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NA4J NEWSLETTER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF NORTHSIDE ACTION FOR JUSTICE
IN THIS ISSUE: Community Survival Day - An Uptown Tradition! Learn about this Uptown tradition that goes back to the 1970s and is a legacy of grassroots organizing by multi-racial, multi-class organizations and coalitions in Uptown.
Dora Jean Burks - In Loving Memory A tribute to one of the beloved NA4J Board Members who recently passed. The last NA4J newsletter was produced by Jean. Rest in Power, Jean!
NA4J Grassroots Committees Learn about the ongoing activities of NA4J and come join one of the committees! • EDUCATION • HOUSING • HUMAN SERVICES
Upcoming Events
Community Survival Day - An Uptown Tradition! By Paul Siegel This summer’s Community Survival Day on the Sunnyside Mall revives an Uptown tradition. The Sunnyside Mall dates to the early 1970s following the displacement of 1200 families to build Truman College. The community wanted a safe place to gather as part of a “peoples’ plan” for low cost housing and community institutions. Instead the city colluded with slumlords and private developers to bleed and destroy low income housing here and gentrify. A wave of arson for profit took many lives in the 1970s and ‘80s. The crisis situation and the loss of housing bred much instability and the Mall became a place where much of that destabilization played out. Racial conflict and violence between youth, drugs, police abuse, withdrawal of city services -were all reflected in conditions on the mall. In 1976, the Intercommunal Survival Committee (ISC), an organizing bureau of the Black Panther Party (BPP) that worked under the leadership of the BPP in mixed but primarily poor white communities, organized the first Survival Day on the Mall. By 1979, (continued on p. 2) 1
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the organization had morphed into the Heart of Uptown Coalition, representing thousands of Up to w n r e s i d e n t s i n t h e f i g h t to s to p displacement, who organized some fifteen annual Survival Days on the Sunnyside Mall. People came together a s a community, celebrated our endurance and struggle, had a whole lot of fun, and showed that together we could claim the Mall as the community’s own with no ethnic/racial violence, drugs, or police abuse to distract us. The youth, in particular, understood the meaning of the challenge and led a giant cleanup in preparation and kept the peace. A huge banner strung across the width of the mall proclaimed, “Defend your community!” Following this stirring success, more and more grass roots talent made the annual event a community institution. There were boxing exhibitions from Johnny Lira, a professional boxer who worked with Uptown youth. In 1977, Survival Day included a successful health fair carried out by volunteer doctors from Cook County hospital and community volunteers. This was part of a massive campaign for a community controlled health center with a special black lung clinic for the many coalfield migrants then living here. The following year, we won a clinic with a community governing board (which was closed 3 years later due to slashing of public health). Survival Day 1978 included a joyous march, led by an Uptown Blue Grass band, “Blue Ridge Mountain Boys” from the Mall to Broadway near Lawrence to give the community the first look at the new clinic. So today we rededicate Community Survival Day. We celebrate our endurance and the preservation - thanks to the community’s struggle - of many units of affordable housing in the face of relentless misuse of the peoples’ resources for profit and rampant gentrification. Here’s to our community coming together to carry on the fight. JOIN US, CELEBRATE, AND COMMIT TO THE GOOD FIGHT!!! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ For more information: Email: info@actionforjustice.org Website: http://www.actionforjustice.org facebook.com/northsideactionforjustice Monthly Meetings: Second Saturday of every month, 10am-12 noon 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, #208 Chicago IL 60660
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Dora Jean Burks - An Everyday People’s Hero By Marc Kaplan The Uptown community, NA4J, and the struggle for human rights and people’s power lost a great and inspirational leader in June. Jean Burks died, but her example and leadership will continue to inspire the lives she touched during her life. She was born in 1947 in Evanston and was the proud mother of two children Erika and Bass and two grandchildren Matthew and Quinlin. Jean worked at the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and the YMCA. Her talents were many but one would never know, given how modest she was. She loved to sew and make her own clothes; she was a musician who played the piano and guitar; she was also a talented graphic artist and had a way with words and writing. Jean used her skills, talents, and all of her energy to advance the struggle of the people. Faced with serious physical challenges, Jean was tireless in her involvement in fighting gentrification, building sustainable communities, and cultivating people power. Jean was one of the leaders in the campaign at 4550 N. Clarendon that resulted in resident ownership of that building. The 500-unit building on the corner of Wilson and Clarendon is one of the largest single HUD subsidized buildings in the country. It will continue to remain affordable for the 500 families that live there because of the organizing that Jean and other tenants did. Jean helped to transition the building to a tenant-owned building and elect its own resident council. She continued to use her creative genius as a B o a r d m e m b e r, Tr e a s u r e r, a n d C h a i r p e r s o n o f N A 4 J ’s f u n d r a i s i n g committee. She was a stickler for details, always making sure every aspect of the event she organized was perfect. And she worked tirelessly to make this happen. If NA4J needed a piece of literature, she could be given a concept at 3am, and by 9am, she would have a finished piece of literature. Most of all, Jean brought people together – she would listen, give everyone respect, and build consensus and commitment with everyone. It was this style of work that moved and motivated ever yone to do more than they ever thought possible. Jean was the key person that built the strong self-reliant grassroots fundraising events that has allowed NA4J NA4J Picnic on July 7, 2019 in memory of Jean, Foster Beach to do what we are able to do. Jean’s huge heart, warm smile, tireless dedication, her way with words and her many talents will be sorely missed, but never forgotten. Her example will live on and be present and provide inspiration as long as people are struggling for justice. Jean Burks was a shining example of an Everyday People’s hero! 3
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NA4J Continues Fight for Community Control of Education By Karen Zaccor for the Education Subcommittee Northside Action for Justice has a very active education committee which works on three fronts: winning an Elected Representative School Board, championing Sustainable Community Schools, and working for equitable school funding. Most of our work this year has focused on Sustainable Community Schools (SCS). We are beginning Year 2 of SCS and the NA4J Education Committee volunteers are actively involved in supporting our own SCS, Uplift Community High School. Uplift's community partner is the amazing Kuumba Lynx, Chicago’s premier hip hop arts collective with a 20year history of serving youth in Uptown and around the city. Last year we had some really exciting programs--a monthly Hip Hop Theatre Fest, a slam poetry mentoring program, a lunchtime drop-in center, a transformative justice staff who actively engaged with students, and a weekly family night with dance, arts, and parent workshops. Our biggest challenge this year is recruiting students for Uplift. Toward that end, we have done a lot of door to door work to spread the word about the great things going At the Youth on Youth Program Showcase on August 9, 2019 at on at Uplift. Uplift Uplift Community High School featuring footwork, artwork, has also hired alum hip hop, poetry, face painting, games and NA4J member Angela Clay as a community engagement and outreach coordinator and the committee supported and supplemented her efforts. On the Elected Representative School Board (ERSB) front, despite overwhelming city-wide support on referendums and lopsided House votes in favor, ERSB has still not passed. Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on supporting ERSB but expressed issues with the current bill, so Cullerton once again killed it in the Senate. As a partner group in the campaign, NA4J expects to be meeting with key players in the state legislature and in Lightfoot's governance structure in order to revamp the bill and introduce it in the veto session this fall. The NA4J Education committee meets every fourth Saturday of the month, 10am-12 noon at Karen Zaccor’s apt, 4441 N. Malden. Refreshments are always included! Join us!
What is a Sustainable Community School? It is a school that belongs to its community, where all community stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, community members) have input into school direction, programs, and policies. It is a school that meets the specific expressed needs of its community, rather than the desires of CPS, which always seem tied to a larger gentrification plan for the city. The pillars of a Sustainable Community School that we are working for are: • Challenging, engaging, and culturally relevant curriculum • Emphasis on highquality teaching, not high-stakes testing • Wrap around services • Restorative practices instead of punitive discipline • Transformative
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NA4J and Lift the Ban Coalition on the move for Rent Control By Marc Kaplan for the Housing Subcommittee NA4J is a founding member of the Lift the Ban (LTB) Coalition has been working hard to bring rent control to the city of Chicago. The Lift the Ban Coalition was founded because this situation is all too common in communities around the city and state. In community after community, uncontrolled, sharply rising rents, fueled by real estate speculation and gentrification are driving longtime residents and newer community residents out of their communities. In the city of Chicago, half of all residents are rent burdened (paying more than 33% of their income for rent) and a large portion of these tenants are extremely rent burdened (paying more than 50% of their income toward rent and utilities).
“I was forced to leave the Uptown community for over a year because the owner of the building I had been living in for years decided that he no longer wanted to participate in having his apartment subsidized to where he was getting market rate rents. I suppose he figured he could get more money on the private market. He said, I was a great tenant and he would love to have me stay, if I could pay 1200 dollars for a one bedroom apartment. That was definitely out of my price range. I was forced to move out of my community, and it has taken over a year to find a place back in Uptown that I could afford.” -Gloria Rivers, longtime community activist and NA4J member
The Lift the Ban Coalition was organized to get the law changed that prohibits municipalities from using their home rule powers to pass a law that would regulate and stabilize rents. This law was passed in the 1990s in many states through the efforts of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Committee) a right wing think tank that initiates and lobbies for reactionary laws around the country.
The LTB Coalition has been organizing for less than 5 years, but has clearly demonstrated through meetings, direct actions and referendums that the great majority of residents of the city want the ban lifted and support rent control. In referendums around the city, over three quarters of the voters have voted in favor of lifting the ban. In the elections last November in the 46th ward, NA4J and One Northside put a referendum on the ballot in every precinct of the ward and 71% of voters voted yes they are in favor of rent regulation to stop the rising rents. There was overwhelming support even in the wealthier sections of the ward. In addition to the referendums, the Coalition has been doing monthly direct actions like a Die In at the Illinois Realtors Association. Not surprisingly, the real estate lobby, which is very well funded and well organized, is sparing no expense to stop the campaign. Our next event involves organizing two large Town Halls. One on the Northside on September 15th and one on the Southside on October 10th. Elected officials are invited to attend, so that they can hear from the people about why we need rent regulation now. The Northside Town Hall will be on Sunday September 15th from 1- 3 pm at the Center on Halsted. For more information or to help with the campaign call 773 407 2001. 5
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NA4J Fights to have Northside DHS office moved back to the community By Marc Kaplan for the Human Services Subcommittee NO SERVICE HERE Where will we go To get our food stamps? Where will we go? Follow the rules. Where can we go to? Where is the person Who tells us if we live or die? When did this happen? We got no notice Why did this happen? We need some answers. Is there an answer In our new chaos That tells us if we'll live or die? Where do we go? How will we get there? We have no bus fare How can we go? Pushed to the edge of Chicago's west side Six miles across the city
The Human Services Committee (HSC) of NA4J, as part of the Alliance for Human Services has fought for several years, first to stop the Department of Human Services (DHS) from moving the Human Services office from the conveniently located office at 5050 N. Broadway to a location several miles away on Hiawatha, near Cicero and Peterson Avenues. Now the battle is to get it moved back. The building at 5050 N. Broadway (formerly the Combined Insurance and the AON building) was bought by Flats/Cedar Realty, which is one of the largest real estate speculators/developers in Uptown. Flats/Cedar Realty bought many buildings and converted formerly affordable buildings into much higher priced rentals, forcing the displacement of several hundred low income residents. They bought 5050, which was a large office rental building to convert it into high priced rental units and evicted all the businesses, organizations, and agencies that occupied the building and are now in the process of conversion. When the location was announced involving a move more than 10 miles away, HSC sprang into action. A petition drive was launched and hundreds of signatures were gathered; pickets and direct actions were organized; rallies and meetings with elected officials were held. All of those actions fell on deaf ears during the Rauner administration and the office was moved and relocated to a building that is over 10 miles away to an office that is not accessible to people with disabilities.
“A large number of people who use the DHS office are elderly or have disabilities and live in Uptown, Edgewater or Rogers Park,” said Kathy Powers, one of the leaders of the NA4J leaders in the campaign around the DHS office. “The place where they moved the office to is extremely hard to get to and many times takes hours to get to on public Tell us where! Tell us how! transportation, which is how most people that use the office get there. I think Tell us why! this was just another way for DHS under the Rauner regime to have an Tell us why! excuse to cut people off of assistance.” The Alliance for Human Services -- Kathy Powers has continued to organize to get the office moved back to a community that is closer to where the people who use the office live and to an office that is accessible to all the people who need to use it. There are letters of support for this campaign that have been signed by many community leaders and elected officials. There have been direct actions at the DHS offices. At a large meeting with Grace Hou, the newly appointed director of DHS, at Truman College, the issue was raised by many people. At the meeting, the director actually signed the letter herself and said that she would look in to the matter. “I’m glad that Grace Hou seemed to understand what we are talking about and even signed the letter, but thus far we really haven’t seen any real movement to get the office moved back to our communities. This is really a matter of survival for those of us who have to use the services that DHS offers. I am committed to continuing this battle until we win,” said Kathy Powers. Where does the truth lie? How can we live? How will we die? Tell us why!
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Upcoming Events: Save the Dates!! • September 14 - Monthly NA4J Meeting, Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W Bryn Mawr Avenue, Chicago IL 60660 • September 15 - Lift the Ban Coalition Town Hall, 1-3 pm, Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60613 • October 26 - Tobey Prinz Dovie Thurman Everyday Heroes Dinner, Location TBA
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