Mountain Xpress has won first place from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies for its 2009 multimedia project, “We are Burton Street: The Neighborhood’s Stand Against D.O.T.” The group effort involved Xpress staff and a host of citizen contributors — using video, audio and articles to tell the story of how one highway project affected a small, traditionally African-American neighborhood in West Asheville, North Carolina.
As the story’s online intro explained, “Earlier [in 2009], some local officials and politicians began endorsing a specific route for the Interstate 26 connector project: one that would slice through a predominantly African-American neighborhood in West Asheville that’s already seen more than its share of pain and struggle.
“The Burton Street neighborhood, joined by other local residents, stood up and said, ‘Wait a minute.’”
The multimedia project chronicled the issue and “put a human face on those affected Burton Street residents, aided by a group of passionate volunteer photographers: Anthony Bellemare, Scott Lessing Hubener, Hazen Hunter, Michael Mauney and Paul Jackson.” Xpress staffers involved in the project included Jon Elliston, David Forbes, Brian Postelle, Jason Sandford, Jason Shope and Jonathan Welch.
Congratulations! It was a great project and you guys deserve some “alternative newsweekly” love. The Burton Street people, the community was well-served i think and it was a great informative tool.