Written by Cara Maat, Eastcore resident and member of the TCW Planning Committee

When I was a child, growing up in the Eastcore neighborhood of Holland, Michigan, there was a story about my neighborhood that I heard on repeat. It wasn’t a very long story, but it went like this:

“16th street in Holland is the ghetto, and the closer you live to it, the more unsafe you, your home, and your people are.”

I lived between 18th and 19th street and as a child I recall my peers not having their parents permission to come play with me at my house because of where I lived. I internalized this as a part of who I was. I grew to assume people would always keep their distance from me unless I found a way to convince them otherwise.

Over time, I found this to be a pretty unwell way to live.

All people learn to navigate and perhaps protect themselves from the impact of the stories they adopt. In a way, this is good, because our bodies are doing what they were designed to do- to keep us safe. But over time, the process of self protection from (often presumed) threats begins to build walls, and break down relationships with others, with one’s self and one’s perspective of the world they live in.

In 2022 I moved with my husband and two children back into the Eastcore neighborhood and began to listen for a different story. I noticed buildings in the neighborhood held walls full of new color and design. Painted lines, movement, and textures, that were displayed with a sense of intentionality, honor and pride. It felt clear that there was a different story that I needed to hear. In fact, this neighborhood had been working on collecting, writing and telling their story for nearly two years. Stories of generations and individuals within the Eastcore neighborhood, proud of the diversity, and deep roots established by those who had grown up within or moved into the neighborhood. They wanted to let the walls of the neighborhood speak for themselves- to tell the story of who Eastcore is and has always been.

I needed to hear this different story; an honest story, full of joy, pain, resilience, humility, and through the eyes and voices of people who were and are my neighbors. I don’t know all of the stories of those who deemed 16th street the ghetto, but perhaps when they walk through the neighborhood now and see the evolving display of world renown artistry on the murals, they will hear the story anew or perhaps for the first time.

As a proud committee member of the Tulip City Walls Mural Festival and the Eastcore neighborhood, my family and I are experiencing a community living and being well. As a community...

1. We tell the story together; past, present, and future. The story isn’t accurate unless all are represented.

2. We are confident in ourselves to do the work; believing that if we invest with what we have, when we are able, we can impact change here and now.

3. We talk often about the impact of this work on the children of the neighborhood and the generations to come.

4. We share a mindset that every individual in the neighborhood is its best asset and when these neighbors are brought together, there is infinite and inherent value and immeasurable opportunity.