07 Feb ‘The Richmond I Love Is as Misunderstood as a Rebellious Teenager’

“In this city, I learned how to be kind to my neighbors because you never know what someone has going on,” writes Richmond native Keisa Reynolds, seen here reading her zine, “I Used to Be the Sun.” (Photo by Larry Drennan)

Commentary, Keisa Reynolds

The Richmond I love taught me about pride and purpose as I grew up learning to defend its character. Coming of age in the late ’90s/early 2000s, the city taught me how to thrive in the face of invisibility, dehumanization and systemic violence. However, this is not the narrative that outsiders learn.  

“Richmond? Be careful out there,” a fellow volunteer warned me.

At our statewide orientation, my colleagues and I shared where we would spend the following year. I was offered an opportunity in Richmond that paid a higher stipend than others. Plus, I would live closer to family after living in Chicago. My bags were packed, and I soon landed at a fancy hotel where presenters shared about towns and cities in desperate need of support from volunteers like ourselves. 

>>>Read: The Richmond I Love: An Accidental Home with Charm and Intrigue

Hundreds of us were shipped across California to serve in nonprofit organizations and government agencies for little pay. We were meant to learn about poverty while assisting our future employers in addressing it through direct services, advocacy and policy change. 

Richmond was the home of her ex-boyfriend, the fellow volunteer told me, adding that the city was violent. It didn’t have much there. She confidently mentioned these facts, then displayed mild embarrassment when I shared that it’s my hometown. 

Nothing she said was new to me, but it stung that my hometown was not even seen as worthy of volunteer service. I wished I’d defended Richmond in the way it deserved. “Oh, you know how it is ,” she responded.

Like many people, she formed an opinion about a city based on anecdotes and statistics shared without root causes. 

I used to describe Richmond as “a small but mighty city northeast of San Francisco” or “the last stop along the BART” for those familiar with its proximity to Oakland. But the Richmond I love is a city worth mentioning in its own right.  

>>>Read: The Richmond I Love: Powered by a Black Political Machine

The Richmond I love is as misunderstood as a rebellious teenager. Defiant, always ready to give in to a fight because it won’t be bullied. It’s clear that I am from Richmond when my boundaries are pushed and my patience is tested. 

In this city, I learned how to be kind to my neighbors because you never know what someone has going on. It was where I grew up with people who looked like me — an experience I did not realize was rare for many. Growing up, I thought all Black people across the country came together to celebrate Juneteenth in our respective cities. Where else would we go to run into old neighbors and third cousins, or make a new friend? 

>>>Read: Richmond Revolution Celebrates ‘Black Joy’ for Juneteenth

The Richmond I love is where I couldn’t walk into a grocery store or restaurant without running into someone saying my name or mentioning a sister of mine that I resembled. Or maybe they knew my mother or one of her siblings. Growing up, I’d hear fond memories of my grandmother from strangers. 

If you don’t know by now, Black people from Richmond easily have three degrees of separation from each other. 

>>>Read: The Richmond I Love: Black-led and the Meaning of Caring

This also means that whenever a life was taken needlessly, the news reverberated through neighborhoods and family chats. There were years that I couldn’t make small talk with someone without finding out they needed to attend another funeral. It’s in this city that we come together to mourn those we’ve lost—through gun violence and institutional negligence — and fight for a better world. 

The Richmond I love embodies its values. It has always been far from perfect, and there are many ways that our children will continue to struggle. But it’s in the city that we learn the importance of community and standing up for what’s right.