In 1638, 500 English Puritans founded New Haven as a promised land: a new haven whose values could inspire the known world. The promise of such a Christian utopia depended, in turn, on the Puritans’ own promise to the native Quinnipiaks to take actions to defend them against raiding Pequots and Mohawks.
On Nov. 21, 2014, the City of New Haven, under new leadership with Mayor Toni Harp, applied to become a “Promise Zone,” a designation given by the White House to help cities revitalize themselves.
Over 40 organizations participated in this application process, working tirelessly for two months to prepare the application’s final draft. The application is a blueprint for the promise of what New Haven can be. To become a Promise Zone is to actively and cooperatively pursue the opportunity to define our vision and goals (the exact wording from the Promise Zone website) : to expand economic opportunity for residents; to ensure that our children get an excellent education; and to create safe, healthy and vibrant neighborhoods.
A promised land is defined as a place that offers us “final satisfaction or realization of hopes or dreams.” This term derives from the biblical story told in the twelfth chapter of Genesis, in which God tells Abraham that “to your offspring I will give this land.” However, as noted by Rabbi Ken Spiro, the promised land “is not a payoff” — rather, God’s promise of the land of Canaan could be fully realized only by the actions of men and women who were “supposed to create the nation that’s the model for the world.”
The promise of the land of New Haven became more than its religious significance. In 1640, the new government fulfilled the promise of a town plan in which eight streets were laid out in a four-by-four grid, creating what is now commonly known as the Nine Square Plan, now recognized by the American Institute of Certified Planners as a National Planning Landmark.
Incorporated as a city in 1784, New Haven saw Roger Sherman, one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution, become the new city’s first mayor. A century later, in the late 1800s, the promise for many immigrants, particularly for Italians and Jews, was the opportunity of work. The Winchester and Whitney factories enabled these new Americans to purchase homes and build an economic base.
In the 20th century, New Haven had the first public tree-planting program in America, and we can see that 1930s promise fulfilled in the canopy of mature trees (including some large elms) that gives our town the nickname “The Elm City.” More fulfilled promises followed: Elm Haven, developed from the forward-thinking vision of the Housing Authority of New Haven, was one of the nation’s first public housing projects. In 1968 Dr. James P. Comer’s promise to improve the scholastic performance of children from lower-income and minority backgrounds led to the founding of the Comer School Development Program.
The promised land of New Haven, then, for our past and our future, is about the interrelationship between the political and empirical realities of power and citizenship.
People constantly criticize what is wrong with New Haven, but how many are actively pursuing the call to change our city — not just to dream about the promise or give lip service to the idea of the promise but to, like our forebearers described above, realize the promise of New Haven?
Let’s be, as writer Leon Wieseltier describes, “dreamer[s] with an addiction to reality”: join Martha Okafor and Jim Farnam Monday, Dec. 8, at 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the City Hall of Records, 200 Orange St., lower level, to discuss, envision, and strategize the next steps to develop our city transformation plan. What are you doing to deliver on the promise for New Haven? We can create a new course for our promised land, but it takes everyone to participate.
Note: historical references taken from here.
Crystal Emery is a New Haven writer, filmmaker and activist.
