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The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, or DSNI, is a nonprofit, community-run organization based in Roxbury, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1984 by residents of the Dudley Street Neighborhood, along with members of the Riley Foundation, as an effort to rebuild the poverty-stricken community surrounding Dudley Square. It is known as the first and only community-run grassroots organization to gain "the power of eminent domain" by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, meaning the community controls its own development and the use of the land.〔 Hernandez, E. (1991, Sep 17). "Becoming good neighbors one step at a time, residents of dudley street are establishing their own rules of the game." ''Boston Globe''. Grants Management Associates Records, 1974 - 1999. (M178) University Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts. Box 4, folder 1. 〕 Today, 35 board of directors help to govern the more than 3,000 active members of DSNI. The board of directors are elected by locals every two years, and must represent the community's four major ethnic groups: African American, Cape Verdean, Latino and White, as well as the local youth, businesses, nonprofits, churchs and CDC's that support the initiative.〔 Soifer, Steven et. al. (2014). ''Community Economic Development in Social Work''. New York: Columbia University Press.〕 == Early History == By the 1960's, the once vibrant community surrounding the Dudley Street Area of Roxbury, Massachusetts had "deteriorated into one of the poorest in Boston", overrun by the dumping of toxic waste and abandoned homes. 〔 Throughout the 1970's, the community became more run-down as a result of neglect and "divestment" from Boston-area financial institutions, and by the 1980s, "more than one-fifth of the neighborhood's land was vacant." 〔 Those that lived and worked in the community became angered by the lack of attention this poor neighborhood received from its nearby wealthier Boston neighbors.〔 In 1984, Nelson Merced worked on Dudley Street as the director of La Alianza Hispana, a nonprofit that advocates for success within the Hispanic Community. At the time, the Dudley Street Neighborhood was populated by many impoverished Hispanics, African Americans, Jews, and other minority groups, many of which could not afford to live elsewhere.〔 "The Dealth and Life of Dudley: A Lesson in Urban Economics" ''Boston Globe''. Grants Management Associates Records, 1974 - 1999. (M1780) University Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department Northeastern University, Boston, MA Box 4, Folder 8. 〕 Merced began looking for funds to renovate the La Alianza Hispana building in the Spring of 1984 when he reached out to the Boston-based Riley Foundation, which provides grants for inner-city organizations. Merced's hope was that he could give the Riley Foundation trustees a tour of Dudley Square in order to gain their support in improving the area. On April 12, 1984 the four Riley Foundation trustees agreed to visit Nelson Merced and the Dudley Street Neighborhood. One of the trustees, Newell Flather, later stated that Dudley was the "most disadvantaged area in the city", and another, Robert Holmes, described the vacant land he saw as "negative space". 〔 The tour of the run-down neighborhood was enough to convince the Riley Foundation to help the community. Discussions began between the Foundation and Merced, along with other community organization leaders. Later that year, on September 17th, 1984, the Riley Foundation invited Dudley organization leaders to a meeting to discuss the potential next steps in re-building the community. The group created the "Dudley Advisory Group", which voted to establish its own organization almost a month later on October 15th, 1984.〔 The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative was born. == Mission == According to the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative Mission Statement, The DSNI "seeks to organize, plan for, create and control a vibrant, high-quality and diverse neighborhood in collaboration with community partners."〔 Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative Mission Statement. The Boston Foundation Persistent Poverty Project Records, 1985 -2002. (M127) University Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts. Box 8, folder 20. 〕 Each DSNI plan to improve the neighborhood is created for its residents, by its residents. It believes its major accomplishment has been empowering its residents to take control over the development and maintenance of the neighborhood, and wants to continue to strive for individual, as well as community-wide, empowerment.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.dsni.org/history )〕 === DSNI Goals === * Education improvement * The construction and rehabilitation of new homes * Economic development to create more jobs and raise the overall income of community residents * Continuing to empower residents 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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