By Christopher Atkins, Community Organizer and Concerned Utica Resident
I was born in Washington Courts. Raised in the Hill. I’ve walked the long roads many of us from Utica’s Black neighborhoods have had to walk — ones paved with struggle, survival, and the silent expectation that the only real way out is to leave. For a while, I did leave. But like many of us who hold this city deep in our bones, I came back. I came back not because I had nowhere else to go, but because I believe Utica still holds the blueprint for something greater — if we’re willing to see it.
What I came back to, however, was a truth too many of us have known for too long: Black-led organizations are still being locked out of opportunities that were supposedly built for us. I’ve read the articles. I’ve sat in the meetings. And I’ve lived the pattern. Whether it’s city funding, state grants, or “revitalization” projects, the formula rarely changes — our names aren’t on the check, and our seats are missing from the table.
That’s why when I met with Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, founder of For The Good, Inc., the conversation wasn’t about outrage. It was about reality. Her organization has been feeding, planting, mentoring, and healing this community for more than two decades. No spotlight. No handouts. Just work. But as the recent article in The Utica Phoenix laid out, For The Good has been consistently excluded from the very funding programs that uplift others with far less track record and far fewer roots in the community.
Let’s be honest: this isn’t an oversight. It’s a pattern. And patterns don’t fix themselves — they’re either disrupted or they deepen.
But here’s the difference: I am not writing this to fan flames. I’m writing this because I believe we still have a chance to get this right — together.
There are good people in this city who want change. I’ve spoken to them. Some of them sit in positions of power. But good intentions mean nothing if the outcomes remain the same. If we want equity, we have to fund equity and lobby for it. If we say we believe in revitalizing Utica’s underserved neighborhoods, we must empower the people who have already been doing the work inside them — not just bring in new faces from outside them.
This message isn’t political theater. It’s pressure rooted in truth. We don’t need special treatment. We need equal access. We need transparency. And we need an
end to the unwritten rules that decide who gets funded and who gets forgotten.
I am part of a growing initiative, Operation North Star, designed to align our community’s survival strategies with long-term discipline and results. This isn’t about asking. It’s about organizing. And through strategic visibility — like this piece — we’re reminding the city that we see what’s happening, and we’re no longer waiting for permission to act.
Let this article be both a message and an invitation: to fellow residents, leaders, and institutions — the time to do right by Black-led organizations is now. Not next cycle. Not after another grant is awarded to someone else. Now.
Time and again, we’ve seen revitalization grants and redevelopment funds awarded to organizations with little or no history in our neighborhoods. Proposals are approved behind closed doors, and the same few names seem to benefit — often at the expense of grassroots groups that have labored long earned the community’s trust.
Meanwhile, those who’ve been feeding families, mentoring youth, and creating safe spaces for healing and growth are asked to ‘partner’ or take a back seat. It’s not a question of capacity — it’s a question of who gets counted as legitimate in the eyes of those holding the purse strings.
If you’ve read this and felt seen, or if you’ve been part of the work but never part of the recognition, I invite you to take action. Attend the next Common Council meeting, held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall, 1 Kennedy Plaza.
These meetings are open to the public and include a 30-minute period for public comments. This is your opportunity to voice support for equitable funding and representation in our city.
To our city officials: we acknowledge the complexities of governance and the challenges you face. We ask for transparency and inclusivity in funding decisions, ensuring that organizations like For The Good, Inc., with deep roots in our community, are given fair consideration. By working together, we can build a more equitable Utica for all.
