West Side 2024

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AUSTIN ✮ G ARFIELD PA RK P ARK ✮ NORTH LA WNDALE

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info@fortyacresfreshmarket.com www.fortyacresfreshmarket.com

New vegan and gluten-free bakery items, grass-fed and pasture raised meats, and a 40-seat trolley service are coming to the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market this summer.

The Austin Town Hall Far mers Market opens June 6 outside of the Austin Town Hall Park. The market is organized by Forty Acres Fresh Market and is sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events of the City of Chicago.

In another effort on the West Side, Michelle Scott, a for mer vendor at the Austin Town Hall Far mers

Market, is opening the North Lawndale Community Far mers Market June 8. outside of Bible Way Apostolic Faith Church, according to Block Club Chicago.

At the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market, artisanal breads, vegan pastries and ready-made hot food are some of what this year’s vendors are offering. The market doesn’t stop there. Musical performances, cooking demos and a pl ay area for kids will be at the park every Thursday, rain or shine, until the season ends in October.

Ne w o ering s … and a trolle y … are arriving at this year ’s Austin Town Hall

Contributing Reporter SAM TUCKER

Like all the changes that Larde has made since she became the first full-time market manager at the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market in 2023, this addition comes from the feedback ofthe community. Although Larde was born and raised in Austin, she doesn’t operate off ofnostalgia alone

When considering what to bring to the market, Larde talks with

Veah Larde, market manager, said this year she is looking forward to involving new vendors and starting a trolley service that brings people to the market.

“A market is not just the produce. It is not just the hot f ood. It is not just having some tchotchkes and things ofthat nature. It’s also about providing a sense of community for the community,” Larde said.

The 40-seat trolley service, operated by Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures, will allow people in Austin to sign up for pick-up locations in the area. The full locations and dates of when the trolley will operate are yet to be announced.

SHOPPERS PERUSE VENDOR TENTS AT THE AUSTIN FARMERS MARKET | PROVIDED

A VENDOR WEIGHS VEGETABLES AT THE AUSTIN FARMERS MARKET | PROVIDED

WINDY CITY MUSHROOMS REPRESENTATIVE WITH A SHOPPER | PROVIDED

community members at aldermanic forums, local churches and different community groups to hear the interests and needs of Austin residents

“I talk to those types of people to make sure that I am staying 100% true to the mission of bringing back what people are requesting. Not just telling people what they should have,” Larde said.

Larde said community members want a variety of food options at the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market. This year, two new vendors will be coming to the market. About 15 vendors in total will be selling items from vegan cupcakes to do-it-yourself garden kits.

Bennett Farms, a direct-to-consumer meat farm, is one of the two new vendors this season. They’re known for their pastureraised products such as nitrate-free hickory smoked bacon, ground-chicken chorizo and cheddar jalapeño chicken brats.

Tom Bennett, owner and operator, said they mainly offer chicken, pork, jerky, duck and beef products. All the meat comes from their farm in Edwardsburg, Michigan. They make the two-hour drive to Chicago from Michigan with their pasture-raised meats on an almost daily basis during the far mers market season.

Bennett said the ethical handling of their animals and the highquality, grass-fed diet makes for tastier and healthier meat. But it’s also a way to trust where your food is coming from.

“To know your far mer, know where your food is coming from and be able to trust your food source – that’s nice for people. I think a lot of people just take pride in that,” Bennett said. “They want to do the best that they can for the environment and the health of their family. Buying direct from the farm is as good as that’s going to get.”

BOT Bakery, a vegan and gluten-free bakery that focuses on small-batch items, is also a new vendor this season.

Betty Alper, owner and operator of BOT Bakery, said she’s been in the Chicago far mers market space for the last 13 years, but this will be her first season vending in Austin. She said her products vary with the season, often depending on what herbs and ingredients grow first in her garden. Every week she usually brings her popular items, such as her peanut butter sandwich

cookies, and a tahini chocolate chip cookie infused with CBDs “Besides everything being vegan and gluten-free, I use all organic ingredients…even though my ingredients are such high quality, I’m actually cheaper than a lot of vegan items out in the world. I personally like reasonably priced items, so I try to make it as reasonably priced as I can,” Alper said.

Alper said that people should expect all kinds of sweet and savory treats this season. Her prices range from $1 for single cookies and about $10 for cakes and larger items.

The Austin Town Hall Far mers Market accepts SNAP and LINK Match.

SHOPPERS LOOK OVER FRESH FRUIT OFFERINGS AT THE AUSTIN FARMERS MARKET | PROVIDED

Bread Head Bakery is returning to the market this season with new sourdough bread creations. They offer a range of sourdough and fermented bakery items as well as hot food

Chris Chaney, co-owner and head baker, said they created more hot food options this season to supply the demand they heard from Austin customers.

New items, such as their BLT panini, and grass-fed beef hotdogs sourced from a Wisconsin farm – all served on their fresh sourdough bread – will be alongside fan favorites like their sourdough garlic flat bread and their classic homemade sourdough loaves.

“Because bread, as a lot of people know, is very processed… it’s really just about providing people with a really good, healthy option they can continuously buy and not feel bad about,” Chaney said.

Chaney said he looks forward to getting back to the welcoming feeling of the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market.

“It’s a really good family environment with the music and the people from the neighborhood and neighboring zip codes that come through. It seems like a family-oriented type of market compared to the other markets I’ve been to,” Chaney said.

Larde said that she’s proud to see the market gain more customers than last season. She said they usually see 70 people per day, an uptick from previous years. Last summer, they had five days over the season with more than 160 people. For vendors and community members alike, the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market is designed by the community, for the community

“I want to create an experience that brings and breathes community. That’s my purpose. I want people to know that they are not forgotten. I want them to know that they too deserve good and fresh food,” Larde said.

IF YOU GO:

The Austin Town Hall Market is located at 5610 W. Lake St. It will be open every Thursday from 1 to 6 p.m.

North Lawndale Community Farmers Market will be open on Saturdays from 12 to 5 p.m. It is located at 1807 S. Kostner Ave.

VEAH LARDE, THE MARKET MANAGER

JUNE 28 - 29

THE BLACK AURA: A CELEBRATION OF BLACK LIBERATION

In Partnership with Westside Health Authority & Lyric Unlimited

JULY 20

RUMBLE ON THE WEST SIDE: TYSON V PAUL

In Partnership with Illinois State Representative La Shawn K. Ford

AUG TBD

SCHOOL DAZE NEW WAYS

An Education Conference for the West Side

The Bank of America Chicago 13.1 is collaborating with West Side residents to offer FREE wellnessbased activities during race weekend that support, advance and celebrate health, wellness and movement on Chicago’s West Side. Activities include a family-friendly 1.31-Mile Wellness Walk, youth running events, and opportunities to showcase local West Side businesses.

Provide Motivation for a Lifetime of Community Involvement IN AUSTIN ROOTS

Contributing Reporter LACE Y SIKORA

Walker’s roots in the community go ba to his parents. In the early 1990s his parents were looking for more space for their family than their Howard Street-area home could provide, but they wanted to stay in a community where they could give back some of the support they had been given on their upward trajectory in life.

According to Walker, they saw Austin as that type of community and realized their money would go farther in Austin than it did in West Rogers Park Walker was away at college when his parents Austin their home, but he moved back after school, staying with them for a stint.

Proviid

Sharif Walker is known as one of the West Side’s movers and shakers. A community and youth advocate, he’s worked for After School Matters and is a commissioner of the Chicago Park District. As a for mer board chair at Austin Coming and current president and CEO of Bethel New Life he is committed to the Austin community professionally and personally.

invested in turning the third floor of the house into a suite with a bathroom and kitchen for his parents. Walker, his wife and daughter lived in the house with them.

just any house, either.

alkers lived in one of four architectursignificant homes designed by architect edrick Schock in Austin. The Walkers’ house was designed in 1887 for Schock’s aunt, Catherine Schlect. The Shingle Style home with recessed porches and projecting bays has been featured on Open House Chicago and is a historic anchor of the community.

r Walker, the home has been a eat place for his family

SHARIF WALKER

When a job transfer moved his parents to Atlanta in the late 1990s, they wanted to keep the house in the family. Walker tried to maintain the family home and his own on the South Side and found it a challenge.

His parents eventually moved back to the area, and the family

“My sister is adopted, my aunt is adopted and we recently adopted a woman who went to the college I ent to, and she’s a young mother,” Walker said. “We are trying to support another genoung people. We have a dog, too. It’s enough to make a television show out of.”

Walker recalls getting a call in 1999, learning that the home had been designated a Chicago Landmark. At the time, he was working for After School Matters, which was across the street from the city’s Cultural Center. He remembers walking down the Cultural Center’s hall one day and seeing a photo of

his house on the wall.

“It took me aback,” he said. “You grow up in the hood with a couple of holes in the wall, and you end up in this house that’s being heralded for preservation excellence. It’s a big step.”

In 2020, Walker was just getting his consulting business off the ground when he was asked to consider taking on the CEO job at Bethel New Life. Walker was already a board member at Austin Coming Together due to the recruitment efforts of community icon Mildred Wiley

She passed away before he joined Bethel New Life, but he credits her influence in the role he plays in the community today.

“She was a big advocate for the Austin community,” Walker said. “She worked at Bethel New Life for over twenty years.”

Bethel New Life has a nine-acre West Side campus that includes more than 200 units of c

Life’s large campus as a plus for this kind of work.

The original St. Anne’s Hospital on the campus dates to 1902, and Bethel New Life recently received a HUD grant to convert the hospital to senior living. Walker has eyes on expanding the wellness and social services to all aspects of the community.

He is partnering with over 50 organizations and recently launched a capital campaign to build the Mildred Wiley Wellness Hub.

“Our campus is within six blocks of the area with the most gunfire in the city,” Walker said. “It needs investment.”

Re c ently, Walker says Bethel New Life was awarded $2 million as part of a Chicago Recovery Grant for the campus’ planned horticultural center. He

had halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Walker wanted to return the organization back to its original vision and more.

“With COVID, equity, police violence, George Floyd — the whole country was going through a transition,” he said. “A lot of the work we began strategizing around was through that lens.”

With proximity to Humboldt Park, Cicero, Oak Park and Austin, Walker saw a need to focus on the wellness spectrum, both physical and mental, and saw Bethel New

the pie of a larger food ecosystem on the West Side that Walker says is already underway. “We’ve known we were a food dessert here for year,” he says and adds, “We want to create a robust, signature presence in the community.”

He cites Liz Abunaw’s 40 Acres Market on Chicago Avenue, and BUILD’s garden as part of the network of food and garden initiatives that are already working on the West Side and says that Bethel New Life will be add another layer to that.

Bethel New Life is also exploring opportunities for a health clinic on site and is

ALD. EMMA MITTS, CENTER, HELPS BETHEL NEW LIFE, RUSH AND AMAZON OFFICIALS, INCLUDING BETHEL CEO SHARIF WALKER, THIRD FROM RIGHT, CUT THE RIBBON ON THE NEW FOOD PANTRY ON THE WEST SIDE. | FILE

in the early stages of conversations about turning a condemned parking garage on the campus into housing for low-income families and seniors.

for the additional $3 million needed to construct the center and says it has the potential to change the neighborhood.

Several years ago, he visited a horticultural center in Pittsburgh and saw that the green house and center provided opportunities to create and sell product as well as training in marketing, re pair work and ag riculture. He thought, “What if we could do that right here in the community?”

The horticultural center is one piece of

“The crux of the conversation about Austin and Garfield Park and North Lawndale is that we’re tough neighborhoods. There’s not a lot of conversations about culture and pride in the community,” he states.

Walker is working to change that and says that it all started with his parents. “It’s all about the engagement. They started on the path with a lot of intentionality about being attached to the community.”

PUTTING THE 'NEIGHBOR BACK IN HOOD':

BUILD Chicago uplifts Austin community

Contributing Reporter FIONA ROAC H

When Adolfo “Scooby” Tolayo was 14 years old, he was court-mandated to participate in BUILD Chicago’s youth programming. At BUILD, Tolayo quickly gravitated towards art as a means of self-expression, and BUILD supported him by enrolling him in summer camp at the Art Institute of Chicago and connecting him with artists across the city. Now, Tolayo works as BUILD’s art academy coordinator at their 61,000 square foot campus in Austin, offering the same services to the next generation of young people.

Founded in 1969, BUILD provides a host of community services to Chicago’s youth, including mental health care, sports facilities, arts programs, college and career preparation and more. Its Austin campus, which opened a little over a year ago, also frequently hosts community events, such as art shows and concerts.

The campus — with a colorful, inviting interior and a large farm on the outside — is home to a fitness lab, a recording studio, a woodshop and a maker’s lab with 3D

printing and laser-cutting technolo

BUILD also has a laundry r showers for anyone in the community who needs it

“Our goal is to be as much of one-stop-shop as possible, Community Officer Bradly said. “Because once you ha audience, it isn’t ef fective to sending them somewhere else other things that they need.”

BUILD be gan as a small of Humboldt Park with teams located in schools and throughout the community, according to Chief Dev Officer Kirsten Mallik.

and a quarter-acre farm and orchard. The farm, complete with a chicken coop and an outdoor learning center, supplies free produce to the community.

Today, BUILD is open seven days a week, offering classes, events and an inviting third place for people to socialize and relax. The only thing a “BUILDer” might ever have to pay for is a coffee or sandwich from Momentum Coffee, a Black-owned coffee shop with a location inside BUILD

All of these services are part of BUILD’s mission to walk alongside community members, helping them overcome sys-

As the neighborhood changed and became more gentrified, however, BUILD decided to move to Austin in 2012, where the nonprofit grew “exponentially,” said Johnson. The decision to transition the Austin office into a youth programming center arose from demonstrated need in the community.

“In 2016 there was an enormous spike of violence in Austin, and even though our facility wasn’t a youth center, youth just sort of started coming in through the doors and spending time in the offic-

es because they needed a safe space,” Mallik said. “That’s when BUILD realized that it was time to think about creating actual safe spaces and offering actual physical infrastructure.”

After a capital campaign that started in 2019 and raised over $24 million, BUILD opened its renovated Austin campus on Feb. 23, 2023. The facility on W. Harrison Street spans a city block, which also includes green playfields, a peace garden

temic barriers and achieve positive futures, which can look different for each person, according to Johnson.

Johnson described BUILD ’s work on violence intervention — helping young people who have been involved in violence or g ang activity through mental health, education and career services — as “downstream” wo rk Vi olenc e pr evention, on the other hand, is “upstream” work, in an attempt to stop

STUDENTS SHOWCASE THEIR CREATIVE SIDE WITH BUILD ART CLASSES. | PROVIDED

violence before it even occurs.

“Prevention is before anything has happened,” Johnson said. “It’s pouring into young people the things that they need, that can help them have healthy and full lives, prepare them for their future.”

Services like Tolayo’s art classes, free access to licensed therapists and a kid’s culinary program are all part of prevention. According to Johnson, it’s important to provide these options so young people are less inclined to choose violence.

BUILD also offers entrep reneurshi p programs, where “BUILDer”s can lear n about starting a business or working

in fields such as music production and engineering.

“This helps our population actually go from being the users and the consumers to being the producers and owners. That flips the script,” Johnson said. “That’s what violence prevention is.”

Not only do these programs expose “BUILDers” to potential educational and career opportunities, but they also help them work through their emotions. Tolayo accomplishes this through classes and events at BUILD’s campus, as well as outreach in several local schools.

“The kids have a hard time expressing

themselves, so I help with that, have them open their feelings and open their past trauma with art,” said Tolayo. “I’ve been working with generations of kids now. Now they bring their cousins, they bring their aunts or uncles or friends.”

Tolayo and his students also work on murals throughout Austin, which both rebeautifies the community and offers the kids a chance to see their work displayed on a large scale, empowering them and giving them something to take pride in.

“Art is universal,” said Ricardo Miranda, manager of STEAM education programs. “You can heal, find your voice, express yourself, be angry and feel good about it. And art builds community. We have this saying where we’re like, ‘We’re trying to put the neighbor back in hood.’ We want to do that through art.”

Tolayo’s story — that of a “BUILDer” becoming a staff member — is a common one. So common, in fact, that BUILD offers apprenticeship and internship programs as a pathway for “BUILDers” to gain work experience, which they can continue to apply at BUILD or they can use to “launch of f” to other careers, according to Miranda.

“It’s a full circle,” Miranda said. “Who better to be the experts at what we do than young people that have been through the program?”

BUILD’s facilities are open to people of all ages and are not restricted to Austin residents. As a beehive of activity, anyone looking to get involved is encouraged to stop by anytime.

“Nobody can provide everything for an individual,” Johnson said. “But if you can spark hope inside of them, keep having these small victories, they get there. Because ultimately, they’re the agent for the change in their lives. We’re just a bridge to support them.”

A STUDENT PAINTS A MESSAGE OF HOPE AT BUILD. | PROVIDED

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The artistry of braids, other natural hairstyles and their link to Black culture

At any given time, of any given day, of any given year, on any given street, you’ re sure to spot the enviable artistry of braids

Contributing Reporter DEBORAH BAYLISS

Thinking back about those times of getting my own hair braided as a little girl, I can recall sitting on a chair in the kitchen or on the living room floor as my aunt or cousin combed, parted and brushed my tightly coiled hair into submission for a certain style.

The end result was perfectly organized plaits that provided me with the selfesteem to hold my head higher and to walk a little slower past the other children on the block and the neighborhood ladies who always paid attention to who’s hair was combed or not.

By the time I was 10 or 11, I could cornrow or French braid with the skill level of a seasoned adult. However, it wasn’t much to brag about. In Black culture, attaining a braiding skill at a young age was common.

Quite a few of the little girls on my West Side block knew how to comb and braid hair. We’d provide the service for friends and family for a couple of dollars to spend at the corner store.

The evolution of braid styles over the years is showing up today as great artistry. Braid- and Black-hair- care products overall sparked tremendous industry growth. African Americans today spend more than $1 trillion annually on Black hair care products, statistics show.

Whether intricately patterned cornrows, messy braids with long flowing tendril,

braids adorned with silver and gold hair accessories, box braids, long micro braids, locs/dreadlocks, twostrand twists, or super-sized jumbo plaits, African Americans from all rungs of society sport these culturally relevant hairstyles. So, at any given time, of any given day, of any given year, on any given street, of any given city, you’ll likely spot the enviable artistry of braids and lock/loc styles.

I think it’s worth pointing out the difference between locs and dreadlocks (coily strands of hair that are allowed to grow and intertwine without cutting or chemically treating them), is that dreadlocks are free-formed symbols of power and spirituality. Locs on the other hand, are more defined with no spiritual connotation.

Braids and locs/dreadlocks styles date back to ancient Africa and Egypt.

To help provide the historical aspect about braids and locks/locs, I visited Tywanna Patrick, Master Natural Hair Care Professional, and owner of NuBginNs Natural Hair and Wellness Center, on Chicago’s West Side.

On a chilly day in March at NuBginNs – amid the welcoming chatter and Afrocentric ambiance – a young male reclined comfortably, prepped and ready for a loc maintenance wash and retwist.

As the young man and other clients were tended to by their stylists, Patrick and I chatted about the history of braids and locks/locs and their connection to Black culture.

“Anything having to do with free-for med or manipulating coily, curly-textured hair has been around since the beginning of time,” Patrick said.

Patrick spoke eagerly about her not-solong-ago trip to Egypt where she visited the Cairo Museum and saw first-hand excavated artifacts that included braided and locked headdresses, further proof the styles date back to ancient times

During slavery, after working from sunup to sundown on plantations picking cotton or tobacco, braiding hair was one of the ways women of African descent nur tured and cared for one another, Patrick said.

As decades passed, other hairstyles have come and gone, but Black women always return to braid styles

Longtime NuBginNs client Lonyea Ellis, alternated over the years between various styles before finally making the commitment about three years ago to loc her hair.

“I wore a lot of protective styles,” Ellis said. “Faux locs, box braids, twists, were my three go-tos.”

Patrick started out in 1987 as a licensed cosmetologist providing chemical services, but shifted to braiding, loc’ing, two strand twists and other natural hair care services.

Hair Initiative – a ‘Hair Matters Movement’ to teach proper braiding procedures and techniques – is concerned yet determined to raise awareness about premature hair loss associated with braiding.

“What I’m promoting now is the practice of safe hairstyles,” Simmons-Ellis said.

Operating from her WB Natural Hair Therapy Salon at 3443 W. Chicago Ave., Simmons-Ellis provides consultations on the proper braid styles for various hair types.

“My focus for having a natural hair salon was primarily because on the West Side of Chicago, almost 20 years ago now, there was a lack of natural hair services,” Patrick explained. “I wanted to be able to provide a service that was near and dear to my heart.”

She’s transitioning again to teaching fulltime with plans to open her own school on the West Side.

The focus on natural hair and braids includes spreading awareness about the result of premature hair loss due to braids that are too tight and/or too much synthetic hair used in the braid style.

Frances Simmons-Ellis, Wrap Braids creator and founder and CEO of the Healthy

It’s no secret that African Americans face discrimination when wearing these hairstyles.

In one of many well-publicized cases, a Black male high school student was subjected to humiliation and mistreatment after a wrestling coach chopped off his locks before the teen was allowed to compete in his wrestling match.

Those kinds of traumatic occurrences led to The Crown Act, or Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, legislation meant to protect

Black people in public schools and the workplace from hair discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, twists, locs/ locks, and Bantu knots

Started in 2019, the movement continues to grow

“It is important to outlaw racial discrimination in all of its forms,” said Crown Act champion and Scholar, Adjoa B. Asamoah.

“There has been a longstanding and problematic practice of race-based hair discrimination in this country. It is important to not only call it out but to make it illegal to do. Prior to the introduction of the Crown Act, the courts had decided that hair is not a racial characteristic.”

While a lot of braiding still takes place in homes, my own included, salons are doing well with clients who prefer the salon treatment.

LEGALLY PROTECTING HAIR

When I talk about braids and lock/locs, I have to also mention the traumatic, and political aspects associated with these styles. Such as the extreme events that prompted calls for Congress to provide protection against race-based bias in terms of braids, locks/locs, and other natural hair styles.

The Crown Act categorizes hair as a racial characteristic, thereby extending statutory protection of African Americans’ hair under currently protected classifications of race. The legislation must be re-introduced in both chambers of congress every year until it becomes law in both chambers. Although it has passed in The U.S. House of Representatives, it is yet to pass in the Senate

While about 23 states have passed similar hair protection legislation, not all of those are Crown Act legislation.

“More important than the number of states, is that protection is now extended to millions of people across the country including via ordinances of municipalities,” Asamoah added.

BRIAD, LOC, CORNROW, AND TWIST ARTISTRY SHOWN HERE ARE THE WORK OF TYWANNA PATRICK, OWNER OF NUBGINNS NATURAL HAIR AND WELLNESS CENTER AND OTHER BRAID ARTISTS WHO WORK FROM HER SALON. | TYWANNA PATRICK.

Webelievethereisabenefittoyoubyourcollaboratingwithhealthcare partnerstomakethetherapyexperienceforadults,children,couples,and familieshappenininnovativeways.Weseeintegrativetherapyandcounseling asawaytoexplore,develop,andenrichtheselfforyouandyourfamily.

When a mother's mettle is tested, she builds a garden for survivors like her

Mercy Garden of Peace and Healing feeds a body lettuce, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes, maybe garnished with bouquets of herbs

The garden also nourishes the starved hearts of the mothers, grandmothers and sisters who grieve those they lost to Chicago’s gun violence epidemic.

Fresh produce is hard to come by on the West Side. Respite is just as hard to find.

Bertha Purnell, a for mer nurse, can attest to that. When her son, Maurice, was shot and killed in 2017, she would have to drive to her own job more than 20 miles outside of the city to get the mental health help she needed. Who can do that when just getting out of bed requires the last of your body’s energy reserves?

Black families on Chicago’s West and South sides fare far worse than white

Editor ERIKA HOBBS

ones in richer parts of the city. They are exposed to higher rates of trauma and violence, and, as a result, mental health distress. They are far less likely to have access to resources that can help them cope, research shows, whether that’s a counselor or a store for food that keeps them healthy.

She needed help. She needed space. She needed quiet — maybe some place with a tree, if it wasn’t too much to ask. And she needed to work not only to stop gun violence, but to help support the surviving victims, as well.

And she would do it. In time

MAURICE RAYSHAWN PURNELL, SR.

Maurice, Purnell said, was the baby of her babies. The last one born of the

The story of Merc y Garden of Peace and Healing

triplets who expanded her flock from two to five. He was 28 when he died, shot on the sidewalk on a summer early evening. That year, Chicago officials were ramping up plans to work with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for help after a record year of gun-related homicides.

Bertha Purnell, who was commuting to Evanston for work, forged a new routine, driving weekly between Chicago’s police precinct and the States Attorney’s office to ask: What’s new in the investigation into my son’s killer? They had a name, she said, but it wasn’t until November that someone was finally arrested.

There were also Maurice Jr., Brooklynn, Lareese and Makeyla — her son’s own babies. Who would help take care of them?

As the stress, fear and trauma festered in

her, paranoia welled, too: Was the shooter driving by her house laughing at her?

“As a nurse, I was not helping people and definitely not helping myself,” she said.

She knew something had to give. Or, maybe, something had to be grown

PLANTING

Purnell joined the Oak Park-Austin chapter of Moms Demand Action, a program of Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence-prevention advocacy organization. Women there asked what she needed to feel supported.

“We talked about a garden,” she said, “and how we wanted a safe place where families can come together and mothers can sit under a tree and have a conversation or just sit quietly if we needed to.”

During this time, Purnell also founded Mothers OnA Mission28, a support and re-entry nonprofit group.

Mothers OnA Mission28 “is like the stone soup in the restorative justice movement,” Purnell said. “We’re that big pot of water with that one stone, and then others come in and put their sauce in, and maybe someone else puts their ingredients in to make a great soup.”

AND CHILDREN

S’MORES

A

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“No one organization can do it all,” she said.Still, finding land for the garden wasn’t easy.

The groups turned first to the city’s land bank, but the best they could find was a $40,000-lot. The garden idea was volunteer-led; there was no money for that.

They then turned to NeighborSpace, a Chicago nonprofit urban land trust that preserves and sustains gardens, and they found a strip of land at Mercy Housing Lakefront. The Austin apartments serve low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities.

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WOMEN

MAKE

AROUND

FIRE

In 2022, after more than two years’ worth ofturning over stones and searching for the right seeds and seasonings, the Mercy Garden of Peace and Healing was born. It serves victims of gun violence and other traumas.

“The lot we got was a mess,” said Mary Ann Buck, a Moms Demand Action volunteer. “It was dirty and full ofterrible things. But everyone helped us clean it out and we did it.”

Since then, the slice ofland tucked away from traffic on West Quincy Street has been mulched. Raised beds have been built; red and yellow tulips are among the first to grow from them. There’s a play area for kids. Volunteers spruced up a gazebo and plan to decorate the site’s shed with painted handprints ofthe children who visit

Last summer, the garden’s first harvest, dozens ofpeople showed up to work the beds and to bring home food. Some nights, Purnell said, as many as 35 people left with bags of vegetables

THE APPLE TREE

Gardening is only a piece ofthe plan. In cool weather, visitors hang out and make s’mores. Purnell and supporters hold music and could include pop-up she said.

Then there’s the tree, an tree, a kind ofGardenof-Eden tree on the Side. But these sweet, for pie-making Lord knows the bitterness ofthose Eden supposed to be first time around

And in this shad women sit, Purnell said.

grubby hands, they talk. Share stories. Someone picks dandelions for tea. Or they sing. Sometimes carols. Mostly hymns

“I was there the other day and one of the kids who was playing came up to his grandmother and said ‘here’ and put the biggest worm I had ever seen in her hand!” she said.

When they’re not snatching wor ms from

back to let someone else take the lead. As strong as her voice made for singing. She sings anyway.

When the songs fade, they listen to the kids laughing in the garden.

“That’s the most joyous noise,” she said.

onate or to lear n more about Mercy Garden for Peace and Healing and its partners, visit: https://www. gofundme.com/f/mercy-garden-of-peace-and-healing

Young moms and children need stability to take the next steps forward.

New Moms ensures that young moms have what they need to thrive.

Economic mobility is key to lasting change.

Being a mom shouldn’t require abandoning academic dreams.

We are still here...

Since 1972, The Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC), an organization regarded as a leader for fair housing rights, expansion of housing options, and economic opportunity, has been providing services to residents of the Village of Oak Park and the surrounding West Cook County communities including Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

For many years, OPRHC spent much time creating the residential integration you see in the Village

Main Office: 1041 South Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60302

708-848-7150 info@oprhc.org

of Oak Park today. This work, intentional in nature, allowed people of all races to learn about fair housing and their opportunities to live where they choose to live. Fast forward to a new century, as we celebrate 53 years of service to the community, we are beginning to pivot our work to strengthen community ties and residential relationships while continuing to help people with their housing needs. We are still here… for you!

City of Chicago Office: West Cook Homeownership Center 5934 W. Lake St. Chicago, IL 60644

773-887-5187 info@westcookhomeownership.org

Athena Williams, Executive Director

Austin United Alliance is a property development initiative of The Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC). As The Oak Park Regional Housing Center begins to pivot to work to increase housing inventory, we will continue to assist residents with their housing needs. Over the past 17 years as a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, we’ve assisted thousands of BIPOC families on their homeownership journey providing counseling on credit-debt management, financial empowerment services, and home and rental maintenance for healthy, sustainable, and stable housing on the Greater West Side. As we develop more housing, we will continue to keep the community updated about the Austin United Alliance Laramie State Bank Project and others. For more information, call: 708-848-7150 or send an inquiry to: info@oprhc.org.

MICHELE CLARK PRINCIPAL CHARLES ANDERSON

WALK S

Charles Anderson, principal of Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School, walks the walk as much as he talks the talk when he encourages his students to make the most of their opportunities. A product of Chicago’s Austin community, he has faced the same challenges as his students and, as such, serves as an authentic role model for their own pathways to success.

Anderson grew up on Lockwood Avenue as the eldest of four siblings. His parents still live there and he often runs into many of his students when he is visiting them.

“My dad is the bedrock of the neighborhood—everyone knows him. After he retired, he got a truck that he uses to help his neighbors. He and I used to do the ‘Sanford and Son’ thing together—but I decided I didn’t want to be part of that team,” he said, laughing.

“My mother was the Kool-Aid mom—I remember always having cousins and kids on the block around our house. I really learned to love the community from my parents,” Anderson said. Anderson graduated from Westinghouse Vocational High School and became the first in his family to attend college when he enrolled in Bradley University. The school had 3,000 students and, according to Anderson, very few were African American. It was a tough adjustment.

“I remember my parents rented a van and drove me to Peoria. They came to my dorm room and my mom made my bed— and then they drove away. I sat on the curb for 45 minutes thinking to myself,

Contributing Reporter JESSIC A MACKINNON

C Contribu

‘okay, now what am I supposed to do?’.”

Anderson didn’t know a soul on campus and had to learn a lot on his own, including how to fit into a predominantly white culture.

He remembers an incident when the campus police were trying to find the perpetrator of several crimes, describing the suspect as a 5’6” Black man with a small Afro. Although Anderson is only 5’2”, he said he was stopped countless times.

“No one knew how to describe us. They saw a Black kid walking across campus and thought I must be the suspect. That motivated me to help people see us as individuals. We still struggle with being our authentic selves,” he said.

After graduating with a degree in marketing, Anderson held several managerial jobs but didn’t feel fulfilled. He remembers abruptly leaving a job and dropping his keys in the company mail slot with a note indicating that he was quitting.

“As I drove off, I thought to myself, ‘oh my , what did I just do?’ I had my little freak out moment,” he said.

But shortly after that, he learned that his high school alma mater was hiring someone to help students with career prep and resume writing. The principal, Dr Lona Bibbs, was Anderson’s for mer high school counselor and she gave him the opportunity that changed the trajectory of his career. Dr. Bibbs, who has served as a mentor, encouraged him to go back to school for a master’s degree in counseling from Loyola University, where he also got his certification in administration.

When the original Westinghouse closed, Anderson decided to pursue assistant principal positions and landed jobs at Manley and TEAM Englewood high schools before serving as a principal at Biedler Elementary School. He has been principal at Michele Clark for eight years.

“One of my goals is to make sure there isn’t a kid who leaves wherever I’m serving without having a relationship with me. I want students to think they know me and that I am here to help them.

“Being a Black man growing up on the West Side, people don’t see you as someone wanting an education. But you have to fight to get that education without taking a back seat to stereotypes people may have. People told me I couldn’t do it and made me feel like a nerd for being too smart. I still wanted to be cool. But you can do it all. At Michele Clark, we push our students to realize that if there is something they want, they deserve it, regardless of their address or zip code,” Anderson said.

Anderson is focused on making students feel special and that regardless of what they’re doing, it’s important to him because it’s important to them.

“We’re often quick to tell young people what they’re doing wrong. But sometimes just understanding why they do things can help them rationalize through it,” he said.

Anderson also emboldens teachers and staff to play significant roles in enhancing the school’s reputation and being “part of the dream.” He encourages front-

THE WALK

the growth process that I’m trying foster for the school and for our community,” he said.

Anderson believes there is a lot of momentum and innovation in Austin and he taps its many resources to create opportunities for his students. Michele Clark has developed partnerships with, among other organizations, the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District, the Austin

Although Anderson has received many awards for his leadership, he might be best known among his students for his energetic dance moves and unorthodox sartorial style, mixing bold colors that match only according to his unique eye. Since embracing exercise and recently losing weight, he has gained more confidence in pushing boundaries.

“I’m sure my mom would say I got my

While Anderson is a gregarious, uninhibited person, he insists he is an introvert who needs quiet time alone to rejuvenate. However, he does admit that if he hadn’t gotten into education, his dream job would have been as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson or Tina Turner

“I just love dancing to any kind of music— I can find beauty in it all. I just don’t know all of the artists anymore,” he said.

WEST COOK YMCA WELLNESS PROGRAMS

Offered at no cost and includes a complimentary YMCA membership

ABOUT WEST COOK YMCA WELLNESS PROGRAMS BLOOD PRESSURE SELF-MONITORING PROGRAM

In communities across the nation, the Y is a leading voice on health and well-being. Since 2007, the Y movement has driven innovation in prevention and control of chronic disease to save lives and reduce healthcare spending. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Y delivers tangible results in evidence-based chronic disease prevention and control.

As a community-facing organization, the Y’s mission has long focused on helping people to live their healthiest lives and reach their full potential in spirit, mind, and body, acknowledging that individual “health” is influenced by a range of interconnected environmental, social, and biological factors.

PROVEN PROGRAMS

This is what the YMCA does: we invest in proven programs to prevent and control chronic disease by supporting people with physical activity, improved nutrition and peer support. We can improve health outcomes, we can reduce health spending, and we can reduce health disparities among at-risk populations.

REDUCE YOUR RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASE. COMPLETE A SELF-REFERRAL FORM FOR A FREE WELLNESS PROGRAM.

QUESTIONS?

cdp@westcookymca.org | 708.434.0235

Personalized one-on-one support for developing a blood pressure self-monitoring routine, tips for maintaining a healthy heart and nutrition education seminars.

PROGRAM GOALS:

•Reduction in blood pressure

•Better blood pressure management

•Increased awareness of triggers that elevate blood pressure

•Enhanced knowledge to develop healthier eating habits

ELIGIBILITY:

•At least 18 years old, and

•Diagnosed with hypertension or currently taking antihypertensive medication

•Not have experienced a recent cardiac event

•Not have atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias

•Not be at risk for lymphedema

PROGRAM LENGTH: 4 months

LEARN MORE: westcookymca.org/bpsm

SELF REFERRAL FORM:

C hurche s

OF THE WEST SIDE

The West Side of Chicago has a rich architectural history that is a reflection of the city’s growth from a welcoming enclave to immigrants to a thriving community for African Americans. Architect Christopher Payne is an Oak Park resident and architectural researcher who is working on a book about architect Joseph Silsbee. We called upon his in-depth knowledge of Chicago architectural history for help identifying ten buildings on Chicago’s West Side that are examples of the area’s rich history.

Some of the buildings are well-preserved, some are in the midst of restoration, and others are crying out for preservation. According to Payne, all are important parts of the city’s past. He says of the following examples, “What I think is so fascinating about most of these buildings is that they have these rich, layered histories that reflect the neighborhoods around them.”

Contributing Reporter LACE Y SIKORA

Photos by T ODD BANNOR

1 Friendship Baptist

5200 Blvd.

Founded in 1897 Streets, Friendship Baptist moved many times rent home in 1983.

2 Third Unitarian 301 N. Mayfield

Founded in 1868, the original Unitarian building In 1936 the parish’s new designed by and was added onto in 1956. Murals Andrene Kauffman 1955-63. Chicago local landmark in 1960.

3 Assumption Greek

Orthodox 601 S. Central Ave.

Founded in 1925, the original of Assumption Greek Or replaced in 1937 with the Romanesque Style building. copper-topped dome and classical Byzantine Style stained-glass windows.

4 St. Martins Episcopal 5710 Midway Park

Founded in its present location rent building for St. Martin’ in 1910. The English Gothic Style Arts & Crafts Style influences. In 2000, the interior of the church was revamped, removed and replaced by chairs

5 St. Malachy + Precious Blood 2248 W. Washington Blvd.

Originally built as a wooden structure in 1882, the church went through a few iterations before the current building was dedicated in 1930. The red brick building with a Spanish tile roof and 120-foot campanile was designed by architect Edward T. P. Graham. One of the oldest Black Catholic parishes in Chicago, in 2012 St. Malachy merged with Precious Blood

6 Fraternité Notre Dame

502 N. Central Ave.

Once home to Chicago’s largest Methodist congregation, Fraternité Notre Dame is an early twentieth century parish that today houses a daily mass and soup kitchen. Painted murals of the sisters decorate the interior.

7 Greater Holy Temple Church of God in Christ

246 N. California

This East Garfield Park parish was founded in the 1920’s In 1928, the congregation raised $500 as a down payment to purchase land for a new church but were swindled out of the money by a real estate agent. After operating out of a storefront, in 1944, they purchased their current sanctuary, a for mer Lutheran Church designed by architect Emmaus Kirche, and named it Holy Temple Church of God in Christ.

8 St. Martin De Porres

5112 W. Washington Blvd.

For merly St. Thomas Aquinas Church, St. Martin De Porres was established in Austin in 1908 as an Irish Catholic parish. The current building was constructed in 1923 in the English Gothic Style and was designed by architect Karl Vitzhum, who was a parishioner The church has a stained-glass mosaic window on the Immaculate Conception. The church was saved from demolition in 1989.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Basilica - 3121 W. Jackson Blvd.

One ofonly three Chicago churches designated a basilica, Our Lady ofSorrows was opened in 1902 and designated a basilica in 1956. The Italian Renaissance style church was designed by Henry Englebert, William J. Brinkman and John F. Pope. The church was featured in the film, “The Untouchables.”

10 Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church 2151 W. Washington Blvd.

Originally the Third Church of Christ, Scientist, the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church was designed in 1901 by Hugh M.G. Garden. The church was named a Chicago landmark in 1989 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

11 New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church 4301 W. Washington Blvd.

Originally known as St. Mel’s Irish Catholic Parish New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church was built in 1910. Much of the original design remains but new windows depict the slave trade and child martyrs of the Civil Rights Movement including Hadiyah Pendleton and Laquan McDonald

WEST COOK YMCA WELLNESS PROGRAMS

Offered at no cost and includes a complimentary YMCA membership

DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM

Help those at high risk adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles and reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Fully recognized by the CDC and proven to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes by 58%.

PROGRAM GOALS:

•Reduce body weight by 7%

•Increase physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week

ELIGIBILITY:

•At least 18 years old

•Overweight (BMI ≥25) AND

•Diagnosed with prediabetes via one of three blood tests or previous diagnosis of gestational diabetes

•Not diagnosed with T1 or T2 diabetes

•Not pregnant

If blood test not available, can qualify based on risk factors.

PROGRAM LENGTH: 12 months

LEARN MORE: westcookymca.org/dpp

SELF REFERRAL FORM:

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

Designed to help people seeking a healthier weight achieve their goals by making small, modest changes to their daily behaviors and forming sustainable healthy habits.

PROGRAM GOALS:

•Introduce behaviors that lead to sustained weight loss

•Develop personalized plans to incorporate those behaviors into their lifestyle

ELIGIBILITY:

•Must be at least 18 years old, and

•Desire a healthier weight

Not intended for individuals with specialized needs due to chronic disease or onset of a chronic disease.

PROGRAM LENGTH: 3 months

LEARN MORE: westcookymca.org/weightloss

SELF REFERRAL FORM:

F ane, A gent

Marion Street Fl G

Park, IL 60302

08-383-3163

www.colinfane.com

& Friday 9am-5pm

Larry Williams, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, CASL

5932 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60644

Bus: 773-379-9009

Fax: 773-379-0323

www.larrycarwilliams

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable.

I’m the right good neighbor for that. Call me today.

larry.williams.b0bk@statefarm.com.com Right coverage. Right price. Right here in town.

s/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm 9am-12pm Scan and learn more.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Colin Fane, Agent

Colin Fane, Agent

212 S Marion Street Fl G

212 S Marion Street Fl G

Oak Park, IL 60302

Oak Park, IL 60302

Bus: 708-383-3163

Bus: 708-383-3163

www.colinfane.com

www.colinfane.com

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm

Tues/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm

Tues/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm

Saturday 9am-12pm

Saturday 9am-12pm Right coverage. Right price. Right here in town.

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable. I’m the right good neighbor for that. Call me today.

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable. I’m the right good neighbor for that. Call me today.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®