REAL MOMS OF THE METRO
Community Champions 3 MOMS CELEBRATE THE VIBRANCY OF NE OKC
With the passage of MAPS 4, the vibrant community of northeast Oklahoma City will receive an overdue economic boost. Three moms who live and work in this culturally rich, historically significant part of our city share their passion for celebrating and elevating this close-knit community championing diversity and inclusion. BY ERIN PAGE. PHOTOS PROVIDED.
CHAYA FLETCHER WITH HUSBAND MICHAEL AND SONS MEKHI, MASON AND MICHAEL
Chaya Fletcher Restaurateur and educator
Chaya Fletcher grew up in northeast Oklahoma City, as did her parents and grandparents before her, bolstered by a closeknit community where neighbors know each other deeply, kids’ laughter rings outdoors and rich culture permeates. She knows that her experiences as a child and now raising three sons with husband Michael don’t always fit the stereotypes others might have about the area. “The wealth gap is so huge on the east side, and people associate lack of wealth with lack of community,” said Fletcher. Fletcher is a third generation Oklahoma City Public Schools educator, teaching culinary arts at Star Spencer High School. Her education from Oklahoma State University and culinary school, experience as a restaurateur and vast knowledge of the metro’s restaurant scene provide her students real-world value. Fletcher will open her second restaurant, Kindred Spirits, this month in the East Point Development at the corner of NE 23rd Street and Rhode Island Avenue. The family-friendly destination will serve her take on the history of soul food. Kindred Spirits was inspired by the book
40 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / MARCH 2020
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, and the restaurant is founded upon the story of the African American experience in Oklahoma, past to present. “The concept was born out of a desire to create a culturally-relevant gathering place in the epicenter of Oklahoma City’s predominantly black neighborhoods,” said Fletcher. Fletcher opened her first restaurant, Urban Roots, in Deep Deuce in 2010. After a new owner took over the building and it didn’t make financial sense to stay open, she reluctantly closed it in 2015. “The building was built for entertainment in a time when Deep Deuce was the only place black people could live,” said Fletcher. “That story was very intentional, to hold on to some of our historic roots in that neighborhood.” Fletcher says gentrification has made it hard for black-owned businesses to survive there, with community members pressed out of a neighborhood they created. “Black culture, and northeast Oklahoma City, are often overlooked and undersold,” said Fletcher. While Fletcher acknowledges revitalization and development gaining traction on the outskirts of northeast Oklahoma City, the
center of the community, specifically where Kindred Spirits will be located, has looked virtually the same her entire life. Northeast Oklahoma City has not experienced the broader renaissance other districts have enjoyed, and Fletcher is hopeful Kindred Spirits, the East Point Development and MAPS 4 will help create space where diverse groups of people are working in community. “I remember when no one felt safe going to the Plaza District after dark and now you can’t get a parking space,” laughs Fletcher. “I hope it will be that way for NE 23rd and Uptown. Northeast Oklahoma City is going to get the investment dollars it has deserved and missed out on for a generation.” Fletcher and her neighbors have seen housing prices rise as more individuals and families realize the benefits of the community. A graduate of Northeast High School, Fletcher calls the relocation of Classen SAS to the Northeast campus one of the most prolific decisions made in generations, encouraging further development and new residents. Fletcher looks forward to plans for park beautification, improved neighborhood accessibility and the redevelopment of Douglass Recreation Center as part of MAPS 4, giving kids more opportunities to feed
