Ms. Mary Ford and Boston-Thurmond’s Progress

Ms.Mary Ford serves as one of two Resident Leaders in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood in the eastern part of Winston-Salem. She describes her neighborhood as a 'gold mine'. the value catalyzed and preserved by residents is clear based on the one-stop-shop model of stakeholders and the early signs of gentrification.

Boston-Thurmond is situated conveniently between Wake Forest University and Wake Forest Innovation Quarter and is bisected by University Parkway. Here, Ms.Ford speaks highly of organizations like H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem, Novant Community Health, and Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR) who have made their home in Boston-Thurmond while providing resources, programs, and services to community residents.

Ms.Ford speaks with breezy enthusiasm about the opportunities made by her community for her community. We meet Ms.Rosa Johnson whose relaxed nature and passion for gardening led her to build, maintain, and educate youth in a community garden across from Kimberley Park Elementary. The relationships built between community experts like Ms.Johnson and Resident Leaders like Ms.Ford has strengthened Boston-Thurmond's self-sufficiency.

Despite evidence of city oversight and neglect to address instances of glaring inequality, Ms.Ford remains positive. "We are trying to bring everyone together. Sometimes I wonder if people on the other side [referring to the change from 25th street to Arbor Road passing Susanna Wesley Dr.] notice or care about the neighbors or the community a block away from them. I'm hopeful though."

This hopefulness and positivity is clear through the work of Ms.Ford, Ms.Diane Fitzhugh, the Boston-Thurmond Neighborhood Association, and Boston-Thurmond United. The gold mine seems to be in very good hands, as it should be.