Newark, New Jersey's Christopher Columbus Homes: The Heroes of the Time and Place: A Positive Perspective

Christopher Columbus Homes was a low-income housing project in Newark, NJ. All of the press surrounding it has been negative. Virtually all of the books published and the movies produced about project life have focused on the ugliest aspects: vandalism, gangs, crime, drugs…Is that the definition in totality? Does that complete the scenario? No, it does not. There were people who made a positive contribution to the time and the place in which they lived, people who raised the quality of life, and demonstrated some of the things you need to do to become self-sufficient and productive members of our society. This is the true story of five young African-Americans growing up in Columbus Homes in the Sixties. The story of these individuals (and their legacy) has been lost in the raging controversy that has surrounded Seventh Avenue – Columbus Homes.