By Briana F. Daniels — Erma Ballard, 82, owns a shoe repair business inside her home. She has been in service in Bristol Place for over 60 years, long before it was even called Bristol Place. She has to work through back pains and breathing problems to get by.
This project is the culmination of 15 University of Illinois students’ work during fall 2012 as part of the multimedia reporting course taught by Professor Charles “Stretch” Ledford. The students followed their subjects and reported on their lives throughout the Champaign’s decision-making about the fate of the Bristol Place neighborhood. The students did not aim to include this in their reporting, however. They simply wanted to tell the tales of the neighborhood’s residents. To read more, visit Bristol Place Speaks.