Oakland, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Reconnect Communities

Description: The 980 Block Party will engage West Oakland residents to reimagine the 980 Freeway. The event will support freeway redesign, improve access and safety, and reclaim public space. EVOAK will document community history and collaborate with local organizations to promote equitable development and affordable housing.

Atlanta, GA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Reconnect Communities

Description: When Interstate 20 opened, the new highway displaced residents in Atlanta's Westview neighborhood. In the decades since, the area experienced disinvestment, with pedestrian infrastructure lagging behind other areas of the city. This sparked a legacy of advocacy, as residents formed neighborhood association to advocate for better sidewalks. To document the neighborhood's story, the Ke'nekt Cooperative launched an oral history project. Community outreach sessions focused on the historical impact of highway construction, as well as genealogy workshops. Participants said these event empowered them to engage in local advocacy to address ongoing impacts. Additionally, neighbors built intergenerational connections, with older adults sharing experiences and younger residents introducing modern research methods. Organizers say the project laid the groundwork for future efforts, including a local archive, which they hope will be a catalyst for ongoing community engagement.

St. Paul, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Reconnect Communities

Description: This project will create a virtual reality production depicting life in the Rondo neighborhood before, during and after a 1960s Interstate highway project split the community in two. Organizers will ask older residents to contribute their stories.