Recap of Potluck and Politics 4/25/16 : In Collaboration with NU Crossing & Northeastern Students.

By John Weeks

After being approached by a concerned NU Professor, Greg Goodale & his undergraduate capstone students who explored the issues of gentrification in Boston and the role that Northeastern has played as an institution, Epicenter Community designed this quarter’s Potluck & Politics event to create dialogue between the students, faculty, & Roxbury community.

On Monday, April 25, members of the Northeastern community and its surrounding neighborhoods came together for an evening of snacks, issues, conversation, inspiration, and even a little impromptu improv…

Derek Lumpkins is a local legend. The founder and former director of Discover Roxbury has fought the good fight for years. And he knows how to win the fight. So when Northeastern University launched “Northeastern Crossing” last year it tapped Lumpkins to serve as director of Neighborhood Partnerships & Programs for its new center. It was an inspired move, one that demonstrated how serious the university is about connecting with individuals from the surrounding community in meaningful, compelling, and actionable ways.

Northeastern Crossing’s mission of connecting Boston residents with university resources, serving as meetinghouse, and elevating the visibility of Roxbury, Mission Hill, Fenway, and the South End is one for which Lumpkins is well suited. And it made the Crossing an ideal place for Epicenter to host the latest installment of its Potluck and Politics series.

On Monday, Lumpkins joined a panel comprised of Glynn Lloyd, Managing Director at Boston Impact Initiative, and Susannah Franco, a NU student and community ambassador. (John Tobin, vice president of Northeastern City & Community Affairs was slated to attend but unable to make it due to flight delays). The panel was moderated by Epicenter Community’s Executive Director, Malia Lazu.

“I’m encouraging people to come down from their ivory towers and spend time in the community, which is right across the street.” Lumpkins, a longtime Roxbury resident, said of his work at the Crossing. The street in question is Tremont, a stretch of concrete that stands as a psychological dividing line in many students’ minds.

Franco reported that students warn each other to “stay away from Roxbury and Mission Hill,” and even “not to cross Tremont.” Students in the audience reported being given similar warnings and highlighted the need to push back against a narrative that “continuously dumps on the local neighborhoods.” Beyond the university’s borders neighborhoods struggle with poverty, a dearth of ownership, crime, and other systemic issues. Yet, the good people in those neighborhoods fight to build vibrant communities and solve urban problems. To paint them as living in a vast wasteland does them a great disservice. And students do not advise each other to stay away from downtown Boston or South Boston, areas that also experience violent crime.

Lazu said pushing back against blanket dismissals of Northeastern’s surrounding neighborhoods invariably leads to uncomfortable yet necessary conversations about race, class, and economics. “That’s why we’re here,” she said, stressing the importance of forming bonds between students and neighborhood folks to facilitate open discussion. “All relationships are ultimately personal.”

Lloyd, a local entrepreneur, spoke of his days at BU. “We made some hell,” he said. “The [John] Silber administration was just waiting for us to graduate. But we made some hell and there’s a lot of hell to be made here.” Lloyd said students collectively possess an enormous amount of economic purchasing power and intellectual capital. He suggested deploying it in strategic ways to drive university policies and support local businesses. “You are the university’s customers,” he said. “They have to respond to you.”

Lazu said it doesn’t take many people to ignite change. “Two or three, maybe ten people can get results,” she said. “Jesus, he only had 12 disciples.”

Suzie Kim, a 4th year student at Northeastern currently doing her Co-Op within the Crossing, brought her brand of social justice improv to the event. Kim leads Northeastern University’s Growth and Resilience Improv Team (NU GRIT). Her and her team ran the attendees through some ice breaker improv exercises to gently nudge people from their comfort zones.

“We create a controlled risk environment that helps empower people,” Kim said. While Kim has the talent for stage and screen, she prefers running workshops involving participants instead of audiences. “We run a lot of workshops that get people out of their shell and thinking about social justice issues.”

Kim said, like many colleges and universities, Northeastern faces a “town and gown” dynamic. “Northeastern takes a lot from the community,” she said. “It’s good that it’s also committed to giving back.”

Northeastern University prides itself on “global engagement,” yet the institution has at times struggled to connect with people on the other side of Tremont Street. Northeastern Crossing shows its commitment to community is strong and proactive. Ultimately, the university wants to be a good neighbor and connect with its good neighbors around the way.

“A group of people is not necessarily a community,” Lazu said. “We’re building community. We don’t just show up. We transform.”