible, but it’s so well hidden. Nobody could see it, you know. Behind closed doors. Behind country club doors. It’s not there. It’s the person that can’t hide that gets picked up. And they have nowhere to hide. Their life is out in public. These peoples’ lives are out in public. If you’re poor your life is more out in public, because you are riding the bus.
