Palm Beach County residents were asked:
Please tell us about an important moment in your life that would help someone understand what it’s like living in your neighborhood.
The stories and micro-narratives they submitted (as part of the We Are Here SenseMaker project) are listed below. Click ZOOM IN to learn more about the community member and how they interpreted their submission. NOTE: Some stories were partially transcribed by volunteers who shortened the narratives and referred to the storytellers in the third person (e.g., “her experience was” instead of “my experience was”).
I grew up in Belle Glade, FL working in the corn fields with my father and mother. It was very hard and I did not get a chance to go to school that much because we were up back and forth on the road. We had a big family. We worked hard and sometimes we would go to New York in July. Growing up was good and we were always working.
an important moment my interviwees life was. a time back about 10 years ago when she was driving down the street and then out of nowhere her car broke down now this was late at and she says that she was going to walk to a gas station to get gas and when she was walking a group of boys was walking and she was walking for a good while and noticed that they were following her so she decided to cross the street and walk on the other side and thet crossed also, then the group stsrted running after her and she began to run as fast a she could. sne says they caught up with her and started to take her stuff she had a purse and other stuff but she felt they wanted her watch. she was able to slip out and keep running she ran into a yard and banged on the window the boys all ran and she left. she was able to get her gas and safely make it back to her car.
I remember driving down over by galaxy elementary one night. I don’t know what was going on but I seen at least 100 teens outside and police cars. The police had dogs out and big guns. See teens these days for some reason are prone to getting into trouble. Hopefully nobody that night got hurt. But I want better for our future generation.
I have lived in my house for 35 years. When my husband passed away about 20 years ago,my income was to low and I lost the house. I eventually ran into money problems and stop paying the mortgage. The lender foreclosed the property, and the house was sold, leaving Me without a home.My neighbor/friend from a few doors down, Shelley, couldn’t stand the thought of me living in a hotel room, so she and a few other members from my neighborhood put down $167,450 to buy the house back for me.
The police said he grew up in clewston he said it was great they helped one another when you get into trouble from with your neighbor you get in trouble at home
Growing up In Boynton Beach in 1963 it was very tough for a young black person segregation and racism was still in affect and the civil rights were still going on