10th Anniversary Historic Eastside

 The Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation (HECDC) proudly announces its 10th anniversary milestone, “An Evening with Al Letson,” taking place on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 6:00 PM EDT at WJCT Studios. The evening marks a decade of institutional resilience, community-led advocacy, and the steadfast preservation of Jacksonville’s historic “Out East” neighborhood.

A Return to Roots and Authentic Narrative

The evening’s program features an intimate storytelling and literary reflection by Al Letson, a native son of the First Coast and a Peabody Award-winning journalist. Known nationally as the creator of State of the Re:Union, Letson’s return to the studios of WJCT—the very site where much of his early, groundbreaking narrative work was fostered—symbolizes a profound full-circle moment.

For the HECDC, storytelling is viewed as critical community infrastructure. By centering Letson’s voice, the organization reinforces its core mission: protecting the heritage of the Eastside through authentic, localized agency, while challenging the sanitization of local history.

A Decade of Purposeful Transformation

Founded in 2016 amid intense urban shifts, systemic disinvestment, and looming real estate speculation, the HECDC was born from a grassroots resident mandate rather than a top-down administrative decision. Over the last ten years, the CDC has transitioned the Eastside from a neighborhood in transition to a neighborhood in control of its own destiny.