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.” Explore 50 responses below, selected at random. Which stories capture your attention? (Some responses were transcribed by youth volunteers.) To learn more about the storyteller and how they interpreted their response, click “Zoom In.”
The story of success through hard work
Delray Beach is a comma that is evolving it wasn’t as safe as it is now back in the days also wassants clean and everyone that lived in Delray pitched together to help the comm it as much fun it is now in Delray.
Robbery
I remember one night I heard a lot of movement outside but I shook it off. Ten o heard screaming so I went outside and saw my neighbors got robbed. It frighten me because it could’ve been my house.
L I F E
In 2011, child poverty reached record high levels, with 16.7 million children living in food insecure households, about 35% more than 2007 levels. A 2013 UNICEF report ranked the U.S. as having the second highest relative child poverty rates in the developed world.According to a 2016 study by the Urban Institute, teenagers in low income communities are often forced to join gangs, save school lunches, sell drugs or exchange sexual favors because they cannot afford food.
Support (Story #611)
Support in the glades, sorority
Pray for the best
Me having kids is an important moment. Everybody in Boynton knows what it’s like having to raise your kids. Worrying when they put if they safe or in trouble. All we do is pray for the best lives for our child.
Important moment interview
Live in Jefferson manor and grand parents owned store in Delray. 4th generation and moved into grandparents old home. Loss job recently but thank God was able to keep the house, worked and traveled a lot professionally.
Coming to the city
I was in Haiti .Things was really hard so my family moved to the states and ended up in Boynton Beach. Things was different but was accepted it. All of crime and police lights.
Mlk March-Rickia
I can remember the neighborhood coming together to watch the Mlk March and all my friends came over with they grandma because back then everyone couldn’t afford a tv
Ice cream man
If you live in the heart of Boynton you would know about the ice cream man. If you hungry he got what you need. I remember the kids running to get stuff before everything run out. Kids love him, he’s like family.
Friendly welcome to the neighborhood- Kene
When I moved into my house in my neighborhood, there were neighbors and friends of mine that already lived there that were sitting in my driveway waiting to help me unload my furniture. I didn’t ask for it, but they were just curtious enough to offer me assistance.
Lack of support
Family fueds
Always remeber
Some people try to turn back their odometers not me I want people to know why I look this way . I’ve traveled a long way and many of the roads weren’t paved . First you forget the names than you forget the faces . Living in my neighborhood was a good thing for me met nice people
College
Important moment in my life was going to college.My grandpa used to always tell me the world is bigger than boynton. There’s nothing really around the city but drugs and violence so that changed me.
Halloween in delray
Last Halloween we went to our neighbors house and we had a thousand homes in our community and a lot of young families halloween is a good event in our community my neighborhood is friendly oriented and family oriented and have lots of fun
All is well
Growing up in my neighborhood wasn’t actually bad all the time., I mean things did happen but there was also some good things going on. I lived in a house with all my brothers and they always looked out for me.
My Grandmother’s Death
I like to think of my neighborhood as a union. When my grandmother died my whole neighborhood prayed for my family. For her funeral they collectively put money together to fund her funeral. It was the most generous thing I have ever seen. They are the most caring people.
Growing up around Boynton Beach
Growing up in Boynton Beach in 1964 it was very tough for a young black person segregation Was going on and it was a lot of racism .
Sports (Story #181)
Playing sports was a important moment in my life.It kept me off the streets and focused on something. Most of my friends was in the streets and now they dead or in jail .
Beatrice Elma
How the violence’s has increased, and the Judges live in a different world to us, plus wars are still ongoing just to please a few, very worried for our young people and grandchildren what lay’s ahead for them.Plus the lack of justices to those who have sex with children, that’s a no go zone for me.
Working for the US Sugar Co-Operation
Born in 1947, started working when I was 15 years old. Most important thing I experienced coming up is due to workforce-the sugar cane. I got older, getting a job with us sugar-I worked for 35 years. It was hard, very hard work but you had to make a living somehow. I also picked spring beans but the harvesters took the work away. I grew up in lake harbor and they bussed us to school. Quiet waters used to be lake shore high school and we were bussed from the camps in lake…
Don’t do what they do
Growing up in lake worth beach Florida was ok at first till group of kids thought they were man enough to handle things. Going out stealing cars , robing people, hitting people and other things
Change (Story #334)
When I first moved here years and years ago I was robbed by one of the teenagers. I didn’t know many people but when I saw his face I remembered him. I spoke to his parents about it and they made him apologize and repay me. I forgave the young man and he became like a son to me
Don’t become
Growing was odd for me I was thinking that if I do this I’ll become better but me doing it didn’t make me come better it made me. A threat to the system now I can’t get the job I want all because I seen the. Grown ups doing things
Truth, streets, and what comes with it
I saw death the morning of my high school graduation. It let me know about
Social culturalism – Kene
Positive; downtown cultural vibe identity. Lived down here for three years, the demographics are changing, wealthy individuals disturbing the southern flavor. Outlook isn’t as good due to impatient materialistic snow birds. They don’t follow directions. They have no shame or conscious, and it’s undoing the natural flavor of Delray, and changing it.
WE love it
Everybody is friendly
Spooky
Dangerous
The Run
Was brought down from New Jersey with my mother
Let’s make a change
Growing up in palm beach was terrible my mother didn’t like it one bit ! Palm beach was all sorts of bars young teens having babies,gang bangers shooting every night , Palm beach was horrible even for the children.
Great hearts-Rickia
I lived in boynton all my life. Beautiful city but ugly people. There are people that have great hearts and I’ve met plenty of them but one time i went to the corner store and and i saw a mother and a child outside she had one bag of chips. Her daughter cried she was hungry and she pushed her the chips she looked up and asked her mom if she was hungry and mom shook her head no but when i asked she said yes i gave her money i went back to that same spot a couple months…
The Life
Me and my family moved from down here from New Jersey and the people here in this neighborhood helped me build this house for me and my 4 kids
Community man-Rickia
I pride myself on being the ladies’ man. I love the attention I got from the neighborhood women but not the m
The hoa blues
The former president of our home owners association
a great send off!
an important moment in my life was the time when all my neighbors and i came toghter andheld a big part for all the graduates in my neighborhood.we all brought them gifts and even put money towards his college experience.
Working for my future.
Watching my parents work so hard to provide us with the most they could. Unfortunately we did not have a lot like others. My parents didn’t make enough income to provide us with our wants, but we were just thankful that my parents were able to provide us with a home, food and clothing. For school I remember being bullied because I wore a lot of hand me downs and not being vocal or tough. Also, we did not have transportation for school so I would walk and get to school sweaty. Yes, we struggled but our parents taught us…
Dance- Rickia Petty
I was raised in a time that war was all too comfortable and it seemed everyone around me was in a frinzy. I learned how to dance with the songs in my head to help me get through those times.
Don’t Give Up Hope
Growing up in a poor community. Pakhoke was a large work camp. The community raised the children. My mother did farm work. There was no violence. We were taught principles to work for what we want and … We were raised in the church. We love Pahokee, but now it’s sad to see what Pahokee has become as the jobs have moved out. There are broken families, not enough food to eat, not enough guidance for the younger generation. We need to work to enjoy life and earn what we get. There are few kids to have the opportunity to…
Become the better person
It’s either life can take down the good road or the bad on you choose what road you wanna take See me my choice was that I took the bad road I’ve been in prison for 17 years got out 2015 the way I grew up was horrible mother being on crack ,sister having a baby at teen age , becoming a drug dealer I have been doing things I regret cause what situation I’m in right now is worst that’s why I want better for the Young’s kids that’s around me
Snitches get stitches
In my neighborhood there has been many killings, fights all of that. My son was recently killed at a house party. The saddest thing about it was no one seen anything which I don’t believe this community needs to let go of the whole idea “snitches get stitches”
For no reason
I used to be a police back in my day. Things certainly have changed. I was walking outside of my house and seen police interrogating these young men. I did not like what I saw. There were not respectful and actually had no reason to be doing it.
Protection
My neighbors would always keep an eye on us to protect and that help me become a good person to watch out for people myself !
Life is the way it is
Well I don’t have much to share my neighborhood wasn’t all bad and good you can say people may have got shot may have got into fights I was always that girl that got into fights
A loving father/grandfather/ family first- Kene
The most important moment in my life, was when my grandson Gary was born. His mom and dad were very young, 17. So I took three years of my life to take care of him. He grew up to be an intelligent responsible young man. Wouldn’t be possible without the help of the community.
The Day at the Store
I Remember as a young adult about 18-20 when me and my mother were at a local store and I was referred to as “boy” by a white man. My mother didn’t react calmly at all to this she yelled at the man for his disrespectful attitude and words. At first I had no clue why my mother would react like that.As time passed by and I grew older I realized she felt him calling me a “boy”was degrading. Because our past during segregation she explained how that reference would always be degrading no mater what.
Sports (Story #504)
Important moments in my life was sports. Growing up around here I had to be into something so I didn’t get caught in the street life. My parents didn’t want me to In up in jail.
Things was simple
When I was little times were easy. Wasn’t much crime and this was claim. But these days these kids are around here killing each other.
Different but normal- Kene
I help everybody. Help out the less fortunate with whatever I can. Teach kids not to smoke, would trade my life to save a child’s. When I’m rich, I’d like to give kids little puppies, teach them responsibility. No exaggeration!
My community (Story #313)
An Important moment in life is when young man and young women getting killed and not having the same rights as white people .living in the ghetto can change a person from having manners to “get rich or die trying “. Therefore many people wouldn’t just go to living in the ghetto you have to change it yourself to prove people wrong.
The officer
One time I had an altercation with a racist police officer. He pulled me over and was talking to me very aggressively and rude. He pulled me out the car although I was already complying and stepping out the car. He acted like this because he believed my car didn’t belong to me he assumed it was stolen.
The sixteen year old boy
Recently there was a shooting right down the street from my house. A 16 year old boy killed a 21 year old man on accident. This young 16 year old shot him dead in front of everyone at a park. The same park my kids play at. It’s just a very sad thing to see happen a young 16 year old now a murder.
Refresh the page to see another random set of stories or view the stories and micro-narratives in a list.