Faith in Action Week Concludes

We make New Years resolutions for many different reasons. Some of us need the structure of goals to keep us on track, while some of us set our sights high to give ourselves something to work towards. At the core of most new years resolutions, however, is the principle that we can do better. It's the idea that we are better, and that if we set our hearts to it, we can be better than we have been in years past.

It has been in that spirit that faith leaders from across Buffalo took their struggle for justice to City Hall this week, encouraging Common Council members to sign a New Years resolution pledge to remain committed to a Community Benefits Agreement in 2011. In an exciting 5-day period, over 20 faith leaders and congregation members visited with members of the Common Council, engaging them in discussion on the continued need for a CBA to be a foundation for the Canal Side development project.

In March of 2010, the Buffalo Common Council passed a unanimous resolution to withhold transfer of city-owned land at Canal Side to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation until the ECHDC negotiated a Community Benefits Agreement with the Canal Side Community Alliance. They stood up for Buffalo and Erie County residents, and with a 9-0 vote they made a bold statement that development in Buffalo does not have follow the same tired and failed process. They said that we can and must do better this time.

Since then, we've seen the movement for community engagement in creating a waterfront we can all be proud of grow continue to unfold. We've been able to have a few initial meetings with ECHDC leaders, we've delivered over 1,000 postcards in support of a CBA, and our Canal Side Community Alliance has grown to over 50 members and with a strong list of terms and demands. We've also seen a movement for community involvement in the design process around concepts of "lighter, quicker, and cheaper" grow into a strong force. Together, we've won an amended Modified General Project Plan which has shifted the focus to public infrastructure development and created 3 sub-committees led by community members to study historical, cultural, and environmental concerns.

While the ECHDC remains reluctant to negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement, we know that the Buffalo Common Council is going to need to remain strong in 2011. Some Councilmembers were willing to sign the New Years resolution pledge. However, most echoed the sentiment of new Councilmember Darius Pridgen, who said that we, the community, are going to need to continue making the case for a CBA in order to keep the pressure on them to uphold their 2010 resolution.

It is in this spirit that the Faith in Action week was a great success. We've demonstrated that our commitment to a CBA in 2011 remains strong. Like all New Year's resolutions, however, the easy part is often in making them. The challenging part is then doing the work necessary to fulfill them. Yet within that challenge lies excitement, joy, and empowerment. So here's to the road ahead, and to remaining more committed than ever to winning a Community Benefits Agreement in 2011!