Written by Tanya Terry
Genesee County Commissioner Charles Winfrey would like to see the neighborliness that was exemplified during the St. John Street era in Flint serve as a model for the city today.
Winfrey lived in the St. John Street neighborhood in between the ages of 8 and 14, in the 1950s.
He recalls the fun he had, the colorful characters, the music in the air, as well as the camaraderie of the entire neighborhood.
“It was like one big, happy family,” Winfrey said.
Winfrey shared that the elementary school he attended while living on St. John Street, Fairview Elementary School, was the birthplace of the community school program.
“That served as a model for community school programs throughout Flint and throughout the country,” Winfrey stated.
Although Winfrey has a warm smile in his voice when remembering the St. John Street Neighborhood, he said it “wasn’t all milk and honey.”
“You developed a degree of resilience. You developed some semblance of toughness because it was a tough area. But, on the other hand, you had a great sense of brotherly love, brotherhood, great interpersonal relationships.”
Winfrey carries this with him now as well. He also knows a lot of people in the city because he lived in the neighborhood. He lived on St. John Street, Mississippi Street, on St. John and Dakota further south on St. John and St. John and Rhode Island on the north end.
Winfrey feels the St. John Street Neighborhood Memorial Park is a great project, despite not being involved in the planning process.
“I think it’s good that we’re finally showing some respect to the residents that were so brazenly disrespected back in the freeway construction and urban renewal. I hope that it can capture some of all the ingredients that made up St. John Street.”
At the New McCree Theatre, where Winfrey serves as executive director, the St. John Street Neighborhood will be commemorated through the performance of the play Saints of St. John Street during the next season of plays.
