Ashby BART: Looking at Our History to Understand the Present
It’s Time to Make Noise!
This is the second in a series about BART’s relationship with South Berkeley. In this article, we look back in order to understand what’s happening today with the Ashby BART housing development.
South Berkeley and West Berkeley have been vibrant Black communities built over time (1940’s-1960’s) by people of color. People arrived here for jobs that supported the WWII efforts, and over time this area became a beloved community for a growing population of both Blacks and Asians. In 1942, our Japanese neighbors were bussed to internment camps and many lost their homes because of the nationalized fear of Asians. The older generation still living in our area talk about the active, vibrant community it once was. Supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and other places of business helped define the community. Entertainment was found at the Lorin Theater, now the Phillips Temple CME church and in the 70’s, at the Rainbow Sign cultural venue on MLK Jr. Way. Churches, such as the Progressive Baptist Church, and programs at San Pablo Park created cohesiveness for the community. The Black Panthers were headquartered on Shattuck Ave. Bryon Rumford, a local pharmacist and powerful leader, was elected state assemblyman and authored the California Fair Housing Act which became part of the national 1968 Civil Rights Act.
In the early 60’s, BART was slated to enter Berkeley as an above ground system. Transit developers saw South Berkeley’s land as a cheap purchase because of depressed values due to redlining. Authorities didn’t care that our vibrant community was to be changed forever. This was a rebellious time for all of Berkeley, but South Berkeley had to fight additional battles. Led by resident Mabel Howard and then City Councilmember Ron Dellums, community groups such as Urban Care and the NAACP, the Ashby station was completely undergrounded. But for us, the residential area and businesses near the Ashby Station were demolished and those who lived there dispersed around the East Bay. Community and individual family wealth was taken and South Berkeley’s vibrancy was diminished.
Today, we in South Berkeley are still fighting to regain this loss. FoA’s first article laid out how to make the future development of the Ashby BART housing more inclusive of our community. The chosen team must actively involve and implement the community’s ideas. If you agree, now is the time to make some noise! Emails, letters or phone calls will tell officials we’re holding them accountable. Use these points from the first article (found on our website friendsofadeline.org: Recent Posts) and add your own to ensure that the community’s voice is included in the Objective Design Standards the City and BART are currently creating.
| Resources: City of Berkeley: search Ashby and North Berkeley Planning TOD BART: search Ashby TOD Independent film by Pamela Uzzell: Welcome to the Neighborhood (https://www.kqed.org/trulyca/2277/welcome-to-the-neighborhood) Contact any one or all of these people: Principal Property Development Officer BART: Shannon Dodge sdodge@bart.gov District 3 BART/Ashby representative: Barnali Ghosh Barnali.Ghosh@bart.gov, (510)-464-6095 District 7 BART/Ashby representative: Victor Flores victor.flores@bart.gov District 3 Councilmember: Ben Bartlett BBartlett@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7130 Mayor of Berkeley: Adena Ishii mayor@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7100 Berkeley City Council Members: council@berkeleyca.govIFriendsofAdeline Facebook , friendsofadeline.org |