'Linden Pride': Columbus nonprofit group hosts annual block party, celebrates neighborhood

Dexter Nelms laid a package's worth of hot dogs across a charcoal grill before wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead on Saturday.

It was the second fire he lit to cook during last weekend's 7th Annual Linden Block Party — where Nelms wound up serving over 500 kids, parents, residents, community partners and just about anyone who stopped by St. Stephen's Community House in South Linden.

"I love this community," Nelms said, sporting a red cook's coat with the words "Chef Dexter" emblazoned in cursive across his left breast pocket. "But man, they are testing my patience."

The 1980 McKinley High School grad laughed as he flipped over the hot dogs.

Nelms, of course, was just kidding. He is always happy to help Ralph Carter, a fellow Linden native, and the face behind We Are Linden: the nonprofit organization that hosts the block party and provides youth programming, community outreach and mentorship throughout Linden.

"It's not about me," Carter said. "It's about the community. We Are Linden is the embodiment of the entire community. Our babies need direction and that's my focal point. We want to bring that village 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 nearly everyone's hand, whether it's inside Big Mal's Linden Cafe during lunch hour or across the sprawling blacktop next to St. Stephen's, where dozens of community partners set up folding tables and tents for the Linden Block Party.

Last week was the first time We Are Linden attempted a whole week of festivities leading up to the block party, including a back-to-school drive, hoop session and an "End Gun Violence Walk."

Seven years ago Carter inadvertently threw the first Linden Block Party at his house.

During his years at Central State University he was known for throwing a party or two and had a leftover foam machine to use up. So back in 2015 he invited all his nieces and nephews and their friends to come over, stepped inside to rustle up some extra hot dog buns and walked back out to find 30 kids in his 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 sort of grew from there."

That inspired the now father of three to establish We Are Linden, which he said is all about community pride and pushing back against negative stereotypes people hold about the neighborhood — mainly that the only thing that happens in Linden is crime.

"Pride has always been here," Carter said. "But we always have to constantly defend who we are and what we stand for."

Scenes from a Linden Block Party

Karen Dawson is known as the "Auntie of Linden."

She works for the nonprofit health care company CareSource, and helps people access Medicaid, Medicare and the health insurance marketplace. She also is a huge community advocate and much like Carter is everywhere all at once.

Standing under the CareSource tent at the block party on Saturday, Dawson is attentive and engaged with every person who drops by.

"We were were put here to serve others," she said. "This is my first year attending the party, but it's great. Just look at all the people supporting and coming out. "

Across St. Stephen's parking lot, onto the nearby park, dozens of children play in an inflatable obstacle course. Others cram the nearby bounce house.

A trio of Linden McKinley High School students were hanging out near the bounce houses.

Ty'Janae McCarrel, a sophomore, and her friend, Amanda Smith, a freshman, explained that they understood why a lot of kids feel frustrated and hopeless in Linden.

"I get it," McCarrel said. "But it's certain people. Not everybody. It's people who feel like they can't get out of the 'hood."

The girls said part of that feeling comes from not belonging to something — whether it's being on the cheer team and playing volleyball, as McCarrel does, or being on the drill team 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 he started working with We Are Linden full-time, he was a security guard at the high school.

"If we're being honest, he helped a lot of people at McKinley," she said. "I know lots of people who say Mr. Carter helped them change their ways."

For Carter it's about encouraging kids, parents and residents throughout Linden alike to champion 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 constantly keep pushing. It's not North, South and East Linden, it's one Linden."

Carter hopes to have his own rec center one day — a safe haven for anyone in the community to volunteer, hoop, grab a bite or just take a minute to decompress. For now he'll settle for the block party's success. In addition to his cellphones, Carter also carried around a megaphone Saturday and led the party in some cheers early on.

"Who are we?" he shouted across the blacktop.

"LINDEN!" the crowd roared.

This story is part of the Dispatch's Mobile Newsroom initiative. Visit our reporters at the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Linden branch library and read their work at dispatch.com/mobilenewsroom, where you also can sign up for The Mobile Newsroom newsletter.

Céilí Doyle is a Report for America corps member and covers rural issues in Ohio for The Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift at https://bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.

You can reach her via email at cdoyle@dispatch.com or follow her on Twitter at @cadoyle_18

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Linden Block Party celebrates Columbus neighborhood