Dexter Nelms put a package of hot dogs on a charcoal grill before wiping a bead of sweat from his brow Saturday.
It was the second fire he lit to cook during last weekend’s 7th Annual Linden Block Party, where Nelms ended up serving more than 500 children, parents, residents, community partners and just about anyone who went pass by House of the Community of Sant Esteve in South Linden.
“I love this community,” said Nelms, sporting a red chef’s coat with the words “Chef Dexter” emblazoned in cursive on the left breast pocket. “But man, they’re testing my patience.”
The 1980 McKinley High School graduate laughed as he flipped the hot dogs.
Nelms, of course, was joking. Ralph Carter, a fellow Linden native, and the face behind it, are always happy to help We are Linden: The nonprofit organization that hosts the block party and provides youth programming, community outreach and mentoring throughout Linden.
“It’s not about me,” Carter said. “It’s about the community. We Are Linden is the embodiment of the whole community. Our babies need direction and that’s my focal point. We want to get this town back.”
Who is behind We Are Linden and what do they stand for?
Carter, 36, is a man about town.
He carries two cellphones, always pinging, and stops to shake hands with just about everyone, whether inside Big Mal’s Linden Cafe at lunchtime or across the sprawling tarmac next to St. Stephen’s, where dozens of community partners set up folding tables and tents for Linden Block Parties.
Last week was the first time We Are Linden attempted a whole week of festivities prior to the block partyincluding a back-to-school conference, a hoop session and a “Walk to End Gun Violence.”
Seven years ago, Carter inadvertently hosted the first Linden Block Party at her home.
During his years at Central State University he was known to throw a party or two and had a leftover foam machine to use. So in 2015, she invited all her nieces and nephews and their friends over, went in to make some extra hot dog buns, and came back out to find 30 kids in the front yard.
“After that I knew this could be a thing,” Carter said. “Eventually I learned how to get block permits from the city and it grew from there.”
That inspired the now-father-of-three to establish We Are Linden, which he said is about community pride and fighting negative stereotypes people have about the neighborhood, mainly that the only what happens in linden is crime.
“The pride has always been here,” Carter said. “But we must always constantly defend who we are and what we stand for.”
Scenes from a Linden Block party
Karen Dawson is known as “Linden’s Aunt”.
He works for a non-profit healthcare company CareSource, and helps people access Medicaid, Medicare and the health insurance marketplace. She is also a strong community advocate and, like Carter, is everywhere at once.
Standing under the CareSource tent at the block party Saturday, Dawson is attentive and engaged with everyone who walks by.
“We were put here to serve others,” he said. “This is my first year attending the party, but it’s great. Just look at all the people who support me and come out.”
Across the Sant Esteve parking lot, in the nearby park, dozens of children play on an inflatable obstacle course. Others fill the nearby bounce house.
A trio of Linden McKinley High School students were standing near the bounce houses.
Ty’Janae McCarrel, a sophomore, and her friend, Amanda Smith, a freshman, said they understand why many kids feel frustrated and hopeless at Linden.
“I understand,” McCarrel said. “But it’s certain people. Not everyone. They’re people who feel they can’t get out of the ‘hood.”
The girls said part of that feeling comes from not belonging, whether it’s being on the cheer team and playing volleyball, like McCarrel does, or being on the practice squad like Smith. Both said events like the block party and the work Carter does with We Are Linden help the community a lot.
McCarrel knows Carter well. Before I started working with We Are Linden full time, I was a high school security guard.
“If we’re being honest, it helped a lot of people at McKinley,” he said. “I know a lot of people who say Mr. Carter helped them change their ways.”
For Carter, it’s about encouraging Linden kids, parents and residents alike to stand up for the “Are” in We Are Linden, which stands for “Actively, Restoring & Empowering” the community.
“These kids don’t need to hear rough and tough gangster stories,” he said. “We just have to keep pushing constantly. It’s not North, South and East Linden, it’s a Linden.”
Carter hopes to have his own recreation center one day — a safe haven for anyone in the community to volunteer, play a hoop, grab a bite or just take a minute to decompress. For now he will be satisfied with the success of the blog. In addition to his cell phones, Carter also brought a megaphone Saturday and led the party with some applause early on.
“Who are we?” – he shouted across the asphalt.
“LINDEN!” roared the crowd.
This story is part of the Dispatch’s Mobile Newsroom initiative. Visit our reporters at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Linden Library and read their work at dispatch.com/mobilenewsroom, where you can also subscribe to The Mobile Newsroom newsletter.
Céilí Doyle is a member of the staff of Report for America and covers rural issues in Ohio by The Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Consider making a tax-deductible gift a https://bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
You can contact her by email at cdoyle@dispatch.com or follow her on Twitter at @cadoyle_18
