Failing to mention Dorcas Bradley when talking about the Southwest Central Durham Quality of Life project would be impossible. Bradley, a 65 year old resident of the Lyon Park community, is an influential community member and plays an integral part in improving the quality of life in Southwest Central Durham.
Although Dorcas Bradley left the neighborhood to attend college and pursue a career in education, she returned back to the community about 18 years ago to live in the same house where she was raised. Just as a visitor during her years away from Durham, Bradley still noticed a gradual deterioration of the neighborhood.
When the Quality of Life project started to become a reality about 8 years ago, Bradley made sure that housing, safety and education were issues to be addressed.
“The community is not begging, we are willing to work for [change],” Bradley said.
Bradley’s hopes for the future of the Quality of Life Project are to continue to work with Duke University as a partner, become a sufficient and viable program in the whole Durham community and continually work on gaining political clout.
Bradley stressed the importance of becoming involved through politics.
“We need to get politically savvy and gain clout to make a real viable contribution to Durham,” Bradley said.
Furthermore, Bradley emphasized the need for everyone living in the neighborhoods to become involved.
“We need to drum up some more kinds of programs and get back together,” Bradley said. “This is not for homeowners only; renters are in there, too.”
“I hope people will give us a little bit more [of their] time,” Bradley said. “The more hands, the better.”
Although Bradley addresses the needs of the Lyon Park community and the Southwest Central Durham community, she continues to reminisce about her childhood growing up in Lyon Park.
“I always had fond memories,” Bradley said.
The Southwest Central Durham Quality of Life Project’s purpose is to develop a road map or a strategic plan to improve the quality of life in six local neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are diverse in racial and ethnic makeup, income, and age. While different neighborhoods have different issues they want to address – or view these issues from different perspectives – this group is united by a common belief that quality of life is the shared responsibility of an entire community and everyone who lives there.