Brittany Westveer
678-689-8330 brittanywestveer@gmail.com
No Specific Release
Bruce Street Corner
Hiding underneath brush and weeds was a decaying headstone. The markings were barely visible with ivy growing in every narrow crack. Across the street, the ruins of a school can be seen baring the same erosion as the headstone, quite possibly the same as the memories of what Bruce Street corner was and what it could have been.
The city of Lithonia, Georgia is proud of its history and its majorly African American heritage. It is still alive today through family customs and traditions passed down from mother to child. Unfortunately, little is being done about preserving its materialistic history. Bruce Street Cemetery, Lithonia’s only predominantly African American burial ground was completely overrun with trees and shrubs, the walls of African American community school slowly being ripped apart brick by brick. This is where The Action
Not Words Project has stepped in. The project has led the community’s first call-to-action and clean-up session of Bruce Street Cemetery with huge success. The cemetery is now perfectly manicured and the headstones can be seen from the road.
The Action Not Words Project has helped dozens of communities in parts of Georgia and the
Dominican Republic rebuild their lives and introduce them to a sustainable and healthier path for the future. For Lithonia’s rich history, The Action Not Words Project’s next step is the preservation of Bruce
Street corner and reinstating its community by building the area’s first urban garden. This would allow for healthier lifestyles and providing the necessary tools to maintain and preserve the community for years to come.