Yesterday, I walked through my community handing out flyers about tomorrow’s CRA
meeting. I also passed out a page explaining what TIF (Tax Increment Financing) and “blight” really mean; two terms that have quietly shaped the future of our neighborhoods for decades.

I was shocked to learn how many of my neighbors had never even heard of TIF or blight. I
was shocked to see how many homes are for sale or boarded up; homes that once held
families, laughter, and life. And I was shocked to realize that not one person I spoke with,
knew what was happening with the old Baptist Hospital site.

But deep down, I wasn’t surprised.

For too long, information about city plans, CRA meetings, and redevelopment deals has
stayed behind closed doors; hidden in documents and meeting rooms most residents
never knew existed. That’s not transparency. That’s control through silence.

Tomorrow’s CRA meeting isn’t just another item on a government agenda. It’s a chance for
voices that have been ignored to finally be heard. It’s a chance for our community to ask the
questions that matter:

(1) Where is our tax money really going?

(2) Why are “revitalization” projects happening everywhere but where we need them most?

(3) And when will residents, not developers, decide what’s best for our neighborhoods?

If you’re reading this and didn’t know about the meeting before now, please come. Bring a
friend. Bring your voice. Because the decisions being made right now will shape Pensacola’s
Black communities for generations.

Change starts with awareness, and awareness starts with us.