My mother, Norma Jenkins, has lived in our house in Bedford-Stuyvesant for 43 years. We live on a quiet, tree-lined street in a house with a big back yard.

AISHA: What is your definition of a neighborhood?
NORMA: A place where you live with friends, neighbors and the people you love.

AISHA: How would you describe where we live?
NORMA: My neighborhood is quiet and has a lot of different types--Black, Asian, Hispanic and Indian, and they're mostly middle class families.

AISHA: Do you consider it safe?
NORMA: Yes, I think my neighborhood is safe.

AISHA: What kinds of businesses do we have around here?
NORMA: There are law offices, dry cleaners, laundromats, auto-body shops and driving schools. And there are banks, grocery stores, etc.

AISHA: Are there any recreational facilities?
NORMA: Yes, there's a YMCA on Bedford Avenue. And there are free concerts in the park sometimes.

AISHA: Whate types of schools are nearby?
NORMA: There's a private school named Willingston Academy and a lot of public schools.

AISHA: What is your favorite place in the neighborhood?
NORMA: I enjoy the movie theaters and the restaurants like Sugar Hill.

AISHA: What's the best thing about Bed-Stuy?
NORMA: The best thing is that I've known all the people all of my life, and I've seen them grown up.

AISHA: What's the worst?
NORMA: The worst is that there are some drug dealers here.

AISHA: What do you think it's missing?
NORMA: I think it's missing better schools.

AISHA: What makes your neighborhood different?
NORMA: Everyone in the neighborhood has grown up together, so it's like we're a big family.

AISHA: If you had to describe your neighborhood in one word, what would it be?
NORMA: United.