in 2016 showed a majority of white members. The Free Cafe pop-up last year, inevitably, caused some unease.
There is a difference, Ross said, between being in the community versus being of the community. The way Ross sees it, to bethe community is to make a sincere effort to integrate into it. Ildefonso said despite her efforts to participate in Leimert Park’s network of groups and events, she remained nervous about how someone like her would be perceived. The Free Cafe provided another outlet to wrestle with those feelings, she said.
“What happens on Nextdoor in particular is that you have [two] groups of people: The ones who are like, ‘This neighborhood is absolutely changing. I really hate this. This is a black neighborhood,’” Ross said. “Then you have the people who are like, ‘This isBut the reality is more complicated than both views, Ross said.
She said she prefers the Free Cafe setting over Nextdoor because it offers a more moderate perspective.A coffee and beverage menu at the Free Cafe.In October, Rippens and Silva set up in the frontyard of the home of Mike Nobrega, a member of the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Assn. They estimated that more than 40 people showed up over a three-hour span.
The cafe’s apricot-colored walls are adorned with large Afro-centric paintings such as Nneka Osueke’s “Ekure’s Prayer, Ekure’s Return.” Its shelves house countless albums and books by black artists. And former President Obama’s bobble head sits still on the counter next to the Jamaican black seed oil for sale.
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