Dear John,

CJA’s Story Snapshots showcase the arts, creativity, and culture of our communities through day-to-day work and shared visions for our future. 

In our newest snapshot, Esperanza: The Heart of Eastie, CJA member GreenRoots brings you to the kitchen tables, block parties and community meetings of East Boston with a series of family portraits and a short film. You’ll witness firsthand how the residents of East Boston fight back, change the narrative, and build community in the process.

Witness their demands for inclusion and leadership in the political process via community meetings about two projects: a proposed electricity substation where a former mayor promised a soccer field, and a luxury condo project with little prerogative or obligation to build housing that is affordable to the residents of the neighborhood itself or to invest their profits into the community.