Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

I always knew the Over-the-Rhine Residency Program would facilitate a much deeper way for students to learn about a community. I did not anticipate the extent to which the students would fall in love with the community. As they bonded with the community, opening their hearts and intellect to the citizens—a process that is not automatic and can only be characterized as hard work—they transformed from passive to active citizens. Their bond affected them deeply, resulting in relationships that for many will be long-lasting. For those who went through the Program in 2006, three now work at Peaslee and two of them now live in Over-the-Rhine. Currently, one student from this year’s group continues to live in Over-the-Rhine. A senior in her last semester, she commutes to Oxford to finish her course work as she continues to do social work with Over-the-Rhine Community Housing.

--Thomas Dutton, Director, Miami University’s Center for Community Engagement

Deirdre Gorman

Last year I had the opportunity to hear prior residents speak about their experiences in Over-the-Rhine. After listening to them, I felt inspired and began to seriously consider this option for my student teaching experience. I called my parents and informed them of my plans to join the Residency Program for the upcoming semester. That night I lay awake, my thoughts flooded with both real and imagined fears. After a restless night, I concluded that anything worth doing has risks.

Once I moved into Over-the-Rhine, I was no longer a part of the majority. Simply walking down the street made it apparent that I was a newcomer to the community; but before long I had forged friendships and trust with my new neighbors. These relationships were formed easily while teaching. Seeing my students both in and after school allowed me to build close ties, while also allowing for an enhanced understanding of their daily struggles and challenges. I was the only teacher who did not scold Brendall for sleeping through class, because I knew that his neighbors played music all night long.  Without having to ask, I knew Ta’Ron was absent because his mother was too proud to send him in dirty clothes.

As an education major, I have read a great deal about the holistic learning. This experience provided the perfect opportunity to put this theory into practice. So I volunteered at an after school “art in the park” program and had the rare opportunity to interact with my students outside of the school setting. By showing this commitment, I gained the trust of parents. In particular, Mr. Hamilton stands out in my mind. He would beam when I told him how proud I was of his son’s achievements. One day, Mr. Hamilton told me how his father had walked out on him as a child. As he placed his arm around his son, he vowed that he would be the father he never had as a child. Mr. Hamilton challenges every stereotype.  He is not out on the streets selling drugs or smoking crack. The truth is he is a hard-working man trying to be there for his family while supporting them on minimum wage.

Before this experience, I was the woman who didn’t make eye contact with homeless people. I would clench my purse as I walked by a group of African American males. These actions were done subconsciously. This experience forced me to confront my own deep-rooted assumptions. It was a struggle admitting to myself that I held such biases. Inner reflection allowed me to become conscious of my actions. I also began to observe unexpected similarities between my white, suburban hometown and Over-the-Rhine.

I grew up in what many would call an ideal place to raise a family, complete with fresh cut lawns and white picket fences. But this idyllic setting is not without its troubles. While the suburban housewife hosts a luncheon, her daughter might be snorting coke on a toilet seat, and her husband serving time for money laundering. Over-the-Rhine and my hometown are more similar than anyone would like to admit. But there is one major difference, Over-the-Rhine is real; the community does not have the luxury of hiding its flaws.

Throughout this experience, I have been challenged to re-evaluate and question my own deeply rooted assumptions on race, poverty, and urban life. During the process my eyes began to see the injustices in society. I witnessed children displaced from their school, which was demolished to make room for a parking lot. I taught students who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. I know that this experience changed the person I am. I have grown more compassionate, but more importantly I have grown more empowered. I have seen how organizing and mobilizing people works. I will close this chapter of my life with the tools to combat the profound economic, social, and political inequalities that I have witnessed. Many times this semester I was simply immersed with sadness, but I was buoyed by the hope I saw in the eyes of my students and in the belief that they would come to see a more just world. I have come to appreciate the importance of acting now and I believe in the power that individuals possess to change their world.

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