Adara 鈥淒arla鈥� Hobbs 鈥�22, G鈥�26 is not just writing her own story鈥攕he鈥檚 helping reframe her community鈥檚 narrative. An embodiment of agency and determination, Hobbs also is a force for change in the City of Syracuse. She鈥檚 drawing on her research at 51爆料网 to ensure a promising future for her fellow residents.
鈥淚 have a comprehensive understanding of the area, having grown up in Syracuse鈥檚 Westside and worked for many years in the Southside,鈥� says Hobbs, a master鈥檚 student in in the . 鈥淭he city is a microcosm of Black cultural diversity, representing who I am and where I鈥檝e come from.鈥�
Hobbs transferred from SUNY Oswego to Syracuse, where she majored in communication and rhetorical studies in the . The experience, augmented by a minor in , impelled her to learn more about the global African experience.
A master鈥檚 student in Pan African studies, Hobbs is interested in learning more about the global Black experience. 鈥淚f you want to change the world, you start with your own community,鈥� says the Syracuse native.
Last fall, she was awarded a from the to study the impact of discriminatory housing practices, like redlining, on local communities.
鈥淚f you want to change the world, you start with your own community,鈥� says Hobbs, who鈥檚 using the fellowship to advocate for fair housing laws and policies. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to give back, to put my education to work for others.鈥�
Understanding Race and Labor
Redlining is a discriminatory practice that denies specific neighborhoods access to financial services and resources. Although redlining was outlawed in 1968, its negative effects have persisted.
Hobbs points out that redlining has limited the economic opportunities of Black people. Such discrimination also reflects the 鈥渓ong, complicated鈥� relationship between race and labor.
鈥淢y research reveals that work is integral to the collective Black experience, that labor rights are human rights,鈥� says Hobbs, who also is pursuing a in the .
She adds that labor, in the context of Black history, is a key theme that ties into the broader narrative of resistance, migration and collective action.
鈥淏lack History Month is an ever-evolving story about resilience, perseverance and overcoming obstacles,鈥� says the former Our Time Has Come Scholar.
In fact, it was labor that brought millions of Black people to urban centers like Syracuse in the first half of the 20th century. The influx coincided with the rise of Black History Month as an idea in the 1910s and its official recognition some 60 years later.
鈥淪yracuse was desirable because it provided many Black people with steady work and safe, affordable housing,鈥� says Hobbs, a former . 鈥淏ut that changed during the Great Depression.鈥�
Faced with a housing shortage in the 1930s, the federal government instituted programs to encourage white homeownership. Out of them grew banking practices like redlining鈥攏amed for red lines that mortgage lenders drew on maps to indicate areas of financial risk鈥攊nvolving local politicians and real estate professionals. The City of Syracuse was no exception.
I鈥檓 doing everything I can to mobilize our people to shift the trajectory of our city鈥檚 future.
Adara 鈥淒arla鈥� Hobbs 鈥�22, G鈥�26
Hobbs notes that redlining later informed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, resulting in the construction of I-81 through Central New York the following decade. The interstate project displaced nearly a thousand families, many of whom were from the 15th Ward, a historic neighborhood that housed about 90% of Syracuse鈥檚 Black population.
Concerned that the current I-81 Viaduct Project is repeating history, Hobbs is analyzing census and population data to determine how historical redlining still affects public health outcomes and employment trajectories.
She鈥檚 also meeting with residents, some of whom were displaced in the 鈥�60s, to figure out 鈥渨hat鈥檚 to come.鈥� 鈥淗earing their stories raises awarenesses about the consequences of redlining and urban renewal projects.鈥�
Empowering the Future
Hobbs also is pursuing a Public Management and Policy Certificate of Advanced Study. She seeks to understand the experiences of marginalized people on campus and throughout the community.
Hobbs鈥� commitment to challenging these inequities highlights how labor鈥攑hysical and intellectual鈥攗nderscores Black empowerment and social change.
鈥淛ust as we invest resources to understand the experiences of marginalized students on campus, we should do the same for members of our community,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his includes enacting policies and programs that benefit everyone.鈥�
By advocating for fair housing laws and addressing the upset caused by policies that denied Black communities access to housing and employment, Hobbs reaffirms that labor and access to economic opportunities are essential to building a more just America.
鈥淏lack History Month is an ever-evolving story about resilience, perseverance and overcoming obstacles,鈥� she continues. 鈥淚鈥檓 doing everything I can to mobilize our people to shift the trajectory of our city鈥檚 future.鈥�
