South Broadway Neighborhood Featured in Docuseries
February 3, 2023 - One of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in all of Albuquerque will be featured in an upcoming episode of Neighborhoods at a Crossroads. Since the early 1900s, South Broadway, the once primarily white neighborhood, has been a landing spot for people from many different racial and ethnic backgrounds looking to make a start in the city.
The rich historic and cultural heritage of the area is the subject of the latest entry in the Neighborhoods At A Crossroads series produced in coordination with One Albuquerque Media, a division of the Department of Arts & Culture, by Anthony DellaFlora and Charles "Bazz" McClain. The episode premieres Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the South Broadway Cultural Center. Admission is free. The documentary will also be available online on the One Albuquerque Media website and Comcast cable channel 16.
"There is so much interesting history packed into this one neighborhood," DellaFlora said. "Unfortunately, I think South Broadway developed an unfair reputation over time and this documentary provides a voice for current and former residents to define their own story."
DellaFlora added that South Broadway is a microcosm of the African American experience in Albuquerque -- good and bad.
For decades, the neighborhood remained home to the largest concentration of African-Americans in the city and served as the social, political, and religious heart of the Black community. But while many lived in the neighborhood by choice, the reality was that discriminatory housing practices discouraged, and in some cases, prevented African-Americans from living anywhere else in Albuquerque. The documentary takes that issue head on, explaining the systemic racism behind the practices of racially restrictive covenants, discriminatory zoning restrictions and redlining, and the impacts that continue to this day.
DellaFlora also chose to include the histories of the Kirtland Addition and the East End Addition, the only other neighborhoods outside of South Broadway to welcome African-Americans in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite the challenges, the neighborhood had a profound impact on Albuquerque. It produced world class athletes, pioneering politicians and professionals, celebrated musicians, and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Even today, as the neighborhood continues to address racism, crime, gentrification, and economic development issues, activists fight to preserve the soul of the neighborhood. South Broadway is the seventh in the neighborhood series. Previous neighborhoods profiled include Martineztown, Alamosa, Barelas, Thomas Village, Wells Park, and Hoffmantown.
Watch the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKXsbt0oPWk.