I picked the area inside the green circle as a possible site for the Greensboro Performing Arts Center because the City of Greensboro owns much of the property there and because there will be little resistance from property owners within the circle.
But if there is a better East Greensboro location then I'd welcome it. Much of it has already been abandoned. How can downtown proponents continue to ask us to prop up downtown development when our own neighborhoods are falling apart? It's wrong and everyone knows it.
I picked the name, Randall Jarrell Performing Arts Center because building should be named for people who achieved great things and Randall Jarrell, despite having lived in Greensboro, taught at UNCG and was the first man of color to be crowned US Poet Laureate, has hardly been recognized by the City of Greensboro. It was my thinking that his name would be an inspiration to the majority of local residents who are also people of color.
But if there is a better choice then so be it.
I guess I come off to many people as being rather inflexible but when it comes to Greensboro's PAC I'll only insist on the following, the PAC must be located in East Greensboro, it will operate without subsides be a public-private partnership and it will not be operated by Matt Brown and the Greensboro Coliseum staff.
So, I guess a few things are set in stone for me but that leaves plenty of room.
In the end it won't be me who designs and builds the PAC and frankly I'd rather not get involved but until the City of Greensboro decides to invest equally in every Greensboro neighborhood then people like me will have to keep fighting or die.
But, if you'd like to help... Well, that was the link. Thank you.
Continue to article #21 Greensboro Performing Arts Center: A Room With A View
