Faces of Kingston: Frank Waters

This week, I am very pleased to have an in-depth discussion with one of the most active members of our community, Frank Waters. This is a great time of year to care about others and Waters is very involved with Kingston Midtown Rising as well as My Kingston Kids. It was inspiring to hear all the positive things he had to say about the direction Kingston is heading regarding tangible opportunities for personal growth, as well as activities for young people. 

Morgan Y. Evans: What is your earliest memory of Kingston? You were originally from elsewhere or no? 

Frank Waters: My earliest memory was a weekend visit with my wife Shaniqua back in 2010. She introduced me to the area. I am originally from the Bronx. 

What excites you the most about living in Kingston right now? 

What excites me the most is the way that people are willing to work together and connect. There’s always people willing to support and share resources for the better good of a collective community. They’re also a few new initiatives and projects that are in play such as the Greenhouse with Good Work Institute, The African Burial Ground on Pine Street, Energy Square and the soon-to-come Liberty Center within the Clinton Avenue Church. 

As executive director of Kingston Midtown Rising, you are often promoting positive information in the community. How did you become involved and passionate about this work? 

As an African-American male, I am no stranger to challenges and struggle. I’ve always felt a need to grow my mind, spirit and community, and in doing that I have an obligation to share those resources and lessons learned with not only my immediate community but others as well. People have the right to live — not only survive — and my passion is to assist in any way I can to bring opportunities and resources for more effective living. 

That is inspiring to hear. What are some of your favorite things to do currently in the city for personal enjoyment? 

I enjoy spending time with my family at Forsyth Park. It’s one of my favorite parks in Kingston. There are a few nice options such as the zoo, walking trails and of course the park itself. My girls love the tire swing! I also love Ruby Mae’s Restaurant to eat and the Fun-E Farm in the Hudson Valley Mall. We always have a great time playing in bouncy houses. As a family man I don’t get to do many adult things, however I do enjoy hanging with friends and just chatting about life, history and dreams.

On a similar note, I was talking to someone recently in this column who wished for more kid-friendly activities in the area. You are involved with My Kingston Kids promoting family-friendly events. What information would you like to share to readers about some of the fun things going on in the city as options right now? 

There are always exciting things happening in Kingston for kids. Take a look at our special Holiday in Kingston section listed on MyKingstonKids.com. You can find many events for ages 1-18 within our city and even surrounding areas. There are holiday story hours, a movie night with Kingston Midtown Rising at the Clinton Avenue Church on Dec. 20, a kids’ dance party and more. 

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges our city faces? 

There is a major challenge with equal opportunity for homeless people. We should be consistently searching for ways to ensure that every citizen has a place to live and food to eat. There should be laws that protect citizens from slumlords and development companies that disregard human rights. 

I absolutely agree.

Our school system should make it easier for organizations to participate with student programs and development. And lastly we must begin to encourage our police department to connect and engage in our neighborhoods from a proactive and positive perception, not negative and fearful. 

What are you looking forward to about 2020?

I am very excited about 2020 because Kingston Midtown Rising will be officially launching our Midtown-based newsletter called Midtown Rising Connect. The newsletter will be digital and hardcopy and will provide resources and informative info that people can use. We will also open the newly renovated basketball court in the Clinton Avenue Church in addition to the new center for a variety of community-based programming such as career training, entrepreneurship development, workforce development and youth leadership, to name a few. Black History Month Kingston will be hitting its third year of exciting and meaningful events starting Jan. 18 to March 1. Be sure to visit blackhistorymonkingston.org for updates on the Second Annual Sojourner Truth Life Walk, A free community dinner at the YMCA and over 25 other amazing events.