October 2 - 8, 2024 by StreetWise_CHI

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A LETTER FROM YWCA METROPOLITAN CHICAGO CEO NICOLE ROBINSON

Over 240 years ago, our founding fathers created the document that is our Constitution, outlining how we would collectively govern ourselves, care for each other, protect one another, give everyone a voice, and promote equality beginning with the most famous opening words We the People. Although our founding fathers were ambitious, visionary, and well-intended, it’s hard to imagine how the path towards a more perfect nation was conceived when women and people of color were noticeably absent from the gathering of the thirtyeight men who signed America’s most famous document.

So, it’s in this context that this issue of StreetWise is dedicated to YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s 52nd annual Leader Luncheon theme, She the People. It’s a nod to how women across Chicagoland are perfecting our Union by dedicating their leadership to transforming our economy, telling the story of the unsung, advancing policies that unlock opportunity while making trailblazing moves that open doors for others. At the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, nearly 300 staff members, across 1300 square miles in 6 counties through 30 programs, provide a comprehensive spectrum of interventions across three key areas:

• Advancing Safety, Healing, and Belonging, which includes offering comprehensive therapeutic counseling services to individuals impacted by all forms of violence including gender-based and community-based.

• Unleashing Youth and Family Potential , connecting thousands of families to childcare resources by building the capacity of childcare providers, as well as empowering the next generation of youth through engaging programs.

• Driving Economic Equity, focusing on workforce training in high-growth, high-demand industries as well as accelerating small women-owned businesses.

From childcare providers to parents/caregivers, young people, entrepreneurs, new homeowners, to business leaders, and storytellers, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is made up of people dedicated to making a difference in their communities, in our economy, and our civic landscape. Chief among these changemakers are the people who make up the StreetWise program, a comprehensive economic security strategy within YWCA’s Driving Economic Equity work. StreetWise micro-entrepreneurs are not only reimagining their economic futures by selling the StreetWise publication, but they are helping to nourish new societal narratives and understanding of complex issues. They tell their own stories to help us better understand how things like housing insecurity, addiction, and economic segregation are touching our communities and the people we love.

In this issue, you will learn more about how YWCA Metropolitan Chicago includes everyone – their dreams, their imaginations, their abilities, their desires, their hopes, their voices. In this issue, you will read about our work to bring more women to the welding industry through our Union Pacific Railroad Welding Program and our work to put Illinois children first through our Kids Count Report.

You will also join us for a conversation with this year’s Luncheon honorees Dorothy Tucker and the CBS Chicago Investigating Injustice Team for their work examining the impact of crime on Black women in Chicago; Lisa Duarte, a lawyer and government official; Jenny Scanlon, president & CEO of UL Solutions; and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the United States Senate.

All these honorees are leveraging their leadership to improve business, media, community, and our civic spaces. YOU can be a leader, too! I hope you will join us on Friday, October 25 to meet our honorees in person and join us as we build a larger movement and work side by side to perfect our Union, a little more, each day.

With highest hopes,

Nicole Robinson

profiles by Suzanne Hanney

Stories by Erica Abdnour

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2024 YWCA LEADER LUNCHEON HONOREE TRAILBLAZER AWARD

AMBASSADOR CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN

In 1992, however, angered by U.S. Senators’ grilling of Anita Hill during the controversial U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas, she successfully ran for the U.S. Senate.

“The Senate absolutely needed a healthy dose of democracy,” Moseley Braun observed, according to “Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007" on govinfo.gov. “It wasn’t enough to have millionaire white males over the age of 50 representing all the people in the country.”

Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun

Moseley Braun was the first African American woman to be elected a U.S. senator in 1992 – only the second Black person since the Reconstruction era. She was also the first woman from Illinois elected to the U.S. Senate; and the first, and only, woman to serve as a permanent member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Educated in Chicago public schools, the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago Law School, Moseley Braun became a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and not long after turning 30, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. After only two terms in the Illinois House, Moseley Braun was selected as the first woman and the first African American Assistant Majority Leader.

As legislative floor leader for Mayor Harold Washington, Moseley Braun was the chief sponsor of bills to ban discrimination in housing and private clubs and to reform education: the 1985 Urban School Improvement Act, which created parents’ councils at every school in Chicago; and a bill that provided higher salaries for teachers and professors.

Her legislative legacy was her ability to build coalitions comprised of people of all races committed to the same principles of efficient government, according to The HistoryMakers. For each of her ten years in the legislature, Moseley Braun received the "Best Legislator" award given by the Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization.

After the Illinois House, Moseley Braun won election in 1988 as Cook County Recorder of Deeds – the first African American elected to a Cook County executive position.

First, she defeated both the Democratic incumbent and an affluent lawyer in the primary and then a Republican veteran of the Reagan and Bush administrations in the general election.

During her term, Carol Moseley Braun was a strong champion of health care and education reform. In 1994, she authored the Educational Infrastructure Act, which was designed to channel education funds into the areas most needed by low-income communities. She was also instrumental in the Women’s Pension Equity Act to assist divorced and widowed women: “Pension laws were never written for women...no wonder the vast majority of elderly poor are women.” She sponsored the creation of the Sacagawea coin to recognize “women of color” and a National Park Service initiative to fund historic preservation for the Underground Railroad.

She and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California became just the second and third women ever to serve on the prestigious Senate Judiciary Committee.

Moseley Braun made headlines in 1993 when she convinced the Senate Judiciary Committee not to renew the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s (UDC) federal design patent in use for nearly a century because it contained the Confederate flag. The Senate had been poised to pass a resolution for the patent until Moseley Braun threatened a filibuster “until this room freezes over.”

The Confederate flag “...has no place in our modern times, place in this body, place in our society,” she said.

After her term in the U.S. Senate, President Bill President Clinton appointed Moseley Braun the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, where she served from 1999 until 2001. She has since taught political science at Morris Brown College in Atlanta and DePaul University and managed a business consulting company in Chicago.

TOGETHER, WE WORK BETTER

We’re a proud founding member of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago Racial Justice League and we’re committed to being part of the change that addresses the effects of systemic racism.

2024 YWCA LEADER LUNCHEON HONOREE OUTSTANDING CIVIC LEADER

LISA DUARTE

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago has been working on the American ideal of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for nearly 150 years. This year’s Leader Luncheon, “She the People,” celebrates individual and collective actions of women to make the goal of “a more perfect union” -- for all of us – a reality.

Outstanding Civic Leader Lisa Duarte believes that getting rid of a scarcity mindset is one way to achieve these better outcomes.

“Everyone can get their fair share and everyone needs to be acknowledged. It’s important that everyone feels that they are part of the process because that’s what they deserve...This is not a zero-sum game. We can all do this happily.”

Duarte was selected as one of Chicago Magazine’s Top 50 Most Powerful Chicagoans this year, having spent her career at the intersection of law and government. Before founding Point of Difference Strategies and joining the law firm of Croke Fairchild Duarte and Beres, Duarte was the First Assistant Deputy Governor for Budget & Economy under Gov. JB Pritzker. In this role, she oversaw 17 agencies involving budget, economy, economic development, and regulation and more than 170 boards and commissions. She also played a lead role in the state’s response to the pandemic as an advocate for the needs of businesses and the economy while protecting the health of Illinoisans.

As a board member of the national Latino Victory, Duarte emphasizes that Latinos gain better overall representation – high-level jobs, and government contracts – by leveraging their economic power, not stressing their social service needs.

“We see for example with the migrant crisis that instead of being identified with what we are contributing, our community is defined by what we are asking for. We give tons of money to the economy, we are a huge representation of Chicago Public Schools, and we make up a significant

portion of the city of Chicago. It’s not in our culture to ask for handouts. We are incredibly proud and incredibly hardworking. We are not leaning into that.”

Duarte came of age in predominantly Latino Logan Square in the 1980s and '90s. Her father was an engineer from Columbia and her mother had come from Puerto Rico as a child and later received a master’s degree in teaching. Duarte rubbed shoulders with affluent, upwardly mobile kids in Lincoln Park, who were a stark contrast to her Logan Square friends, who had less access to resources and guidance.

However, her neighborhood friends shared her values: respect for family members, with no side eye, sighs or F-bombs if they didn’t get their way. It began to feel like her mission to make sure kids in her neighborhood didn’t shrink from their personal power.

“There needs to be more thought and value put into the individuals themselves,” Duarte said. “When you are boxed in and all these things put in you and on you, you will not lean in and rise to your best, because you are being pushed down.”

The law became one way for Duarte to empower her community, starting with zoning and now lobbying to get legislation passed and to advise clients on community involvement and charitable spending.

She is a member and former secretary for the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, which awards scholarships to Latino students attending Illinois universities. Since the excuse had been there were no Latinos to fill government positions, she was a founding member of the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus Foundation Leadership Academy where Fellows are coached on resumes, socialization, even a nice way to say “no.”

“To achieve things, people think there is some formula, it seems so daunting when you are trying to get there but when you get there, it’s not that mysterious,” said Duarte, a graduate of Michigan State University and DePaul University Law School. “Treat people well, do good work.”

2024

YWCA LEADER LUNCHEON HONOREE OUTSTANDING LEADER IN BUSINESS

JENNIFER SCANLON

PRESIDENT &

CEO,

UL SOLUTIONS

Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of UL Solutions, knows firsthand that a diverse workforce is essential to the success of a global company. As a business leader, she has driven diversity and inclusion initiatives and witnessed the remarkable benefits.

“Embracing diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, and an integral aspect of our philosophy, it is also a business imperative in 2024,” Scanlon told StreetWise. “At UL Solutions, fostering diversity allows us to best serve a global customer base in more than 110 countries.” Scanlon, the 2024 YWCA Outstanding Leader in Business, has personally experienced the benefits of a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Today, she is a staunch advocate of STEM education.

A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions provides testing, inspection and certification services, along with complementary software and advisory offerings. About two-thirds of UL Solutions’ 15,000 employees are scientists, engineers and other specialized technical and regulatory experts – including Scanlon, who studied Computer Applications at the University of Notre Dame.

The UL Solutions legacy dates back to the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, when the company’s founder was sent to evaluate fire safety at the fair’s Electricity Building. Today, UL Solutions remains driven by its mission of working for a safer world, and its UL-in-a-circle Mark is a symbol of trust on billions of products. UL Solutions completed its initial public offering in April 2024 under Scanlon’s leadership and now trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

At UL Solutions, Scanlon has actively supported each of the company’s employee Business Resource Groups (BRGs), including the Women in Leadership BRG, Black BRG, Latino BRG, Pride (LGBTQ+) BRG and Disability Alliance BRG. She is a champion of UL Solutions internship programs — and has been known to join intern events to offer her perspective.

As part of her advocacy, Scanlon spoke at the 2016 International Women’s Day Forum at the United Nations. She urged women to encourage the young girls in their lives to love math and pursue STEM education.

“I was a STEM student myself, and as a business leader, I have seen the transformational impact that mentorship and education can have,” Scanlon told StreetWise. “I view STEM education as a tremendous pathway for opportunity.”

Before joining UL Solutions in 2019, Scanlon served as president and CEO of USG Corporation, a manufacturer of building products.

Throughout her career, Scanlon has served as a role model, leading by example.

In 2023, Scanlon was named a Global Leadership Award honoree by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and a Business Leader of the Year by Chicago’s Junior Achievement chapter. She was also named the UPWARD Woman of the Year by UPWARD, a global networking organization dedicated to the advancement of executive women and supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Scanlon serves in key roles for numerous organizations, including Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which is committed to fostering economic opportunity by advancing a healthy, inclusive economy and promoting a trusted financial system. She is Chair of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, which collaborates with business leaders and public officials to make the region a better place to live and do business.

Additionally, Scanlon is Secretary-Treasurer of the board of the US-China Business Council and was appointed to the U.S.-India CEO Forum.

Scanlon earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Relations and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame.

DOROTHY TUCKER

& THE CBS CHICAGO INVESTIGATING INJUSTICE TEAM

For Dorothy Tucker, a multiple award-winning veteran TV reporter at CBS News Chicago, reporting on her community is more than a job; it is personal.

Tucker grew up in the Lawndale and Austin neighborhoods in Chicago. She describes an upbringing where parents stressed education and neighbors were entrepreneurs, CTA workers, and union members. She started researching and telling their stories starting in her junior year of high school, with an “introduction to radio” program at WBEZ.

She went on to major in Radio, TV, Film at Northwestern University (from which she graduated in three years with honors). Her early career included stops in Peoria, Denver, Memphis, and Pittsburgh before returning home to Chicago nearly 40 years ago.

Throughout her career, Tucker has advocated for the fair and accurate representation of communities of color.

In 2023, Tucker and the CBS2 investigative team, which includes data journalist Elliot Ramos and investigative producer Carol Thompson, launched the series, “Investigating Injustice,” revealing for the first time the two decadeslong impact of crime on Black women in Chicago. The data showed Black women make up 30% of crime victims but represent only 16% of the city’s population. This disproportionate impact includes everything from carjackings, arson, and rape to domestic violence.

“It just blew me away and saddened me,” Tucker said. “You get this visual of your mother, your daughter, your nieces and your cousins, your grandmother.”

The reporting included powerful narratives from community and gender-based violence survivors, a resource guide for Black women, a call from a local alderman to form a task force and a community forum featuring leaders – including YWCA Metropolitan Chicago CEO Nicole Robinson.

“I know the YWCA has done incredible work in terms of supporting women and Black women. You have always been there for women who have been victims of crime, especially domestic abuse. The programming you offer gives women the opportunity to better their lives” and to facilitate the role of Black men in supporting them, Tucker said.

It’s stories like this that motivate and inspire Tucker to stay connected to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). She is the immediate past president of NABJ and has been a part of the organization for more than 40 years. She’s passionate about encouraging young people to become journalists. She is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming reporters, giving feedback on their stories, reminding them to be fair and accurate, and helping them widen their perspectives.

“We record history. We must have Black journalists in the room, taking notes and writing stories to make sure those stories include a diverse perspective. Journalism is a passion, where we hold the powerful accountable, give voice to the voiceless, and educate the public. We do this out of a love for our community and a love for our country.”

Since joining CBS News Chicago in 1984, she has also received several local Emmys and regional Edward R Murrow awards, a national Society of Professional Journalists award, the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Association of Black Journalists and was recently nominated for two Chicago Emmys.

Tucker is a proud product of the Chicago Public Schools, a mother of three Ivy League graduates (Penn, Yale, and Princeton).

PUTTING KIDS AND FAMILIES FIRST IN ILLINOIS:

Illinois ranks 24th in child well-being, according to the 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring in post-pandemic America. The data show Illinois leaders must do more to prepare children to learn so they are ready to earn when they reach adulthood.

As the 2024 elections approach, crucial decisions that impact families and children across the state are at stake. From childcare affordability to educational equity and healthcare access, these issues shape the landscape for generations to come. In this pivotal moment, it's imperative to prioritize child and family well-being, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs addressed.

“The 2024 Data Book highlights the importance of lawmakers focusing on equity in policies and programs to assure all Illinois children and families have the resources they need to thrive,” said Loukisha Pennix, chief youth and family potential officer of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Illinois member of the KIDS COUNT network. Illinois ranks in the bottom half of states for 3 out of the 4 economic security indicators, illustrating how poverty affects educational outcomes and opportunities.

Here are some key points the report called out:

DEMOGRAPHICS

Illinois boasts a diverse population of over 2.7 million children, highlighting the importance of responsive policies tailored to meet the unique needs of each child. Data reveals significant racial and ethnic disparities, emphasizing the necessity of equitable solutions to bridge these gaps.

ECONOMIC SECURITY

Despite strides in economic recovery, child poverty remains a pressing concern, affecting approximately 1 in 6 Illinois children. Racial disparities persist, reflecting systemic barriers to economic opportunity. Policy interventions, such as the expanded Child Tax Credit, offer tangible solutions to alleviate poverty and promote economic stability.

HOUSING

Access to safe and stable housing is fundamental to a child's well-being. However, rising housing costs and shortages exacerbate housing insecurity, disproportionately impacting communities of color. Urgent action is needed to address these disparities and ensure every child has a place to call home.

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago provides financial education and housing services, including one-on-one coaching and training on credit repair, budgeting, home-buying, foreclosure prevention, rental counseling, and homelessness prevention. Our housing and urban development certified housing counselors can provide trustworthy financial advice for those experiencing hardship, homelessness, for those on the verge of foreclosure or eviction to hopefully keep them in their homes.

FOOD ACCESS

Food insecurity poses a significant threat to child health and development, with thousands of Illinois families struggling to put food on the table. Expanding programs like SNAP and prioritizing food assistance initiatives are essential steps to combatting hunger and promoting nutritional well-being.

YWCA serves as the administrator of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which provides reimbursement to home-based and center-based (licensed and nonlicensed) childcare providers for serving nutritious snacks and meals to the children in their care. Through enrollment assistance, monitoring, claims processing, and training/ technical assistance, the program serves 224 providers that provide more than 36,000 meals and snacks annually across Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties.

EDUCATION

High-quality education lays the foundation for a child's future success. However, disparities in access to childcare, preschool, and K-12 education persist, particularly for children from low-income and marginalized communities. Increased investment in early childhood education and equitable funding for schools are critical to closing achievement gaps and ensuring every child reaches their full potential.

ILLINOIS: A CALL TO ACTION

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is one of the largest Childcare Resource and Referral programs in the state of Illinois, helping hundreds of low-income families get connected with quality and affordable childcare each year. Moreover, the YWCA partners with childcare providers to help them build stronger and more resilient practices, providing them with the latest research, training and tools so they can provide the highest quality of care and early education for children in our communities.

HEALTH

Access to affordable and comprehensive healthcare is essential for a child's well-being. While Illinois boasts relatively low rates of uninsured children, racial disparities in health coverage persist. Improving access to prenatal care and addressing systemic barriers to healthcare are essential steps to promoting maternal and child health.

As Illinoisans prepare to cast their votes, it's essential to prioritize the needs of children and families. By advocating for policies that promote equity, opportunity, and well-being, we can create a brighter future for all Illinois children. Together, let's ensure that every child can thrive and succeed.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SCAN HERE:

YWCA METROPOLITAN CHICAGO & UNION PACIFIC: DRIVING ECONOMIC EQUITY

While women make up only about 5% of welders across the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is working to create opportunities for them in this high-demand, high-growth industry. One of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s key pillars of work, “Driving Economic Equity”, focuses on providing women of color with job skills training, financial stability, and asset acquisition to help close the racial wealth gap. Thanks to a new program with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership and Union Pacific Railroad, women, ages 18-25, who are interested in the railroad industry, are being trained in welding, manufacturing, and information technology and receiving the training they need to start careers.

The Union Pacific Welding program is driving economic equity through skill-building and workforce development opportunities. Through this partnership, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago works closely with Opportunity Works to find internships – and eventually viable careers – and training and resources for women. This partnership will help create more opportunities and career pathways to increase the percentage of females in the welding industry.

The first cohort launched in 2024 and placed women in welding internships with Industrial Fence Inc. which specializes in metal fabrication for security barrier fencing, roadway railings, chain link, and palisade fencing. Some of Industrial Fence's work includes pedestrian bridges from the iconic River Walk, the railing on the lakefront for the bike paths, and the 41st Street Bridge that was installed by Industrial. Through this partnership, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago participants received internships, engaged in career exploration, and worked alongside welders to develop foundational skills training.

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s workforce development team, consisting of Business Engagement Specialist Kamilah Hobson, Client Engagement Specialist Daniel Tovar, and Workforce Empowerment Specialist Dana Howard, facilitates the start-to-finish process. The team supports women throughout their entire journey from helping them apply to the program, complete their internships, and providing career coaching and job readiness skills.

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s second UP Welding cohort is now accepting applications! This all-female cohort includes:

• Open to young adults who are female aged 18-25 who face barriers to employment, which may include being justice-involved, unemployed, or low-income;

• 16-week internship; 4 of which are paid.

• 2 weeks: Soft skills training, employability skills, computer training, financial literacy, barrier reduction, individual employment plan, career goals established.

• 10-weeks technical skills: Skills include welding, obtaining a CDL credential, OSHA certification

• 4 weeks: Paid internship (30 hours per week at $15 an hour)

Women seeking employment and between the ages 18-25 residing in Cook County are encouraged to apply. For more information, please contact Kamilah Hobson at kamilah. hobson@ywcachicago.org.

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