Ashburton Summer Newsletter 2023

Greetings

Hello Ashburton,

It has been a busy spring here in Ashburton!

In addition to our Annual Home and Garden Tour we’ve hosted our Juneteenth Celebration as well as a very special street dedication for John Crew Jr.

COMMITTEES

Neighbors, we need your help!

To get involved simply send an email to the chair of the committee you would like to support.

Education: tonette.d.campbell@gmail.com

Fundraising: torikay@verixon.net

Housing: byron@conmcastnet

Newsletter: dolds@zebradesigns.net

Beautification/Events: kendra.abaidoo@verizon.net

Safety: Ropbin.Tigbnor@gmail.com

Communications: tyravmitchell@gmail.com

Community Development: Ddeleaver@gmail.com

Architectural Review Committee CHAP: Dawn@otiswarren.com and Noell1229@gmail.com

Public Relations: Phylliseva@msn.com

FROM THE PRESIDENT!

In this issue we touch on all those events as well as a few summer reading ideas for all you vacationers out there and a special section for help with your pets!

Thanks for reading and have a GREAT rest-of-yoursummer.

Your President, Arnold Foster, Jr.

Ashburton Area Association upcoming election for Board Officers is coming up in October 2023.

Here is a list of the officer positions

Ashburton residents will be voting on:

• Board President

• 1st Vice President

• 2nd Vice President

• Treasurer

• Secretary

ASHBURTON ASSOCIATION

2023 GENERAL MEETINGS: Ashburton general meetings are open to all residents of our community.

Meeting Dates:

August 15, 2023 @ 6:30 pm

October 17, 2023 @ 6:30 pm

December 19, 2023 @ 6:30 pm

Meetings held at the Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) in the Fine Arts Building.

For Juneteenth, residents of Ashburton gathered on June 17 for our Heritage Walk 2023. We highlighted former Ashburton residents who made significant strides in advancing social conditions for people of color in America, including Dr. Anne O. Emery, Dr. William Proctor, Congressman Kweisi Mfume, Jay Baker, Mamie Todd, Paul Beckham Sr., and more! We ended the celebration with a good ‘ol cookout.

If you were unable to attend, we encourage you to research the lives of these fearless leaders and the legacies many have left behind.

Street Dedication for John Crew Jr.

Legacy of Gardening is Still Planted in Ashburton

By Jasmine Vaughn-Hall

Photos by Dylan Thiessen

Published 7/4/2023 5:30 a.m. EDT

The Baltimore Banner

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com

AJ Foster Jr., president of the Ashburton Area Association, calls the gardens in the Northwest Baltimore neighborhood jewels.

Lush with grass, colorful flower beds and small fountains, the gardens have become gathering spots. It’s not uncommon to see neighbors moseying down the street during the summer with a bottle of wine or dish of food to sit in each other’s gardens, he said.

The neighborhood with its tree-lined streets, gardens and sizable, single family homes gives off a suburban feel in the city, Foster added. Planting and maintaining the greenery of the neighborhood is a top priority.

The gardens of Ashburton and neighboring communities have a rich history that can be traced back to the city’s integration period, when neighborhoods were transitioning racially and falsehoods about African Americans and unkempt properties abounded.

It was during this time, more than 60 years ago, that the For-Win-Ash African American garden club started with a mission of beautifying neighborhoods through gardening, landscaping and teaching.

Through events and collaborations, current residents and garden club members are keeping that legacy of gardening alive even today. Ashburton recently held a self-guided garden tour so people could explore the neighborhood and the different gardens.

“We are big on maintaining our history and the opportunity to carry on For-Win-Ash is something that we value,” Foster said.

For-Win-Ash was created in 1959 by Dr. Ivan Bradshaw Higgins, an Ashburton resident, who wanted to maintain the beauty of the area along with residents in the Forest Park and Windsor Hills neighborhoods, hence the garden club’s name. Many Black professionals were moving into these neighborhoods in the decades following World War II. In a swath of Northwest Baltimore, including the three neighborhoods, the Black population increased from 0.2% in 1950 to 86.5% in 1970. The demographic shifts came with false assumptions and worries that African American residents would not take care of their homes and result in the depreciation of property values.

“They thought it was going to be a slum. At least that was my understanding,” said Karin Marie Kendrick, a legacy member of For-Win-Ash whose mother

A decorative bike in a backyard on Dennlyn Road in Ashburton on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Dylan Thiessen/The Baltimore Banner)

Avenue in Ashburton on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Dylan Thiessen/ The Baltimore Banner)

was a founding member. Kendrick added that with the garden club founding members made sure their properties kept their value. She still lives in the house her parents bought in 1958 on Callaway Avenue where she maintains a garden of azaleas, daffodils, tulips, irises, and numerous trees and shrubs.

The For-Win-Ash garden club represented themselves at the Baltimore City Fair in 1970 with a “beautifying Baltimore is our pleasure” tagline. In addition to selling floral arrangements, floral bulbs and cut flowers, Kendrick’s mother took photos of the houses in the neighborhoods to display how residents were maintaining their properties.

Some garden clubs used the act of gardening, forming the clubs and beautification as a bridge to repair racial tensions in their community, said Abra Lee, founder of Conquer the Soil, which explores the history, folklore and art of horticulture.

“That was very real because even when people wouldn’t necessarily get on the same page in terms of voting for equality for Black people, they will certainly share plants with them,” she said.

But there’s also self-expression in gardening, she added, just like with hair, nails and music in Black culture. And, there’s no refuting the irrevocable link

between African Americans and agriculture, Lee said.

“We were brought here in bondage because of our agricultural gifts. So it’s not shocking that that connection, it just can’t be taken from us,” Lee said.

On the Ashburton garden tour, a small, mossy stone garden wall at the entrance of one yard, led to pink and red roses. In another backyard, purple wisteria hung over the side of a garage next to zebra grass and a white bicycle.

“Maintaining the historic charm of our neighborhood is one of our priorities so we like to marry that with gardening and landscaping so it creates a warm environment in the community,” Foster said, adding that the Ashburton neighborhood is a city-designated historic district. Windsor Hills is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The garden club has changed over the years and members don’t necessarily have to live in the city anymore.

Rose McNeill, the current president of For-Win-Ash, said the club currently has a little over 20 members, but many of them are at least 70 years old. McNeill hopes to make the garden club more visible and

Flowers decorate the front of a house on Sequoia

RECENT HOME SALES

$410,000 / Sold - June , 2023

recruit new, younger members who are interested in sustaining the group.

“What we need to do is to keep it going because sometimes when you don’t keep your history going, it’s like it never existed,” McNeill said.

Kendra Abaidoo, an Ashburton resident, said she remembers being one of the younger members when she first joined For-Win-Ash. She said she was intrigued by the rich history and common interests that the members shared. One member at the time, she added, was a Tuskegee airman.

“Ashburton has had a rich history in terms of gardening and people making a point to beautify homes and taking a lot of pride in their homes. We continue in the example of the elders and I’m excited to keep doing that,” Abaidoo said. g

$420,000

Volunteer to become an Ashburton Area Association Board Member

There are a few Board vacancies for qualified, motivated neighbors!

Simply write to Denise DeLeaer at ddeleaver@gmail.com to throw your hat in the ring! Please send your Email today!

Thank you!

/ Sold - April 3, 2023

$576,500 / Sold - April 12, 2023

Flowers decorate the front of a house on Hilton Road in Ashburton on Saturday, June 24, 2023.

(Dylan Thiessen/The Baltimore Banner)

The 2023 Ashburton Home and Garden Tour

Six Rules for Respecting Your Neighbors and Keeping Your Dog Happy

Dogs can make our lives whole, but if your dog isn’t well-behaved, you could end up with a lot of problems with neighbors.

Keep Up with Preventatives and Vet Care

Did you know that one dog with heartworms can dramatically increase the chance of other animals in the area contracting the deadly disease? Diseases and parasites can be contagious, so it is essential to keep your dog’s health in check. Administer heartworm preventatives and flea control on a monthly basis, and keep vaccinations updated.

Exercise Your Pup

Dogs tend to have a lot of energy. If they don’t burn some of that energy off, owners often end up with behavioral problems. Bored dogs can be destructive to your property, as well as any that you share with your neighbors (fences, bushes, squirrels, etc.). To avoid damage, and dilemmas between neighbors go for a few walks a day and engage in some play.

Socialize Your Dog with People and Pets

If your dog is anxious around other people and animals, chances are your neighbors will be anxious around you. Get your dog used to other people and pets by taking them to a dog park. Taking your dog to an area dog park

is the perfect opportunity to meet local animals and teach your dog how to behave around other pups.

Don’t Let Pet Waste Pile Up

One of the top complaints from neighborhoods with pets is people not picking up after their animals. Stay prepared for any poop situation with your own stash of bags, and have a strategy for keeping your yard sanitized.

Avoid Using Tethers or Chains

It may be tempting to leave your pup out on a tether or chain during the day, but this can lead to problems with your dog’s behavior, as well as issues with your neighbors. Dogs left out on chains are more likely to act aggressively to passersby and other pets.

Observe Quiet Hours

Barking is your dog’s way of expressing emotions and excitement. If you have neighbors nearby, however, you’ll want to be aware of when your pups are expressing themselves. Don’t let your dog bark or whine late at night or early in the morning, and take steps to put a stop to excessive barking. If you’re away from home, try not to leave your dog outside while you’re gone.

Don’t let your dog become the “problem child” of your neighborhood. Keep your neighbors, and your pet, happy and healthy and help your pup make friends everywhere you go.

Dumpster drop offs: 7am to 1 pm

Dumpster pickups: 4 hours later

Ashburton Area Association

Witness: Stories

by Jamel Brinkley

Jamel Brinkley’s 2018 debut, A Lucky Man, was one of the best books of the year, filled with short stories that deftly looked at family, identity and desire. His follow-up collection, set in New York City, contains stories about people who choose to speak on behalf of others — or fail to do so. Brinkley is immensely talented, making this one of the year’s most anticipated works of American fiction. (Aug. 1) —

Michael Schaub

Exciting Books for Your Summer Vacation Read!

The Talk

by Darrin Bell

Darrin Bell is 6 years old, playing alone, when a police officer yells at him to freeze. He doesn’t share the disturbing event for years. The Talk is Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist Bell’s debut graphic memoir, a stunning account of a young Black man navigating his way through Los Angeles and Berkeley in the 1980s and ‘90s, into life as a successful professional and father. The illustrations, fluctuating from the whimsically cartoonish to the painterly, are as multi-tiered and engrossing as Bell’s narrative voice. (June 6) —

Tahneer Oksman

HAVE YOU GOT AN IDEA FOR A STORY?

Our newsletter is designed to keep the Ashburton community members informed, connected and entertained. If you have an idea, suggestion or a proposal that Interested in submitting content for inclusion in future editions? Email your stories or photos to dolds@zebradesigns.net

The Wind Knows My Name

by Isabel Allende

When I learned Isabel Allende’s new book, The Wind Knows My Name, is set in my hometown of Nogales, Ariz., among other places real and mystical, I put it on the top of my reading list. Allende’s artistry shapes a lyrical romanticism around social political history and global turmoil. I’m eager to find what she discovers in our borderlands. (June 6) — Marcela

Davison Avilés

You’re Not Supposed to Die

Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

Charity works at a horror simulation tourist trap based on a cheesy 1980s teen slasher movie, Camp Mirror Lake. It’s all fun and games until the staff start going missing. Something monstrous is stalking Charity and her terrified friends, and it won’t stop until they’re all dead. Like any good horror movie, this one is full of twists and turns, with one heck of a kicker at the end. (June 20) — Alex

Brown