Curtis Lowe

How We Turned a Broken Crosswalk Into a Neighborhood Victory (And What Actually Worked)

The Problem Nobody Wanted to Own Last spring, Maria Santos got hit by a car while crossing Elm Street with her groceries. She spent two weeks in the hospital, and when she came home, she was furious. Not just at the driver, but at the faded crosswalk that had been “temporarily” covered with orange cones … Read moreHow We Turned a Broken Crosswalk Into a Neighborhood Victory (And What Actually Worked)

The Corner Where We Used to Meet: Why Community Gardens Matter More Than Pretty Vegetables

What Stood Here Before Three years ago, the corner of Maple and Fifth was a different kind of gathering place. Mrs. Chen ran her corner store there for twenty-six years, the kind where she knew your kids’ names and kept a mental tab of who needed what. The store closed when her lease doubled, and … Read moreThe Corner Where We Used to Meet: Why Community Gardens Matter More Than Pretty Vegetables

Your Neighborhood Bridge-Building Toolkit: Real Ways to Connect Across Cultural Lines

Start Where You Already Are: The Coffee Shop Strategy Last month at our neighborhood association meeting, Maria mentioned she’d been shopping at the same corner store for three years but had never exchanged more than pleasantries with Mr. Chen, the owner. Two weeks later, she discovered they both grew up helping in family restaurants and … Read moreYour Neighborhood Bridge-Building Toolkit: Real Ways to Connect Across Cultural Lines

Building Bridges While Fighting Hate: Why Community-Led Anti-Extremism Work Sparks Debate

The Rising Tide of Organized Hatred Hate crimes have reached levels not seen in three decades across the United States and Western Europe. This creates real urgency for communities trying to figure out how to respond. The SPLC hate group monitoring efforts have identified more than 1,200 active hate groups operating across America alone. These … Read moreBuilding Bridges While Fighting Hate: Why Community-Led Anti-Extremism Work Sparks Debate

Finding Faith in a Secular Age: How Religious Communities Are Adapting and Thriving

The Changing Landscape of American Faith Walk through any American neighborhood today and you’ll notice something obvious. The grand churches that once anchored communities still stand, but their congregations tell a different story. Over the past fifteen years, the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans has more than doubled, jumping from 16 percent in 2007 to … Read moreFinding Faith in a Secular Age: How Religious Communities Are Adapting and Thriving

Finding Sacred Ground: How Faith Communities Navigate a Changing America

The Shifting Religious Landscape Walk through any American neighborhood on a Sunday morning and you’ll notice something different than you might have twenty years ago. Some houses of worship buzz with activity while others sit quieter. Meanwhile, coffee shops fill with people seeking connection in new ways. The numbers tell part of the story: adults … Read moreFinding Sacred Ground: How Faith Communities Navigate a Changing America

Mutual aid networks and community organising: Community memory and loss

Here is the thing I keep coming back to on this. The topic of mutual aid networks and community organising rewards more careful attention than the typical coverage provides, and the reason is not complicated once you know where to look. What I find most interesting, and I think you will too, when you look … Read moreMutual aid networks and community organising: Community memory and loss

Honkai Star Rail and the turn-based gacha renaissance: The Full Picture

I came to gacha gaming later than most, which gives me the advantage of seeing the current landscape without the nostalgia goggles that longtime players sometimes wear. Honkai Star Rail and the turn-based gacha renaissance is one of those developments where the more you dig in, the more layers you find. Honkai Star Rail hitting … Read moreHonkai Star Rail and the turn-based gacha renaissance: The Full Picture

Artificial Intelligence in the Creative Arts: A New Renaissance?

Hey tech enthusiasts and daydreamers! Today, I want to talk about something that’s been keeping me up at night: Artificial Intelligence in the creative arts. Imagine an AI composing a symphony or painting a masterpiece—pretty wild, right? If you’re anything like me, the idea of machines creating stuff that touches the soul is both awe-inspiring … Read moreArtificial Intelligence in the Creative Arts: A New Renaissance?