Community building Neighbor stories

Dallas Neighbors Celebrate Diversity With Better Together Initiative

Written by Shannon Toliver

The Eastwood Hills neighborhood in Dallas, TX turned a Nextdoor discussion into a local movement for diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Strong and resilient communities are often composed of neighbors from various backgrounds who may have differing viewpoints. Disagreements aren’t easy, but can be productive and invoke understanding when approached with compassion and empathy. For the Eastwood Hills neighborhood in Dallas, TX, an engaging discussion on Nextdoor was what sparked a local movement to promote a more welcoming and inclusive community.

When Neighborhood Lead Gabe Navalta (MBA, PMP) came across a post on Nextdoor Eastwood Hills with nearly 400 comments, he recognized it was turning into a conflict rather than a civil conversation. In hopes of encouraging a more respectful outcome rather than an argument, he took initiative to create a Nextdoor Group and encourage any neighbors that were interested in continuing the conversation to join the group. 

Gabe and 30 of his neighbors joined the group and began brainstorming what they could do to build a more welcoming place to call home that’s aligned with Nextdoor’s anti-racism initiatives. The neighbors agreed that a sign representing inclusivity would be a great way to bring the community together. Gabe’s sister, an aspiring graphic designer (IG: @JoRegrets), put together a sign for their “Better Together” initiative featuring four raised fists of varying skin tones along with the name of their neighborhood.

Neighbors who could afford to fund the project came together to place the first order of 50 lawn signs so they could give them out to anyone interested in joining the Better Together initiative. Neighbors who participated began contributing to the next order of signs so Gabe and the group could expand their initiative to more communities in East Dallas.

The response from nearby neighborhoods has been overwhelmingly positive. Some are even putting their own spin on the sign with rainbow hearts to show support for the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. Gabe is happy to share the design with anyone who hopes to bring the project to their own neighborhood, and hopes that this initiative will inspire neighbors to get involved and vote for what they are passionate about in the upcoming election. If you are interested in learning more, you can reach out to Gabe at dom7844-BetterTogether@yahoo.com.


To connect with your neighborhood, please login at www.nextdoor.com

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