Residents honored for efforts to promote change in community

By Tarana Burke
Diversity Institute Fellow

07.28.04

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Ariel Lopez's future is looking bright and Mary Bean can take a load off while she waits for the bus.

Following his arrest on delinquency charges six months ago, Lopez, a 17-year-old senior at Overton High School, received a jolt from his probation officer and rediscovered his passion for artwork. Bean, 75, organized her neighborhood to petition the city to place benches at bus stops so elderly people can sit while waiting for public transportation.

On Tuesday, the two were among honorees at the Nashville Night Out awards ceremony at the Millennium Hotel on Metocenter Boulevard. The gathering marked the 10th anniversary of the city's involvement in National Night Out, an effort that encourages neighborhood groups and law enforcement agencies nationwide to work collaboratively to improve quality of life in communities.

The anniversary program served as a preview to this year's Nashville Night Out, which will be observed Aug. 3. The annual event sets aside one night for groups from all over the city to host neighborhood events that promote crime prevention.

During the awards ceremony Tuesday, officials continued a four-year tradition of recognizing youth for outstanding artwork entered in a poster contest. The competition was started to encourage young people to become more involved in the National Night Out, organizers said.

"When the youth of the community get involved, they get minds going," said Mayor Bill Purcell, who was on hand to greet the audience and award the honorees. "Looking at these posters I can see that these young citizens want the same things that we want, to feel safe in their homes."

Lopez said he didn't always feel that way. He recalled hanging out with the wrong crowd, skipping school and being arrested. After he was sentenced to probation, he saw the experience as a second chance to get back on track. He found his way by rekindling his interest in art.

Judges in the contest honored him with first prize in the creativity category for a poster depicting two worlds — one with a life of crime and drugs and one without them.

"I wanted to show how it could be for people," Lopez said of his poster. "Everyone has time to change their life; it's never too late."

Beene embraced that message in another way.

She said she has watched her neighborhood in the Osage area change drastically in the last three decades.

She moved to the Osage area in 1976 when, according to her, the streets were clean and things were just different.

"You can't even get off at the bus stop without someone reaching out harassing you for money," she said. "The streets are dirty and folks just hang out making noise…"

Beene joined the Osage Neighborhood watch 13 years ago and has been working to do what she can to improve her community, she said.

Last year, she organized the petition drive to get benches at the bus stops. The effort won her nomination for a Neighborhood Hero award, which she picked up at Tuesday's ceremony.

Winners are nominated by members of the community for their overall commitment to their community not just one heroic act, officials said.

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