People and Places That Shape Our Culture

People and Places That Shape Our Culture. Get to Know the West End Neighborhood. , Ruth Porter - Advocate for Housing Rights and Racial Justice, The places along greenways hold stories of the people and events that shape the culture of our region. Ruth Porter Mall Park is named for Ruth Porter (1915-1967), a West End neighborhood resident who dedicated her life to eradicating inequality and discrimination, laying the groundwork for the revitalization of the West End neighborhood, and building bridges between people of every race and class. Ruth Porter worked for something she believed in - that everyone deserves the freedom to live where they choose. She founded education programs, worked to stabilize the West End neighborhood, and championed the fight for open housing in a city where redlining and restricting covenants kept African-American families segregated. Ruth Porter was an extraordinary woman with a selfless devotion to improving the community and world in which she lived. Who are the extraordinary people in your community?, West End Neighborhood History, The St. Vincent Greenway passes through the West End neighborhood. This neighborhood is well known for the beautiful architecture of its homes, apartments, houses of worship, schools, and shops. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, many large homes and plush estates were built in the West End neighborhood. Until the 1950s, many of the African-American families living in this neighborhood were servants of their wealthy neighbors, and they were not able to enjoy shopping and dining in their neighborhood like their White neighbors did. In the 1950s and 1960s, many affluent African-American leaders and their families moved to the West End along with many of the 20,000 African-American people who were displaced by the Mill Creek neighborhood demolition. What drew you to the place where you live?