Maronda Jennings
Maronda Jennings is 33 years old. She was born and raised in Milwaukee. She has lived in the Washington Park neighborhood since 2013, which made it eight years from the date she gave this interview. She feels at peace in Washington Park. Theres so much going on and she’s just glad to be a part of it. One aspect that comes through when talking to Ms. Jennings is her love for her community, and engagement in radical care and her belief that such care can produce positive actions. Ms. Jennings hopes that her interview, and time spent with us, will go far and spark some action in her local community from the people in power.
Prior to that, she lived in a building on 29th and Vine Streets, where she took care of her mom. Ms. Jennings really likes Washington Park, because neighbors treat her well and many have become like a family as she got to know them better. She also loves living right by Washington Park because of the festivals and social activities that happen within that space. Ms. Jennings feels integrated into the community far more than she did when she lived in her old neighborhood. Her church, doctor, dentist, property manager, and other services are located close by. Her landlord includes her in everything that they do. For instance, she is invited to community meetings every month on the first Monday, they allow her to plant in their community garden and develop new relationships with other tenants. One area of radical care and love for community that Ms. Jennings engages in, can be seen in her efforts to foster a close-knit community during festivals and holidays. She gathers her neighbors for dinner during holidays, and exchanges easter baskets. Ms. Jennings invites everyone to her table — whether you’re from Washington Park or not, because it is about growing together, seeking available resources, and helping each other locate available jobs. Her social practices have created space for radical care. She helps with community cleanups in her community, in the park, and on her block. When she sees people out on the streets, collecting trash with their green vests she goes out and joins the team. She finds additional ways to volunteer and give back to her community. Because of her everyday actions she feels that she has a voice in this neighborhood. Another area of radical care is in gardening. Ms. Jennings believes that gardening is a very important skill for kids and adults because it helps them build a cohesive community. She is not a gardener, but she loves watching and learning every detail from other gardeners. She loves the concept of community gardening that allows sustenance to people. She got involved in the UMCS community garden on 39th street during the summer of 2021. The garden has already produced a lot of healthy food. Her love for Washington Park comes through strongly as she spoke to us. Ms. Jennings hopes that the city will put in more benches in the park where people like her could sit down and enjoy the scenery. She suggests that the community should consider using the park more, whether by simply planting flowers or setting up gardens over there! She regularly takes walks through the park and discovers something different every time she is there. One day, she saw a deer on her walk through the park and was so struck by this moment that it felt like divine providence. She spoke in a general context about the principle of serendipity in meeting other people out during her walks. She gets to know people walking their dogs, children camping out, groups of kids fishing in the pond in the park, or just greets the people gliding by in their canoes. She expressed love for the change of scenery in the park as the seasons change. She wants to see some sports teams playing across the street and making use of the park. She believes and hopes that her love for Washington Park will be passed on to her kids. Her character trait of radical care has made her aware of the environmental issues in the local community that need resolutions. She would like to improve the quality of water in the park, repair potholes on her street, have the trash and household garbage cleaned on a regular basis. She realizes the need to be politically aware and proactive, explaining, “we didn’t have walks with our neighborhood aldermen back then, only time a person would share is candy for Halloween. It’s a big difference now.” But today, she wants to hear from the government officials and the local alderman, have him come to the community stage in the park and host a meeting so that the community can hear from him directly. She would like to meet them in a setting where she can talk to them directly. She is more aware and has more hope around better homes, jobs, schools, sports, and resources for the local community. Ms. Jennings aspires to buy a house in the future and become a homeowner. She wants a bigger home, to learn planting, and find a place to garden. She imagines a house with a lot of landscaping and flowers in her future. She aspires to move somewhere around Brookfield, but the Washington Park area will always be home for her. Ms. Jennings believes that the Washington Park area made her who she is today, and she won’t forget that. |
Ms. Jennings speaks about her local communityMs. Jennings Speaks about her volunteer activities.Ms. Jennings speaks about her volunteer acts of radical care in the communityMs. Jennings speaks about her involvement with her churchMs. Jennings speaks about what she wants to see from her local government |