Mi barrio
How a racially built environment is completed by its community members to make it a home.
I have the privilege of being a part of the Leadership Austin 2021 Essential Class. This year the program curriculum is exploring complex regional issues with a diversity of perspectives brought by a talented pool of classmates. The 42nd Leadership Austin Essential Class is a force to be reckoned with. Each of us comes to the space with distinctive lived experiences, ready to step out of our comfort zones, and committed to hold each other accountable in order to grow and enhance our leadership within our communities.
In December the class ventured into los barrios, that is, the communities of a built environment. Never before had I seen mi barrio from a built environment lens. And, never before had I heard of the sustainability of a built environment, “the environmental durability, efficiency, and quality of the physical spaces” where I lived, went to school, and experienced my new country as an 8-year-old immigrant girl. To add to this mind-blown experience, there should be sustainability that comes from the prioritization of community members’ voices who hold the lived insight and experience of el barrio?!!? ¿Qué?
The Built Environment & Poverty Mapping session, in particular, was incredibly notable, providing the opportunity…
