Guest post provided by Heal the City
When Heal The City’s Positive Billboard Campaign was conceived in 2014 the main goal was to replace some of the advertisements for cigarettes and alcoholic beverages that appeared on billboards throughout the city with positive images that inspired Trenton residents and instilled pride and hope. Studies have shown that the images surrounding us can influence the way we think, feel and act. Heal The City billboards provide positive images to uplift the community and change the visual landscape in our neighborhoods. We are cheerleaders for excellence.
Heal The City has a history of promoting the positive achievements of students in the Trenton area, “We believe that focusing on the positive can inspire young people to believe in themselves and encourage them to push past the obstacles they often face”, says Ms. Ivey Avery of Heal The City and brainchild of the positive billboard concept.
The first Heal The City billboard was a picture of six local high school seniors who were taking the next steps in life after high school. Most of them were going to college. One young man was going into the military. A quote from Frederick Douglass appeared on the billboard, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” The billboard was well received by the community and since then Heal The City has placed over 90 positive billboards throughout the city.
Heal The City is proud and excited to collaborate for the second time with the Urban League Guild of Union County/Trenton to place a billboard in the community showing young men of color who are this year’s Gentlemen. The Gentleman’s Ball was held on Sunday, June 2nd. The spectacular formal affair that includes the young men escorting their mothers into the room, an announcement of the college they will attend, and a beautifully choreographed dance featuring the gentlemen and the young ladies who accompany them. The ball highlights young men of color who excel academically and have plans for their future.
Supporters can check out their latest billboard featuring the 2024 Gentlemen across the street from PJ Hill Elementary School located at 1010 E. State Street.
Stacy Heading, the founder of Heal The City, serves as a mentor for many young men in the community. He serves as a mentor, an advisor and he also directs the billboard photoshoots with local photographers. He impresses upon the young men how important their achievements are to them and their families. They are also role models for their peers. At a time when there is so much that negatively impacts young men of color, it is a welcome relief to see these young men who have overcome obstacles and are pursuing their dreams. The quote that appears on the billboard is from Malcome X, (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) “Education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for today.’ Heal The City billboards are designed by local graphic designer Sabrina McCall founder of Creative Designs By Bri.
We hear too much about the negative things that our youth are involved in. Youth who are motivated and doing good things need recognition. This billboard and the Gentleman’s Ball are making this happen. The Gentleman’s Ball is more than an event, it is a rite of passage, a well-deserved recognition and confirmation for young men who need encouragement and support as they make crucial choices that will help them achieve all their goals. This Heal The City billboard continues the mission of Heal the City to show positive images. This billboard shows images of self-confident, talented, well dressed, young men of color that are needed in urban communities today. For Information contact Ivey Avery 609 372 8999 or Stacy Heading 267 528 5781
