Thanks to Nicole Stockdale, copy editor at the Dallas Morning News for giving me my first opportunity to appear in the Sunday paper.  See my civic pride column below.

Is anyone proud to live in Dallas?

I pondered this question after listening to a weeklong radio field trip that NPR’s News and Notes program took to Atlanta. Each day, the show focused on various aspects of the city, with topics that ranged from reducing water flow at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to the success of the Atlanta University System.

One thing was constant during each night of programming. Whether it was the mayor or a congressperson, a student or a cab driver, Atlantans spoke of their city with pride and enthusiasm.

So I wondered what residents would say about our city if News and Notes host Farai Chideya were to bring her show to Dallas. My thought is that optimism and glad tidings would be in short supply. Many would probably harp on the same tired chords we always hear:

Why are they throwing money away on the Cotton Bowl?

When will DISD get its act together?

What’s up with the Trinity River project?

I’m not suggesting that the skepticism isn’t justified, but we are so accustomed to negativity that signs of progress are going unnoticed and underappreciated. With a little use of their civic imaginations, residents of Dallas could see a city that will be drastically different five years from now than it was five years ago.

Buildings are springing from the ground in the Arts District, with the Booker T. Washington School for the Performing Arts already in full bloom. There are tangible signs that the Trinity River project is more than a notion, including the nearly completed Audubon nature center, construction on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge into West Dallas and groundbreaking on the standing wave whitewater park.

The DART rail’s Green Line is poised to come online next year. The thought of riding the rail to Fair Park and avoiding the traffic headaches that come with current trips to South Dallas should be seen as a huge plus. With soaring gas prices leading to increased use of public transit nationwide, DART doesn’t get nearly enough credit for keeping Dallas ahead of the curve. In a few short years, the DART rail has gone from nice perk to saving grace for many residents.

Dallas needs an attitude check. Now is the time for a bullish outlook. Citizens must move beyond the bear that slumbered through the ’80s and ’90s and bolt into the decade that lies before us. Wait-and-see must give way to a call to action.

Decades of southern Dallas neglect, racial divisiveness and an eroding urban school system have caused many to lose hope and move to the suburbs. Often, our suburban neighbors serve as our biggest detractors. While constructive criticism is good, it is not always feasible to compare and contrast Dallas’ municipal accomplishments with happenings outside the city limits. Those of us who remain in Dallas proper must buckle down and make the best of what we’ve got, taking ownership of our destiny.

Rather than shaking our heads at DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s vision of Dallas as the nation’s No. 1 urban school district, we should embrace it and work diligently to make it a reality. Demanding an ethics policy is part of the solution, but so are raising teacher pay, continuing to improve facilities and sending our children to school ready to learn.

We’ve got a long way to go as a city, there’s no doubt. While some point west to the Cowboys’ new stadium as evidence of the city’s woes, there are far more indicators that must be considered when diagnosing the prospect of a healthy Dallas. Measuring crime rates, recycling levels and usable park space are more significant than who’s in town on any given Sunday.

In the end, the citizens are the best ambassadors Dallas could ever have. There is still plenty of time to mold the city into a place that our children would one day be proud to call home. But for now, our current civic esteem should rest on the positive side.