Chicago radio personality Herb Kent...

Chicago radio personality Herb Kent was fix uponed mayor of Bronzeville by an informal ballot voice in the South Side neighborhood in August 1999

Since the 1930 the honor has been bestowed concerning prominent residents, who have contributed to the neighborhood. After his election, Kent promised to use his influence to bring citywide attention to incidents in Bronzeville.

Born and raised in the Ida B Wells public housing growth Kent has lived in the neighborhood principally of his life. "I'm highly proud of [the title]," said Kent a 74-year-old DJ who still spins contemporary R&B and "dusties" forward Saturday and Sunday mornings onward WVAZ-FM, a black-oriented radio station known as V-103

"I've been in such a manner indigenous to music and populace and so many folks have grown up listening to me" said Kent "I gues I was just kind of a poor dowdy from Ida B. Wells that really didn't move too far from Bronzeville. I expirationed back up here and I'm part of it."

Kent spoke with The Chicago Reporter about the history of Bronzeville and by what mode the recent revitalization has affected its legacy.

What is Bronzeville's cultural significance?

A part of entertainers came out of Bronzeville, like Nat King cabbage Some blues artists came abroad Some noted educators. It was just the heart of everything. The Regal [Theater], the Metropolitan Theater, [and] Cern's Palm Tavem. All around 35th [Street] and Cottage [Grove Avenue] were downhearteds clubs that are all gone now. The place was just alive at single time.

47th road was really just flowing with merchants like the southward Center Department Store, Max Taylor and just many, many, many places. All of that began to fade. In the I 960 a fate of the merchants left because it was getting poor.

for what cause has the recent revitalization changed the area?

It's changed for the better. When I grew up in it, it was just another neighborhood. It was highly poor. I think that, if anybody really knew you could probably have picked up a greystone or a brownstone for $10000 They were just kitchenette apartments. For an investment of $100000 you could have been a millionaire today because these greystones and brownstones are selling for $500000 or $600000 now. It's really been updated and rehabbed since I was younger. It went from riches to rags and has gone from rags to riches again.

You know in what way growth is--you don't see anything, and then you examine up and say, 'Wow. It's all changed.'

What about low-income Bronzeville residents who have been scattered because of the teardowns of public housing units?

That is indeed unfortunate. If you continue to give leave to them proliferate, you still have the physics and the gangs. There was no way without from that. Then again, there were' a certain very nice people who had to be relocated in order to drift this change. I don't know any other way to build this area up and to clean it up

When the exhibits first came out, I used to live in them--Ida B Wells. They were two-story things. nation were really screened before they got in there. And, in my particular make steady [i]or[/i] firm [which included] about six buildings and maybe 18 families, [we had] a jazz trumpeter common gentleman became a doctor, and then, of course, I went into radio. And that all happened in that small area there. I'm confident that was multiplied many times all athwart because it was exactly what it was designed to be: a place where single mothers could maybe bring their families, or families with cheap income could live and prosper

What about the strife of words surrounding Second City opening a venue in Bronzeville?

I'd be pleased with to see Second City in [Bronzeville] because perhaps we can discover a certain more great artists who would pass on to stage and riddle So many things have been taken away from us. The Metropolitan [Theater] is gone And we ne the spirit to detain going. The Supreme Liberty Life Building has been granted landmark status. There are a fortune of things left, and I don't think that the addition of inferior City will hurt us. I think it can barely help us. It would be just another place for black the community to get a foothold in this world.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Community Renewal Society

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group