A video excerpt: "What Can We Expect Next?"

The picture above comes from the latest video excerpt that discusses what some community activists in East Palo Alto have done and are currently doing. The complete one hour video,"What Can We Expect Next?" can be seen locally on Channel 27 from now until April 15. To see the excerpt, click on the appropriate picture in the video list to the left under the "Welcome" message and watch the video play at the top of this column. You can also copy the following link into your browser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56QpP88HLes

After you've seen the excerpt, let me know what you think about it by posting your comments below. For more information about the one hour TV shows from which the video excerpts were taken, click on the television link on the left side of this page.

Taking on leadership roles

On March 15 of this year, East Palo Alto lost one of its prominent citizens, Mrs. Barbara Mouton. During her funeral celebration, she was described by community resident and activist William Webster as the architect of East Palo Alto's incorporation in 1983. Webster said that the notion of East Palo Alto becoming a city was Mrs. Mouton's idea.

Do you think in East Palo Alto now there are others who are of the caliber of Mrs. Mouton who are rising out of the city's younger generation? Have you seen younger people among you who are doing things that would inspire you to think of them as the future leaders of East Palo Alto?

Will there be visible improvements?

In many ways, a new year usually inspires high hopes and expectations. It is a time when people make resolutions and outline the changes that they'd like to make in their life. In some respects, cities and communities can do the same thing. We see this when city mayors make their State of the City address or a state's governor makes a State of the State address.
Within the first three months of this year, the East Palo Alto community declared that it was on a new path. We wrote about this new path in our From the Editor's Desk column on page 7 in the February-March 2007 issue of East Palo Alto Today.
We wonder if you agree with us? Do you think, now that the city's Peace March and Rally and the Teen Summit are over, that the quality of life in the City of East Palo Alto will remain the same or will residents see visible improvements? Are there more positive changes to come?