by Furnishly | Jan 16, 2023 | Design Inspiration, Style
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett is a journalist and author who writes about tennis, sports in society, home and garden, and small business. She is the author of the book “Serena Williams: Tennis Champion, Sports Legend, and Cultural Heroine.” Lawrence Corbett is also a former tennis columnist for Bleacher Report and a reporter for Sports Illustrated. She wrote the foreword for “A Hard Road To Glory: A History Of The African American Athlete: Track and Field,” by legendary tennis star Arthur Ashe Jr.
by Furnishly | Feb 26, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
If the term “grandfamily” sounds familiar to you, you might’ve heard of it in the New York Times or in reference to a bill making its way through Congress. Or, you might know someone who is part of one — more than 2.6 million children are being brought up in grandfamilies, according to a 2019 report by Generations United. Even if you haven’t heard the phrase, though, you can probably surmise what it means.
Also called kinship families, they differ from families that reside in multigenerational housing (where children, parents, and grandparents all live together) in that the parents aren’t present. Oftentimes, a grandfamily forms out of urgent necessity, leaving little time for planning and creating unique challenges. Obstacles can really run the gamut, says Beltran. For instance, a grandparent may own their house, but lack resources to childproof it. They may live in a senior housing facility that doesn’t allow children, a walk-up unit that makes it difficult to manage a stroller, or a studio that is simply too small to accommodate little ones. And on top of physical limitations, there are legal ones.
“Sometimes housing authorities don’t recognize these families as families because they may lack a legal relationship to the children — they may not have adopted them or have guardians of them,” Beltran explains.
That’s where a specific type of housing designed exactly for these kinds of families comes in. Across the country, just shy of 20 grandfamily housing developments have been built, according to Beltran, and there are more underway. In addition to the support of living in a community of similar families, these homes can also offer on-site services that cater to their residents, from around-the-clock security, to communal gathering spaces and playgrounds, to simple but important design features like handrails and wide hallways.
As Covid has done with many facets of life and to marginalized communities, it has also highlighted disparities for grandfamilies. Though concrete data is difficult to pin down while the country is still in the midst of the pandemic, Beltran says anecdotally speaking, Covid has elevated the needs of these families.
“It’s the same needs that have always been there, but of course they’re heightened.” And, she says, “The data we do have shows that more Black people, people of color, and Indigenous people have died or become disabled because of Covid. And we know there’s a disproportionate number of children in grandfamilies that are Black or Indigenous.”
A recent report from the CDC shows that about 1 out of every 500 children in the U.S. has experienced orphanhood as a result of the pandemic. “I’m sure a sizable number of those were orphaned because they lost their grandparent, not their parents,” says Beltran. Part of her work with the National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families — a five-year project made possible by Covid relief legislation — will be to connect kinship care systems around the country to help them better work together. The goal is to help grandfamily housing be what any home should be: a haven to live well and safely.
by Furnishly | Feb 17, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Lauren Wellbank
Contributor
Lauren Wellbank is a freelance writer with more than a decade of experience in the mortgage industry. Her writing has also appeared on HuffPost, Washington Post, Martha Stewart Living, and more. When she’s not writing she can be found spending time with her growing family in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania.
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by Furnishly | Feb 15, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
For millions of Black Americans across the U.S., historically Black neighborhoods have served as a cultural foundation. They were created to serve as safe havens from racism and violence, and blossomed into thriving spaces that helped people build sustainable lives while being Black in America.
Settlers founded many of these towns and neighborhoods between the late 18th century and early 20th century. In these places, residents cultivated customs and traditions that Black Americans still celebrate. They were spaces where they could be their whole, authentic selves and live in peace.
Although history books tend to overlook these communities, the preservation of Black spaces is essential to telling the story of America’s past. Below, find three neighborhoods that embody Black joy, success, and excellence.
Oklahoma was once part of a movement to be an all-Black state, counting more than 50 all-Black towns. Boley, Oklahoma, is one of the 13 that remains today, and is remembered as the largest and most prominent.
The town of Boley was owned by a formerly enslaved woman named Abigail Barnett McCormick. Founded in 1903 and incorporated in 1905, McCormick inherited the land from her father, James Barnett, a Creek Freedman.
Bolely is named after J.B. Boley, a white railroad official with Fort Smith and Western Railway who believed Black people could govern themselves. McCormick invited formerly enslaved people looking for better opportunities to come and settle there.
Black luminaries often visited the town, such as educator and civil rights advocate Booker T. Washington. While there in 1905, he proclaimed Boley to be one “the most enterprising and in many ways the most interesting of the Negro towns in the United States.”
Residents were self-sufficient by creating their own goods and services without the interference of white people.
“They used their dollars, economic resources, and whatever skills or talent they had,” explains Marcus Young, the geographic information specialist for Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office. “They aggregated together. They didn’t have to worry about racism, discrimination, and working with no white person to look over their shoulder constantly.”
Recently, residents have started work on a new community garden in the area and continue to host the nation’s oldest African-American community-based rodeo. Boley is still majority Black, and residents are actively working on plans to revitalize the town.
Tremé — New Orleans, Louisiana
In the heart of Tremé lies a lively history where vibrant music, energy, and culture once filled its streets.
Situated near the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tremé, also known as Faubourg Tremé, is the oldest Black neighborhood in America. Even during slavery, it had the largest community of free Black people in the Deep South. By 1841, Black people owned 80 percent of the land in the neighborhood.
Many historical moments took place in Tremé during the mid to late-1800s, such as the first civil rights movement to fight for desegregation and the launch of the first Black daily newspaper, “The Tribune.” It’s also the home of the country’s oldest predominantly African-American Catholic church, St. Augustine’s Church. Jazz has strong historical roots in the neighborhood, too, since many claim that New Orleans’ Congo Square, located in Tremé, is the birthplace of the musical genre.
Despite its rich history, the liveliness of Tremé has gradually disappeared. Transportation projects, gentrification, and natural disasters have changed its landscape as a community. The memories and neighborhood’s soul still live on in residents who help keep its cultural identity alive.
Conant Gardens — Detroit, Michigan
Conant Gardens became highly populated by Black people around the 1920s, due to the success of the automobile industry. Soon after, it became the most affluent Black neighborhood in the city. With a population of over 500 Black people, Conant Gardens had the highest median income of all of Detroit’s Black neighborhoods by 1950, and 60 percent of its residents owned their homes.
Orlin Jones, 89, has lived in Conant Gardens all of his life. In his opinion, it was a fantastic place for young Black people. He said it was simply the greatest neighborhood to grow up in during those days.
“It was a community of 14 inner streets and four boundary streets,” Jones explains. “It was just tightly knitted, and we all knew each other.”
A neighborhood storyteller, Jones reminisced about some of the prominent people who once lived in Conant Gardens, like track and field gold medalist Jesse Owens, Malcolm X’s brother, Wesley Little, and Neal Vernon Loving, the first black pilot and the first double-amputee to qualify as a racing pilot. Tuskegee airman Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson is also among other notable people who have ties to the neighborhood.
“The older Black people that helped build this neighborhood, I’ll never forget them,” Jones says. “They were really just kind to me. I was a paper boy in the neighborhood and I delivered two Black newspapers, the ‘Michigan Chronicle’ and the ‘Pittsburgh Courier’ Detroit edition in Conant Gardens and the Sojourner Truth homes.”
The neighborhood’s tight-knit community is likely part of the reason Conant Gardens remains majority Black today.
Boley, Tremé, and Conant Gardens are just a few examples of the prosperous Black communities in the U.S. They were Black utopias that served as symbols of Black pride, happiness, and unity. Despite dealing with societal battles such as economic justice, civil rights, and urban development, these communities gave Black people solace where they could embrace and uplift each other freely. These places should not only be honored during Black History Month, but every day of the year.
Brianna Rhodes
Contributor
Brianna Rhodes is a journalist and entrepreneur who writes on various
topics including Black culture, diversity and inclusion, race, and
social justice. She is also the founder of a creative agency called
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by Furnishly | Feb 2, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
A big way to lower your expenses? Move somewhere with cheap rent. And, since many people are moving around right now because of the pandemic and added work flexibility, there are some surprisingly affordable cities for renters these days.
If you’re on the hunt for a fresh start, here are seven cities where it’s cheap to rent an apartment right now.
Median rent price: $1,244
Minneapolis — and neighboring Saint Paul — is the perfect happy medium: It has the friendly, Midwestern charm of a much smaller town and many of the big-city amenities you’d find in New York or Los Angeles. It’s one of the more affordable large cities out there, too: Residents spend about 24 percent of their income on rent, according to an analysis by AdvisorSmith, a small business research site.
From its thriving live music scene to trendy neighborhoods like the Blackstone District, Omaha is a seriously great place to live (and, if you enjoy college football, you can also easily road trip to nearby Lincoln to watch the Cornhuskers play on Saturdays in the fall!). Omaha has a low cost of living, so your paycheck stretches further here — locals spend less than 20 percent of their income on rent, which is a steal.
Median rent price: $1,743
This one might surprise you, but Seattle rent prices dropped more than 8 percent between 2020 and 2021, according to an analysis by moving company Move.org. If you’ve ever wanted to live here, now’s your chance to sign a more affordable lease. Because salaries tend to be pretty high here (hello, tech companies!), residents spend just 23 percent of their income on rent, which isn’t bad.
Median rent price: $1,052
Albuquerque’s dry, temperate climate, abundant arts and cultural activities, and incredible food scene make it stand out from other cities in the Southwest. The fact that rent here hovers around $1,000 a month is a (big) bonus when you consider all that this historic city has to offer. If you’re looking to transition in your career, Albuquerque can help with that, too — large employers like Sandia National Laboratories are here and the city has a burgeoning TV and film industry.
Median rent price: $1,309
You’ll be far from friends and family, but you’re almost guaranteed to meet new people by moving to Anchorage and picking up a new, outdoorsy hobby like fishing or hiking. This Alaskan city’s residents have a median annual income of $84,928, which makes it so that they only have to fork over around 18.5 percent of their paychecks to the landlord.
Home to Wichita State University, Wichita has a fun, fresh energy, a hip downtown, and a supremely affordable cost of living. Case in point: Your rent may not even top $800 in this mid-sized city in south-central Kansas. With all the money you have leftover each month, you can afford to buy a kayak and start exploring the Arkansas River.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Minot gets really, really cold in the winter. But because of the chilly weather, Minot residents really know how to embrace the cold, taking up fun sports like ice fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and “Crokicurl,” an icy hybrid of curling and the Canadian board game Crokinole. When you start to add up all the money you save while living here (residents spend just 17 percent of their income on rent!), you may just be willing to hold out until summer, which is absolutely gorgeous.