Akron has launched an effort to collect the stories of the people who were displaced by the Innerbelt.
A vibrant neighborhood which was home to many African American families was wiped out in 1970 to make way for the innerbelt. The highway, which was never fully built out and was underused, was finally decommissioned in 2018.
In 2020, Liz Ogbu was hired as the project consultant for the Innerbelt project. The City of Akron hired her to help determine the community’s preference for the future of the land occupied by the highway. But while deciding what the future was, she felt it was important had to document the area's past.
“It’s hard for people to trust that you're going to do right by them in the future, if you haven't done right by them in the past,” Ogbu said. “And so, a very important first step is to actually acknowledge the past and tell the full story of what was there before the innerbelt.”
As co-curator of the Innerbelt History Collection, Ogbu found that by listening to people talk about the past, they were more willing to share their thoughts about the future of the area, she said.
“The purpose of the collection is to serve as that archive, through oral histories, videos, photograph to make sure that regardless of what happens with Innerbelt, that we will at least make sure that we have preserved the stories of the past,” Ogbu said.
This collection is meant to be a “one stop shop” for stories.
“None of the sort of disparate collections that exist really have oral histories. And I think it's really important to be able to hear the stories of the neighborhood from the very voices who were impacted by it,” Ogbu said. “And so, the central piece of this history collection is actually oral histories that come from interviews done with former residents of the area, and that in particular is a part that we have to continue building out over time.”
Since the innerbelt construction started over 50 years ago, some of the people who lived there have already died, so the goal is to capture the voices while they are still here.
“It's interesting talking to some folks who, this is the first time that they've shared the story, or this is the first time in a very long time that they've thought about it,” Ogbu said. “And so, I think it's really important to make sure that there's a place that can hold those stories, not only for their families, but also for the wider community.”
There are two parts to each of the eight interviews co-curator Roger Riddle, has done so far. The first part asks about the neighborhood and the memories of it. The second part involves what the person’s experience was like when the highway came through.
People are encouraged to share their stories and to attend the virtual launch on Feb. 22 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Speakers at the launch will include Ogbu, Riddle, and Bishop Joey Johnson who is the senior pastor of Akron's House of the Lord Church and former resident of the neighborhood.
