channeling energy into community building and cultural development. “Sometimes you don’t always get the thank yous or the attaboys, you get,‘Well, why didn’t you do this?’” Johnson reflects on public service during difficult times.“But it’s great for us right now. We have some momentum despite losing Georgia Pacific’s 550 employees. We are a resilient community.” Beck transformed adversity into action by launching new community festivals that celebrate Emporia’s diversity. “We have three brand new festivals that we’ve created in the last two years that have been growing,” she says.“We have Cinco de Mayo—we did that twice. This will be our third annual jazz festival this year. And we’re having our first ever Juneteenth celebration on June 21st.” The city’s recreational infrastructure provides additional anchors for community cohesion. The YMCA’s $10 million aquatic center opened in 2024, while the Kaboom playground project brought volunteers together to build facilities for 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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