One year after floods devastated San Diego's Black Arts and Culture district, the community is still recovering. This Midday Edition segment features conversations with Diane La Raza, co-founder of the Block Club, and Dan Blevins, founder and CEO of San Diego Urban Warriors, about the impact of the floods on local businesses and artists, the challenges faced during the recovery process, and the resilience of the community.
It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. For today's show , we're talking about the yearlong flood recovery effort happening in San Diego's Black Arts and Culture district. Then your weekend preview highlights upcoming film festivals. I'm Jade Hyndman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired and engaged. With how business owners and artists were impacted by the devastating floods one year ago.
Everyone's business was closed and , you know , inundated with mud and just , you know , something that you've been building all your life. It has been a year since floodwaters inundated neighborhoods like Encanto , the birthplace of San Diego's Black Arts and Culture district , which is a real gem in the city. Many artists and businesses there are still recovering from the damage left behind. So we're checking in to see how they're doing and how they're continuing to move forward. One year later , Dan Blevins is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit arts organization San Diego Urban Warriors. Diane , welcome back to the show. I'm also with us is La Raza , where she co-founded the Block Club , an incoming community space in the district. La Raza , welcome to you. I'm really glad to have you both on. Uh , Diane , I'll start with you. Last time we had you on the show , you talked about some of the businesses that were affected. Remind us of the damage you saw then and how groups like your own were impacted. Exactly. In southeastern San Diego , where we have the , uh , what we call land of enchanted. The nine blocks of Black Arts Culture district. We really got geared up , you know , uh , excited about getting the designation and had a whole year of planning. Uh , we even brought back to Mr. Black San Diego competition. And then the flood happened. So the boys , what used to be the Boys and Girls Club is now the Synergy Building , and there's over 13 black owned businesses in that building. And all of them were flooded out , from daycare to music schools to coding schools to , uh , programs that , you know , specialize in , uh , helping young African-American boys go to college all the way down to 61st Street , where the Black Contractors Association , uh , was there was maybe four businesses , I think something at Trolley stop where the land was a little higher , that , um , were the only four businesses that weren't affected all the way from 69th , all the way down to 61st. Everyone's business was closed and , you know , inundated with mud and just , you know , you're something that you've been building all your life. Somebody says , 100 year flood comes and you lose all of it. We still aren't in our building , um , that we were in our office space. Yeah. I mean , I'm listening to you talk , and it's it's one thing to lose , you know , the brick and mortar buildings. But the community that that is lost when something like that happens. Talk to me a bit about that. Wow. The everything was so long. It took such a long time to get here , you know what I'm saying ? We literally have been fighting this fight for over 37 Seven years. And then to get that close and something that's , you know , a natural disaster. And it it really affected a lot of people , especially the people who've been in this battle for such a long time , who live in the fourth district in Southeastern and San Diego. They some people begin to , I think , were just cursed. You know , many people are saying that's why people are moving away. That's why , uh , so many young people say , I'm trying to get out of the hood. This is not a hood. This is a neighborhood. And , uh , the the core of us didn't allow the flood to make us think we , you know , we're just going to give up , and we just continue. We we still continue to strive. And , uh , lo and behold , things are looking really good. Mm. Well , La Raza , I want to bring you into the conversation here because you're an active member in the community. Um , there were art supplies and other inventory completely destroyed. Um , the fear of mold growing in the walls literally haunted us in our sleep. We would when we in , um , spoke with insurance companies , they totally backed out and didn't pay for anything. It was a true tragedy for us. Um , and it wasn't just about the physical damage. It was a disruption , as as you're saying , to the vital work that we do , you know , in serving our community. We had to push our timeline back. But what really stood out ? I would say during that challenging time was the resilience of our team and the incredible support that we receive from the community. You know , people showed up to help us clean , um , remove damaged furniture , donating supplies just to kind of help us , you know , keep our vision aliv
BLACK ARTS AND CULTURE DISTRICT FLOOD RECOVERY COMMUNITY RESILIENCE SAN DIEGO BUSINESS IMPACT ARTS AND CULTURE
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Diego arts roundup: Author Fran Lebowitz brings her wry quips to San DiegoAlso this week, CCAE Theatrical takes ‘Curious Incident’ on the road, the Holo Holo Music Festival, Frank Black and more
Read more »
San Diego Clippers serve meals to families at San Diego's Ronald McDonald houseIn a heartwarming gesture of community support, the San Diego Clippers turned Sunday evening into a memorable night for families
Read more »
Bryce Miller: Aztecs’ selfless act for families offers lesson bigger than basketballSan Diego State players offer portion of NIL money for Feeding San Diego
Read more »
NEA Grants Support Diverse Arts Programs in San DiegoThe National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded grants to numerous San Diego organizations, ranging from $10,000 to $40,000, to support a wide array of artistic endeavors. Grants were distributed across various disciplines, including visual arts, theater, music, dance, and film.
Read more »
San Diego weekend arts events: Award-season films, local bands and comic book funThis weekend in the arts: Digital Gym Cinema movie screenings, a Latino Film Festival mixer, live music performances and a Comic Savvy open house.
Read more »
San Diego weekend arts events: Awards-season films, local bands and comic book funThis weekend in the arts: Digital Gym Cinema movie screenings, a Latino Film Festival mixer, live music performances and a Comic Savvy open house.
Read more »