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WHAT IS AN REIA No matter which corner of this city we look to the best part of Chicago is our people Yet in talking to hundreds of neighbors lifelong residents and recent transplants celebrated civic leaders and corner store clerks we hear a common refrain Chicago is not working for all of us And we all feel powerless to fix it The CUE Equity Fellowship was born from the belief that we as the people who live in and love our city already have the power to change our destiny But to tap into our power we must be willing to work across different perspectives in government philanthropy media research and organizing to tackle the most challenging inequities of our time To meet this vision our 2019 Fellows committed to developing individual projects that promote racial equity at their organizations and to collaborate on at least one of our citywide projects In the upcoming pages you ll find that these thirty Chicagoans aren t just leaders in their field they are change agents willing to imagine a world we cannot yet see This playbook captures the first sketches of what that future could look like but it is an intentionally incomplete picture That s because racial equity is not just a future state where race can no longer predict our life outcomes it is the way we pursue that vision and the choices we make to shift and share power in that pursuit In that spirit this playbook is not an instructional manual It is a book of inspiration meant to start our civic dialogue We invite you to join us in the adventure of building the path toward the equitable city we deserve 2 CUE 2019 FELLOWS A Racial Equity Impact Assessment REIA is a set of questions used to investigate the benefits and burdens of a policy or practice This framework is the foundation of many of our Fellows projects While some have applied the REIA tool directly in their organizations others have adapted these guiding questions to develop inclusive decision making processes on topics broader than a single policy or practice such as strategic planning or leadership evaluation Niketa Brar STEP 1 DETERMINE OUTCOMES AND STAKEHOLDERS STEP 3 MEASURE BENEFITS AND BURDENS Q1 What is the policy and what problem is it trying to solve Q9 What are the benefits and who is most likely to receive them Q2 What other issues can this proposal impact Q10 What are the burdens and who is most likely to bear them Q3 Who are the key groups impacted by this issue Q11 What are different options to make this policy racially equitable Q4 How will these groups be involved in decision making STEP 2 LOOK AT NUMBERS AND NARRATIVES Candace Moore In partnership Q5 What data will we collect and look at Why Q6 Where do we see disparities in the numbers Q7 What can we learn from histories and narratives to better understand these numbers STEP 4 EVALUATE AND BE ACCOUNTABLE Q12 How will we evaluate the impacts of your solution Q13 How will our stakeholders engage in ensuring equitable outcomes Q14 How will we report back on these outcomes Q15 How will our evaluation impact improvements to the policy Q8 What questions still remain What information do we wish we had Niketa Brar and Candace Moore Co Directors of the CUE Equity Fellowship This model is inspired by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity GARE s toolkit we are grateful for their guidance and support in adapting this framework to our local context 2019 FELLOWS CUE 3

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 02 W ELCOME From Niketa Brar and Candace 22 CITYWIDE IMPACT SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT Moore CUE Equity Fellowship 03 WHAT IS AN REIA 06 GOVERNMENT 08 C REATING A YOUTH BILL OF RIGHTS Shifting Power in the Cook County Juvenile Probation System By Tamela Meehan Cook County Juvenile Probation 10 G OVERNMENT GRANTMAKING FOR RACIAL EQUITY Building a Framework for Racial Equity By Vanessa Uribe Cook County Bureau of Economic Development 12 A SSESSING INEQUITY IN FINES AND FEES Collecting Numbers and Narratives to Make the Case for Reform By Dana O Leary Illinois Office of the 26 PHILANTHROPY 28 SHIFTING PHILANTHROPIC CULTURE Cultivating a Community of Practice to Expand Racial Equity in Family Foundations By Leslie Ramyk Conant Family Foundation 30 FROM GRANTMAKERS TO CHANGEMAKERS By Rachel Pate Chicago Community Trust Foundation 32 SHIFTING FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO COMMUNITY CONSENT Lessons from the OgdenJenner Merger By Lauren Burdette Chicago Public Education Fund 34 CITYWIDE IMPACT ENVISIONING EQUITY Executive Inspector General 14 I N DEFENSE OF DATA Using Data to Build Equity into Public Defense B y Era Laudermilk Cook County Public Defender s Office 16 B UILDING EQUITY FROM INSIDE TO OUT Unmasking hidden biases preserved in organizational policies B y Tracy Bishop City of Chicago Office of the City Clerk 18 P LANNING FOR A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT Building Chicago s Public Housing to Address Climate Change By Gavin Taves Chicago Housing Authority 20 E QUITY ACROSS THE BOARD Advancing Racial Equity within Cook County Government By Delrice Adams Cook County Justice Advisory Council 4 CUE 2019 FELLOWS 38 ARTS DESIGN MEDIA 40 DESIGN FOR SELF DETERMINATION A Pathway for Redeveloping Closed Schools By Paola Aguirre BORDERLESS 42 INCLUSIVE STORYTELLING Whose Voice Matters in State Matters By Kacie Smith State Matters 44 PRODUCTIVELY SPECIFIC A Chicago Poet Distinguishes Between Diversity and Equity By Tiffanie Beatty Chicago Humanities Festival 46 SPEAKING TRUTH WITH POWER Got Data Got Community Let s Tell a Story By Glenance Green Deputy Director Free Spirit Media 48 CITYWIDE IMPACT THE 2019 VOTE EQUITY PROJECT 50 RESEARCH POLICY 52 N OTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT Us Community Academic Collaboration to Grow Racial Equity in Research B y Jen Brown Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities Northwestern University 54 BUILDING WITHOUT BIAS Leading a Cultural Shift to Foster Equitable Development By Kendra Freeman Metropolitan Planning Council 56 JUST FOOD Engaging the Field to Inform Equitable Agriculture Policy B y Imron Bhatti Advocates for Urban Agriculture 58 WORKING TOWARDS EQUITY An Assessment for Workforce Development Organizations By Tanvi Shah Chicago Jobs Council 60 WHOSE STREETS Ideas for Integrating Racial Equity into Transportation Decisions By Jim Merrell Active Transportation Alliance 62 EQUITY AS A JOURNEY Practicing What We Preach B y Genny Turner Illinois Public Health Institute 64 C ITYWIDE IMPACT FROM MEGA TIFS TO MEGA EQUITY 66 ORGANIZING ADVOCACY 68 BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY TO WHOM WE SERVE Equipping people with lived experience to lead transformation By Niya Kelly Chicago 72 S MALL BUSINESSES EXPENSIVE LAWYERS AND SYSTEMIC RACISM Evaluating programs for structural inequity By Clifford Helm Community Law Project of the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights 74 F ROM CLIENTS TO ADVOCATES A Racial Equity Approach to Housing Training Education By Jasemen Hatcher Open Communities 76 UNTOLD DAMAGES The Mental and Emotional Toll of Housing Discrimination on Survivors By Danielle McCain Civil Rights Attorney and Educator 78 W E CRY IN SILENCE Unpacking African American Male Mental Health B y Maurice Robinson Rallyus pro and QM Strategies 80 F ROM COLOR BLIND TO COLORBOLD An REIA at Peirce Elementary B y Megan Brand Speak Up 82 W HO GETS TO WORK WHO HAS TO LEAVE Using an REIA to organize for workers and residents rights By Leone Jose Bicchieri Working Family Solidarity 84 A SSESSING HOUSING QUALITY A Racial Equity Check Up By Loreen Targos Metropolitan Tenants Organization 86 CLOSING THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP An Analysis of Mortgage Lending Practices By Isaias Solis Latin United Community Housing Association LUCHA Coalition for the Homeless 70 S ETTING EQUITABLE TABLES Evaluating partnerships through a racial equity lens By Juanita Irizarry Friends of the Parks 2019 FELLOWS CUE 5

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GOVERNMENT What does equity look like between a government and its people In the most formal institutional power structure what can it look like to transform a relationship to share power Our Fellows in government roles approached these questions by acknowledging the role of government in creating structures that produce many of the disparities we see today Repairing this harm is government s primary obligation as it seeks to fulfill the promise of a democratic republic built by and for the people it serves Use narratives and numbers to build a baseline understanding of complex challenges Dana O Leary took this approach in exploring the inequities of our city s fines and fees structure while Era Laudermilk s work taps into internal data to promote equity at the Public Defender s Office Yet even with a commitment to this vision the path to get there is complicated and can take many forms Here are some strategies that Fellows explored this year Create structures to systematically dismantle historical legacies Tracy Bishop built a leadership council at the County Forest Preserves to evaluate all agency policies through a racial equity lens Gavin Taves translated his vision of equity to a long term climate resiliency plan that centers environmental justice in the Chicago Housing Authority s responsibilities to residents And Delrice Adams built a wholescale approach to racial equity for all of the Office Under the President at Cook County leveraging Vanessa Uribe s demonstration project as a case study of what the County aims to scale in the next five years 6 CUE GOVERNMENT 2019 FELLOWS Start with a concrete demonstration project to explore what is possible when a racial equity lens is applied to government Examples of this approach include Tamela Meehan s work to build a Youth Bill of Rights and Vanessa Uribe s evaluation of how Community Development Block Grant CDBG funding can fuel equitable economic development in Cook County s many municipalities These projects offer a guide on how to introduce a culture shift to promote a more equitable government For ideas on policies and practices that government decision makers can apply keep reading for inspiration for equitable community engagement like Paola Aguirre s efforts to use public space design to facilitate community self determination and building Isaias Solis s use of the REIA tool to address structural inequities in mortgage lending If you work in government start in this section but don t let it be the only one you visit 2019 FELLOWS CUE 7

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TAMELA MEEHAN 8 Tamela Meehan has been with the Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County since 1999 She currently serves as a Supervising Probation Officer with Cook County Juvenile Probation and previously served as a Clinical Coordinator with the Cook County Juvenile Court Clinic from 1999 2008 Tamela is a trained Peace Circle Keeper CREATING A YOUTH BILL OF RIGHTS Shifting Power in the Cook County Juvenile Probation System By Tamela Meehan Supervising Probation Officer at the Cook County Juvenile Probation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Coordinator for Cook County and also serves on the Committee for Results for Equity CUE GOVERNMENT Art work created in partnership with artists and youth located in the Cook County Juvenile Center CHALLENGE How do we build a juvenile justice system that is just compassionate and restorative Nationally our framework for public safety emphasizes punitive practices that echo the historical systems of oppression built for slavery Building a just system demands that we shift towards a culture of mutual respect and empower our young people to exercise self determination where our youth and families are partners in community transformation APPROACH We are building a Bill of Rights for youth and families engaged in our county s juvenile justice system The ultimate Bill of Rights will serve to set a standard of care across our system that hold us accountable to a shared vision for equity It is imperative that we realize the part we play in this system and to effect change we must collectively shift our views and base our work in kinship compassion and equity NEXT STEPS In the immediate future we are building the Bill of Rights for youth and families through these steps Youth leadership It is imperative that this process include youth and family voice input and buy in Focus groups will be held with youth and families to determine what they feel should be included in the Youth Bill of Rights It s relationships not programs that change children Young people thrive when adults care about then on a one to one level and when they have a sense of belonging to a caring community Shared learning We will be consulting with the Juvenile Probation Department in Portland Oregon Multnomah County as they were the first juvenile probation department in the county to develop a Youth Bill of Rights We are also consulting with the Department of Children and Family Services and Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center to discuss their process in developing their Youth Bill of Rights Engaging Organizational Stakeholders We are engaging a team of probation officers from our department to participate in exercises that will further develop the Bill of Rights We are also engaging upper management leadership and the judiciary for their review input and buy in Once the BOR is established within our department we plan to engage partners stakeholders and contracting agencies to shift our culture and approach in working with our youth and families ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For more information about this project email Tamela meehan cookcountyil gov 2019 FELLOWS CUE 9

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By Vanessa Uribe Manager at the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development CHALLENGE Government has historically been a perpetrator of racial inequity by implementing policies procedures and programs that benefit some more than others As the second largest county in the US Cook County government is taking an active role in addressing these inequities Under President Preckwinkle s leadership we formalized this commitment in the Cook County Policy Roadmap a five year strategic plan for the Offices Under the President As the County works to remove barriers to opportunity in our programs we are launching an ambitious multi year effort to embed a racial equity lens in every department s planning priorities and practices APPROACH As part of this broader effort my fellowship project utilizes a Racial Equity Impact Assessment in evaluating the County s Community Development Block Grant CDBG program which 10 CUE GOVERNMENT Government tends to function on the notion that it s always been this way but we need to ensure we re equitably serving all residents by asking why provides grants to local municipalities and community organizations Reviewing the program for the first time in years allows us an opportunity to assess its actual impact As we conduct this assessment we are looking for Gaps in accessibility NEXT STEPS The CDBG program analysis will serve as a demonstration project for Cook County that will be used as a case study as we scale this approach across programs and departments It will provide an outline for other county programs to assess whether we are truly addressing inequities Additionally as the two Cook County CUE Fellows this year Delrice Adams and I are leading the Racial Equity Leadership Council a core group of champions for racial equity within the Offices Under the President We are tasked with leading this effort long term and aspire to create lasting change in the way government functions and its role in society Obstacles in application requirements and Fairness in the evaluation criteria and process Our goal is to ensure that the limited resources we have through CDBG are reaching those most in need ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Interested in learning more about Cook County s Policy Roadmap Visit https www cookcountyil gov service policy roadmap Vanessa Uribe is a program manABOVE County s Community Development Block Grant funded programs projects ager with the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development focusing on policy implementation and stakeholder engagement A passionate builder of inclusive and equitable partnerships planning processes and programs Vanessa is committed to implementing a racial equity framework at Cook County A career advocate for social justice Vanessa previously led efforts in VANESSA URIBE GOVERNMENT GRANTMAKING FOR RACIAL EQUITY Building a Framework for Racial Equity the Midwest region for UnidosUS a national civil rights and advocacy organization for the Latinx community in the US 2019 FELLOWS CUE 11

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DANA O LEARY Dana is a government attorney with a passion for increasing trust in government through community involvement and outreach As Assistant Chief Counsel at the City of Chicago Office of the City Clerk she worked on several initiatives aimed at increasing government accessibility and accountability The Clerk s Office led by City ASSESSING INEQUITY IN FINES AND FEES Collecting Numbers and Narratives to Make the Case for Reform By Dana O Leary Director of External Compliance and Outreach at the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General Clerk Anna Valencia administers the city vehicle tax City Stickers and issues dog licenses and the Chicago Municipal ID CityKey among many other things Dana recently transitioned from the Clerk s Office to the Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General where she is the Director of External Compliance and Outreach In her new role she is focused on designing implementing and overseeing ethics trainings and compliance work at state agencies and universities 12 CUE GOVERNMENT All of the neighborhoods with the highest rates of duplicate ticketing are located in majority black and brown communities on the city s South and West sides Source ProPublica CHALLENGE Of the 20 wards with the highest amount of ticket debt 16 are home to majority Black or Latino populations Of the 20 wards with the highest average ticket price 19 are majority Black And of the 20 wards with the highest percentage of tickets issued by the police 16 are majority Black or Latino with all of the top ten being majority Black communities As WBEZ and ProPublica s Driven into Debt series illustrates the City of Chicago s parking red light and speed camera ticketing and enforcement practices have a disparate impact on black and brown residents The consequences of these policies affect these individuals ability to support their families and often result in a criminal record bankruptcy or both APPROACH Amid media reports and public outcry the Chicago City Clerk s Office and several community groups assembled a taskforce to study the key factors leading to inequity in the fines and fees system Given the impact of collective storytelling and how this allows for trend analysis over time the city is collecting stories of those who have been impacted by the city s punitive system of financial penalties These stories will be combined with numbers and narratives from the city s online Fines and Fees Access Portal to help analyze the problem and develop recommendations Tacking on fines and fees for nonpayment without a determination of ability topay is effectively criminalizing poverty and is driving residents into debt LEFT Both the city and the Chicago Police Department can issue tickets The 10 wards with the most tickets issued by police officers all have majority black and brown populations Source ProPublica and WBEZ NEXT STEPS This analysis of quantitative and qualitative data will lead to a report that highlights trends pictures and stories showcasing how the city s stated policies do not always align with its actions This report will be presented to the new mayoral administration to help foster wider engagement for ticketing reform ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Email Dmoleary3 gmail com for updates on the July events 2019 FELLOWS CUE 13

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By Era Laudermilk Deputy Public Defender of Policy Strategic Planning at the Cook County Public Defender s Office 14 CHALLENGE The mission of the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender s Office is to protect the fundamental rights liberties and dignity of each person whose case has been entrusted to us by providing the finest legal representation For far too long systemic racism has plagued the people who enter the criminal system most of whom are our clients These inequities have been entrenched throughout the criminal justice system challenging each system stakeholder to work together to build a more equitable criminal justice system ers has committed to work collaboratively to increase equity throughout the criminal justice system APPROACH Thanks to the support of the MacArthur Foundation s Safety and Justice Challenge all of the criminal justice system stakeholders in Cook County have joined together to develop and implement new policies and practices to safely reduce the county jail s population and reduce the racial and ethnic disparities RED of the individuals who are brought into our criminal justice system Each of these stakehold NEXT STEPS The Public Defender s Office is taking this work one step further by conducting an analysis of our current practices to determine whether there are any unknown equities in how we represent similarly situated clients throughout the county Examine Current Data Analysis Capabilities We are partnering with researchers from Loyola University who will examine the cur CUE GOVERNMENT For to be free is not merely to cast off one s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others Nelson Mandela rent data elements captured by our new case management system eDefender Create a New Approach to Analyzing Data Through an Equity Lens Identify current gaps in information aka what questions are we unable to answer with current data elements and develop new data elements that will enable us to obtain a better understanding of potential disparities that exist within our Office as it relates to the legal representation of our clients and the outcomes of their criminal cases Implement Equitable Data Driven Strategies Use new data categories to inform Public Defender policies through an equity lens and develop a course of action to raise awareness of and work to overcome identified inequities in legal representation ADDITIONAL RESOURCES https www cookcountypublicdefender org ABOVE Cook County Public Defender Logo Era Laudermilk is the Deputy Public Defender of Policy Strategic Planning for the Cook County Public Defender s Office which protects the fundamental rights liberties and dignity of each person whose case has been entrusted to us by providing the finest legal representation Era has served in numerous leadership roles in criminal justice juvenile justice reform implementing policies that enhance positive outcomes for justice involved people Era is also an Adjunct Professor at DePaul Law School where she teaches her students about the history of racial inequities in the criminal justice system ERA LAUDERMILK IN DEFENSE OF DATA Using Data to Build Equity into Public Defense 2019 FELLOWS CUE 15

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TRACY BISHOP Tracy Bishop has worked at the Forest Preserves of Cook County since 2014 As Manager of Permits Revenue she oversees the customer service related policies and practices that produce a welcoming experience for the millions of people who use or visit the Forest Preserves and works to secure additional non tax based revenue to protect conserve and BUILDING EQUITY FROM INSIDE TO OUT Unmasking hidden biases preserved in organizational policies By Tracy Bishop Manager of Permits and Revenue at the Forest Preserves of Cook County CHALLENGE Public sector entities are especially challenged to identify the ways in which discrimination bias and racial prejudice emerges in the workplace in both historical and modern contexts As the Forest Preserves acknowledges these disparities we are working to center equity and make our green spaces an inclusive and welcoming environment for both employees and visitors APPROACH The County Forest Preserves launched our racial equity work with the creation of our Racial Equity Diversity and Inclusion REDI Committee in 2018 charged with the mission of ensuring equity in all of our policies and practices As we launch we have begun review in these areas Hiring discipline promotions trainings and professional development opportunities Preserve lands Tracy also serves Internal and external communications and as co chair of the Racial Equity Community engagement activities restore the 70 000 acres of Forest Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the Cook County Forest Preserves 16 CUE GOVERNMENT NEXT STEPS REDI will work across the Forest Preserves eleven operating departments along with our close partners in the development of new day today operating policies and practices that will help us foster an equitable and inclusive environment and workforce We began this work by focusing on top areas of concern such The Forest Preserves of Cook County is committed to working with the REDI committee and external partners in creating consistent practices across departments by reviewing and developing an equity guideline for current and future policies as hiring community outreach staff development and an overall level of diversity across the district The goal is to utilize these areas of focus as a baseline to unveil any inequities and work to develop a measurable process of creating accountability in the success of staff and community partners The REDI committee is committed to creating consistent practices across departments by reviewing and developing an equity guideline for current and future policies 2019 FELLOWS CUE 17

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By Gavin Taves Environmental Planner at the Chicago Housing Authority CHA CHALLENGE In 1995 a Chicago heat wave killed over 700 people many of whom were low income elderly residents of color who lacked air conditioning and support networks this is a prime example of environmental injustice In 2014 the Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD developed a Climate Change Adaptation Plan to address the most severe negative consequences of climate change acknowledging that a changing climate will have significant impact on residents who live in public housing Despite this report adoption of environmental policies and projects has been limited across the country s cashstrapped public housing agencies APPROACH To address this concern in Chicago the Chicago Housing Authority CHA 18 CUE GOVERNMENT Inventory all existing resiliency efforts and The CHA must respond to environmental threats Housing agencies are responsible for residents health and safety making it critical for CHA to plan for climate change Identify projects and policies that will advance the agency s mission to promote environmental and climate justice for its residents NEXT STEPS For equity to be realized in the end product the CHA Housing Resilience Plan will engage residents to ensure their experiences and expertise is reflected in the future work of the agency Ultimately this plan will require us as an agency to mitigate our environmental impact and protect residents against a changing climate As an environmental planner for the Chicago Housing Authority CHA Gavin develops ecologically sensitive design and policy interventions to engender environmental and climate justice While pursuing his degree in urban and environmental planning Gavin fused technology and policy to predict flood inundation generate land conservation analyses and develop a green infrastructure plan for Philadelphia Gavin s fellowship with CUE inspired the development of a climate resiliency plan for the CHA concentrated on intersectional equity issues related GAVIN TAVES PLANNING FOR A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT Building Chicago s Public Housing to address climate change is preparing a Housing Resiliency Plan The CHA is responsible for preparing its facilities and residents for environmental issues like heat waves polar vortexes extreme storms and flooding because of the disproportionate impact that climate change and local environmental conditions have on disenfranchised communities In preparing for an increasing number of environmental disasters like the heat wave of 1995 a Housing Resiliency Plan will address susceptibilities and plan for protecting public housing residents In developing this plan the CHA seeks to identify Key environmental vulnerabilities to climate and environmental justice ADDITIONAL RESOURCES http www peopleforcommunityrecovery org 2019 FELLOWS CUE 19

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DELRICE ADAMS 20 Delrice Adams is the Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council the office charged with spearheading Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle s criminal and juvenile justice reform agenda She advises on policies to reduce EQUITY ACROSS THE BOARD Advancing Racial Equity within Cook County Government By Delrice Adams Executive Director at the Cook County Justice Advisory Council the over reliance on detention and incarceration manages over 5M in grants supporting recidivism reduction violence prevention and restorative justice and is the primary spokesperson on behalf of the administration for matters relating to public safety Ms Adams has a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a Masters in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago CUE GOVERNMENT CHALLENGE Historically government has been a driver of systemic and structural racism Today we have an opportunity to address these inequities As the second largest county in the country Cook County is responsible for promoting health welfare and safety of 5 2 million residents across 132 municipalities making a focus on racial equity critically important to achieving different outcomes in our communities Under the leadership of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle the Offices Under the President OUP has implemented the Policy Roadmap a five year strategic plan which incorporates a racial equity lens in 6 policy areas to ensure that all Cook County residents have opportunities to prosper participate and reach their full potential no matter their race gender geography or socioeconomic status This work begins with President Preckwinkle s call for reform across six bureaus and 34 departments APPROACH My project focuses on assisting senior leadership at the Office Under the President OUP in developing a plan to advance racial equity through capacity building for our workforce and operationalizing the commitment to equity in all dimensions of our work We have established a Racial Equity Leadership Council RELC and have begun to Socialize racial equity through a training protocol for all employees that include topics such as Emotional Intelligence Implicit Bias and Cultural Competence Work with technical advisors as we implement a Racial Equity Impact Assessment Tool to institutionalize how we make policy and budgetary decisions Utilize demonstration projects like that of CUE Fellow Vanessa Advancing equity reaches beyond just focusing on disparities The goal is not to just eliminate the gap but increase success for all When we all win we ALL win Uribe to highlight how to apply a racial equity lens within operational functions as we work to scale these efforts countywide Use data to measure our progress towards our desired outcomes NEXT STEPS As we work to address historical and contemporary injustices it will take our collective efforts to build a future where race does not predict one s success and we improve outcomes for all Through this work we strive to be a national leader in advancing racial equity in government ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Interested in learning more about Cook County s Policy Roadmap and work in racial equity Visit https www cookcountyil gov service policy roadmap 2019 FELLOWS CUE 21

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CHICAGO IMPACT PROJECT SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT Applying the REIA tool in Logan Square LSNA Housing Organizer Christian Diaz with 2018 CUE Fellow Sendy Soto at one of the community REIA workshops Led by Juan Sebastian Arias Ellie Mejia Sara Shaw Adam Slade and Sendy Soto 2018 Fellows CHALLENGE In 2018 the Chicago Department of Transportation CDOT proposed Complete Streets project for North Milwaukee Avenue from Logan Square to Belmont The proposed redesign includes safety spot fixes as well as the creation of significant public open space and catalytic changes to the streetscape As the Complete Streets initiative came to Logan Square and Avondale its vision inspired urgent questions from residents and advocates Who will reap the benefits of these transportation and open space improvements What bur 22 CUE CITYWIDE IMPACT dens or unintended consequences will accompany the development Who will bear them In the face of investment that will increase home values what will prevent the community from experiencing another jolt like that delivered by the 606 Bloomingdale Trail an investment that displaced low and moderate income Latinx households through higher property taxes and increased rents APPROACH To answer these questions community organizers at the Logan Square Neighborhood As sociation LSNA and Latin United Community Housing Association LUCHA invited CUE to conduct an REIA on the project A series of REIA community meetings collectively drew interest from over 140 residents of Logan Square and Avondale who reviewed data and development plans reflected on neighborhood changes they ve experienced then generated recommendations to promote racial equity in this development KEY COMMUNITY CONCERNS Residential displacement particularly of longtime low income and or Latinx and immigrant residents who could see housing costs rise to unaffordable levels as property values go up Weakened community institutions and social cohesion such as decreased enrollment in neighborhood public schools as families experience displacement Increased over policing and harassment of youth especially Black and Latinx youth also often accompanies the beautification and increased usage of public spaces by higher income residents or visitors 2019 FELLOWS CUE 23

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Project investments catering to higher income White residents Participants expressed a persistent skepticism of city decisions and investments expressing that investment is only occurring now after increased development in the neighborhood that has resulted in the displacement of longtime Latinx residents KEY PROPOSED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR N MILWAUKEE AVE COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT Explicitly include racial equity as a goal of this Complete Streets project CDOT should name racial equity as a project goal to both begin rebuilding community trust and set up project design elements that support racial equity Develop an inter agency neighborhood preservation plan Mitigating displacement requires a comprehensive intentional strategy many tactics of which fall outside of the direct purview of CDOT Relevant departments should collectively develop a neighborhood preservation plan with community groups participating and providing oversight Support the creation and preservation of affordable family sized housing The city should follow through on its commitment to a 100 affordable housing development with family sized units on the Emmett St parking lot and preserve naturally occurring affordable housing by helping mission driven developers access capital to more competitively acquire and preserve affordable units 24 CUE CITYWIDE IMPACT KEY PROPOSED RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE PROJECTS Incorporate racial equity considerations into all CDOT decision making CDOT should adopt a practice of conducting Racial Equity Impact Assessments for all Complete Streets projects and other capital investments CDOT should also partner with the Government Alliance of Race and Equity GARE to embed racial equity throughout its operations and internal infrastructure as a proactive measure to address systemic injustice 2018 CUE Fellows Adam Slade and Sara Shaw on a late night of final editing of the REIA 2018 CUE Fellow Ellie Mejia reflects on the role of equity in decision making NEXT STEPS After this REIA was published its findings were used to support a public push to create a 100 affordable housing development one block from the proposed development With the efforts of local organizers the development easily earned support from local elected officials For the future this REIA illustrates how racial equity considerations need to be embedded into all government decision making processes including those of CDOT As we have seen well intentioned investments can often have unintended negative consequences To address this concern we encourage government entities to use Racial Equity Impact Assessments in their work To read the full report go to www ChicagoUnitedforEquity org reia Fellows Adam Slade Sara Shaw Juan Sebastian Arias Sendy Soto and Ellie Mejia celebrate the conclusion of their REIA 2019 FELLOWS CUE 25

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PHILANTHROPY If equity is not simply about outcomes but about a practice that restructures power then what role does philanthropy play in the work of building an equitable city Traditionally the structure of philanthropy centers the power of decision making on the wealthy few or staff they designate to advise their giving Often the fortunes they seek to distribute exist because of the inequitable system we now seek to eliminate As our Fellows explored this topic here are some approaches they developed Yet as many in philanthropy know no one wins in an unjust system Redistributing wealth in an equitable way is not just possible it is what we must strive for to build an equitable Chicago 26 CUE PHILANTHROPY 2019 FELLOWS Start by creating a peer learning community While philanthropy often collaborates on funding efforts many work alone in exploring racial equity and how it applies to their philanthropic efforts Leslie Ramyk explores this by building a community of practice for board members and staff at family foundations Investigate grantees efforts through an equity lens Lauren Burdette s project explores the case study of a grant funded merger at Chicago Public Schools and what can be learned from this project about funding equitable processes in the future Collectively these strategies offer philanthropic partners a roadmap for further exploring how to infuse a racial equity lens into the work of redistributing wealth Build racial equity into the strategic plan The best of intentions cannot protect us from inequitable outcomes vigilance in this vision requires us to set benchmarks track progress and measure our impact for equity rigorously as Rachel Pate explores in her work at the Chicago Community Trust 2019 FELLOWS CUE 27

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LESLIE RAMYK Leslie Ramyk executive director of the Conant Family Foundation has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector The Foundation includes two generations and prioritizes racial gender and economic equity A granddaughter of immigrants and daughter of a proud union member Leslie was the first in her family to graduate from college She earned a BA in American Literature and an MA in Liberal Studies at Northwestern University Leslie lives in a West Rogers Park historic Chicago bungalow with her 5th grade twins and furniturebuilding partner Mike Minton 28 2019 FELLOWS CUE PHILANTHROPY CUE SHIFTING PHILANTHROPIC CULTURE Cultivating a Community of Practice to Expand Racial Equity in Family Foundations By Leslie Ramyk Executive Director at the Conant Family Foundation CHALLENGE Is the notion of philanthropy inherently at odds with racial equity In our country family foundations were seeded by the good intentions of wealthy families But given our country s history these fortunes were amassed through education housing employment and tax policies that collectively created the racial wealth gap As a result family foundations disproportionately distribute the wealth of white families and given modern tax policies these foundations control enormous wealth without any accountability to the public But the majority of these families seek to build a better world through their giving It is our challenge to build a community of learning that can support a more equitable approach to philanthropy APPROACH My project delved into national efforts as I worked to build a welcoming local community with cooperative learning and constructive mutual support As we work to establish best practices to infuse our work with a racial equity lens we will create a new norm by reimagining How we conduct site visits There s no better symbol of white wealth privilege than family foundations America s housing education and employment systems favor white people Tax laws reward philanthropy assuming foundation money will benefit the public good But how do wealthy white families know what s good for the public that wealthy white families don t inherently know what other families want or need they must listen to and learn from the families they seek to serve in an attempt to decolonize wealth as Edgar Villanueva puts it Who makes funding decisions NEXT STEPS Often listening and learning to the communities most impacted by racial disparities is an act relegated to hired staff In our efforts we are creating and nurturing a community of practice where foundation staff can explore their own biases and deepen their own understanding of the systems of white supremacy first Then we aim to support one another to propose and implement changes within our foundations Once experienced staff create the space to discuss and share racial equity practices new staff will experience this as the norm All of these steps impact racial equity or inequity as the case may be Given ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Updates will be posted on the blog at www conantfamilyfoundation org What we look for in proposals The types of organizations that are funded 2019 FELLOWS CUE 29

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By Rachel Pate Impact Coordinator at the Chicago Community Trust Foundation CHALLENGE If we aren t grounded in racial equity justice and anti racist practices in our hiring practices organizational culture and internal policies inequities will persist and be perpetuated in our work As Chicago s community foundation the power and wealth of The Chicago Community Trust has a sizable direct and indirect impact on residents lives This reality requires us to build equitable structures inside our organization to fully realize the positive potential of our work to promote justice and progress APPROACH In January 2018 a small group of staff gathered as a place to reflect and process material presented in racial equity trainings personal experiences and our shared experiences at work As the Trust leadership built a long term focus and renewed dedication to racial equity the group of staff expanded in size and scope to try to help ensure equity is embedded in each policy practice and process at the Trust In the last year this committee has Created a space for staff to normalize conversations about structural racism 30 CUE PHILANTHROPY Colonial white supremacist organizational practices seem inevitable because they were so universally adopted over the next centuries and they still govern the great majority of our institutions but they were design choices Edgar Villanueva Decolonizing Wealth Advocated for and co created a racial equity staff training with Race Forward NEXT STEPS As our work internally continues our committee presented future plans to our Leadership Team and will continue to move forward on the work in partnership Our immediate next steps include a racial equity organizational assessment to provide our institution with information and an analysis that helps identify a where we are at in our racial equity journey i e our baseline b the key needs and challenges for moving forward and c opportunities for action in the short and longterm This will be a critical next step for the Trust in our commitment to model equity through our actions internally and externally and strive to serve as a model of how use philanthropic resources to heal not further harm our communities Rachel Pate is Impact Coordinator at The Chicago Community Trust Foundation In 2018 Pate co created the Committee for Racial and Ethnic Equity with a colleague at the Trust to reflect and process new ideas learned from racial equity trainings personal experiences and life at work As the Trust has deepened its focus on racial equity the working group has expanded in size and scope aiming to embed racial equity into each organizational process RACHEL PATE FROM GRANTMAKERS TO CHANGEMAKERS Created a committee charter and developed a draft Racial Equity Statement and ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For more information about this project email Rachel Pate at rpate cct org 2019 FELLOWS CUE 31

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LAUREN BURDETTE 32 Lauren Burdette is the Director of Engagement at The Chicago Public Education Fund She manages a team of three responsible for creating and executing communications development and external affairs Lauren previously worked as an education policy adviser for the State of Illinois and the United SHIFTING FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO COMMUNITY CONSENT Lessons from the OgdenJenner Merger By Lauren Burdette Director of Engagement at the Chicago Public Education Fund States Senate She worked on numerous initiatives including Every Student Succeeds Act implementation higher education reform and the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act She began her career teaching 7th grade math and science in Archer Heights Lauren received her Master of Public Policy from The University of Michigan s Ford School of Public Policy and earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania 2019 FELLOWS CUE PHILANTHROPY CUE CHALLENGE Chicago s education sector faces two significant and interconnected problems segregation between schools and declining student enrollment citywide Chicago s intensely segregated housing market means over half of Chicago s public schools have a student population of 90 or more of a single racial group At the same time Chicago Public Schools CPS has seen an enrollment drop of almost 50 000 students in just ten years While Chicago s overall population decline particularly in majority Black neighborhoods is one element of this lower student enrollment a large driver is the overall decline in Kindergarten enrollments Today there are almost 6 000 fewer Kindergartners entering CPS than in 2012 These trends mean CPS faces a clear challenge of too many buildings and too few students Systemwide 34 schools are considered overcrowded and 243 are considered underutilized While mergers may seem like a clear solution to address these challenges community leadership is key to how school communities evolve APPROACH A recent school merger between Ogden International School and Jenner Academy of the Arts offers a case study in resolving both challenges Far from being an evaluation of the effectiveness of the merger this project examines what lessons other schools and communities could learn from Ogden Jenner s experience if they decide to explore a merger of their own While the Ogden Jenner merger was a unique situation for many reasons it offers some strategies that other communities can apply to increase the likelihood of success Ensure ownership of the merger by parents and families not CPS Secure principal support Maintain effective and consistent communication to all stakeholders throughout the process Create a formal report and or engage an external impartial validator Acquire external funding for convenings and report writing Recruit expert support for diversity equity and inclusion training If you decide to pursue a school merger only do it if you have support on multiple sides The entire process needs to be community driven and include the voice and insight of the principals for adults and students such as the National SEED project Ensure financial support from CPS over multiple years post merger NEXT STEPS One practice for future mergers to consider improving is intentional deep coalition building on the frontend in both schools If there is a power imbalance between the schools this inclusive coalition building is even more vital Ultimately trusting that communities can find their own solutions with external support will help the city improve its decades long education challenges ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For more information please email Lauren Burdette at laurenfb gmail com 2019 FELLOWS CUE 33

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CHALLENGE On March 7 2018 as part of the inaugural Chicago United for Equity Fellowship program we were learning to apply a Racial Equity Impact Assessment REIA As we talked about our experiences working in and consulting with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations we realized a critical need in the work strategic plans built through a racial equity lens Within a few weeks we began meeting to plan an event to do just that and recruited a talented and committed team to work with us With this team in place Envisioning Equity Strategic Planning for Inclusive Organizations launched on March 15 2019 APPROACH Why Strategic Planning Through a Racial Equity Lens Nonprofit organizations are at the very early stages of recognizing the need to deal with the impact of racism However the response to that need is frequently a one time workshop to learn about a single issue related to racism such as implicit bias The learning is generally focused on racism at an individual or interpersonal level However in order to create real change it is imperative for organizations to work to dismantle structural and institutional systemic racism that hides within an organization s systems and processes Since a part of strategic planning is reviewing an organization s systems and processes it is an optimal time to address these types of hidden racism Why A Large Conference Instead Of Working With Organizations Individually Many nonprofit and philanthropic professionals who are pushing their organizations forward in becoming more equitable feel isolated and unsure about who they can turn to for mentorship in their racial equity work Furthermore this work is challenging and complicated And professionals in the sector don t always have the expertise or even the knowledge about where to find guidance as they navigate this challenging space By bringing a community of people together at Envisioning Equity the beginning of a support system has been established to lessen those feelings of isolation and uncertainty LEFT Participant asking a question at inaugural conference 36 CUE CITYWIDE IMPACT NEXT STEPS Since the inaugural conference the planning team has continued to discuss what is next for Envisioning Equity Conference attendees reported high satisfaction in conference evaluation and expressed excitement for more opportunities to come together as a community The team is committed to creating additional learning experiences but the format and content has yet to be determined To learn more check out EnvisioningEquityChi org And while you re there sign up for the newsletter to hear about future Envisioning Equity happenings ABOVE The planning team for Envisioning Equity gathered together for a celebration dinner a few weeks after the conference 2019 FELLOWS CUE 37

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ART DESIGN MEDIA How can art design and media address or further racial equity 38 CUE ART 2019 DESIGN FELLOWS MEDIA Our Fellows from the narrative shaping sector know that they have the power to bring truth to light to reimagine civic spaces and invoke the moral imperative for our city to embrace change These Fellows have worked to tap into the power they hold and to wield it thoughtfully in these ways Use design for the social good Paola Aguirre s project explores who has the right to define public space from her vantage point as an architect and designer Consider the story the impact and the messenger Kacie Smith s start up organization presents a unique opportunity to explore how to engage many voices in the work of telling authentically diverse stories Use the power of language to spur change Tiff Beatty s work at the Chicago Humanities Festival explores the difference between diversity and equity using precision in language to spur a process of organization wide reflection These themes weave the power of language message and connection throughout the work of building equity in our city making these projects a critical read for everyone in the civic sector 2019 FELLOWS CUE 39

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practice focused on cultivating By Paola Aguirre Founder of BORDERLESS Educator PAOLA AGUIRRE urban design and research DESIGN FOR SELFDETERMINATION A Pathway for Redeveloping Closed Schools Paola Aguirre Serrano is founder of BORDERLESS Chicago based collaborative design agency through interdisciplinary projects With emphasis on exchange and communication across disciplines Borderless explores creative civic design and engagement interventions that address the complexity of urban systems and social equity by looking at intersections between architecture urban design infrastructure landscape planning and community participatory processes Paola is an active educator and currently teaches architecture The School of the Art Institute of Chicago 40 CUE ART DESIGN MEDIA Community activation at Anthony Overton School in Bronzeville Courtesy of Sandra Steinbrecher CHALLENGE In 2013 the unprecedented closure of 50 Chicago Public Schools left more than 3 million square feet of existing building space and hundreds of acres of outdoor space in 25 neighborhoods to be reimagined Despite the potential for community self determination the repurposing process of closed schools has been short sighted leading to tremendous missed opportunities in imagining new ways of collective city building rooted in values of equity transparency and inclusion These public amenities are multi dimensional assets with invaluable physical and emotional connections to their communities and their histories Foremost they are public buildings built with public resources With the current redevelopment process their social value has been undermined reduced to a business as usual real estate transaction APPROACH This project emerged in the summer of 2016 to bring awareness about school closures enable inclusive and open dialogues and spark collective imagination about the future of social infrastructure in Chicago Creative Grounds emerged as a platform to prototype collective processes in which creative approaches could create a more inclusive and equitable approach for repurposing closed public schools one school at the time This prototyping started with Anthony Overton Elementary School in Bronzeville hosting community gatherings using arts and de Chicago has one critical deficit in schools repurposing process imagination While financial resources might be limited or misaligned there is a wealth of partnership possibilities and creative approaches to collectively imagine an equitable future sign methods to collectively imagine how does equitable social infrastructure look like in the future for Chicagoans NEXT STEPS This project has deepened research to expand understanding of school closures in the context of inequities in the education and urban development systems Through this fellowship I ve sought to position the in between timeline of the redevelopment process as a time asset and propose expanded program opportunities and partnership with cultural and education organizations to keep the school active and connected to its community while it awaits the full physical rehabilitation process and capital investment assembly As a next step of this effort I seek to build a development approach that encapsulates strategic investment in community engagement or the fallout from avoiding engagement efforts to better inform the development decisions made about our communities ADDITIONAL RESOURCES www creativegrounds org 2019 FELLOWS CUE 41

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By Kacie Smith Co Founder and Executive Director of State Matters CHALLENGE With all the stressors of a new startup it is easy to take the path more frequently tread Extremely limited resources combined with a mission driven team willing to do what s necessary for the organization creates a lot of opportunities for unintended inequities and easy excuses for those inequities We undertook an internal assessment this past year focusing first on our hiring practices to address current disparities and preempt future inequities before they become part of the fabric of the organization APPROACH THE MESSENGER MATTERS Our desire for race equity internally does not only come from a belief that it is the right thing to do we see it as a necessity for achieving our overall goals We want to reach folks most impacted by the disparities created by state and local government who tend to be lower income and communities of color When we work with artists and writers from a range of backgrounds we see the demographics of our audi 42 CUE ART DESIGN MEDIA State Matters event at Sleeping Village Photo by Alan Epstein Ricardo Gamboa left Melissa DuPrey right State Matters video shoot Photo by Kacie Smith State Matters is a young organization which offers unique challenges but also unique opportunities to address race equity at the ground floor ence shift When we employ Latinx millennial artists from the west side we see increased engagement from Latinx millennials on the west side The messenger matters Kacie Smith is an artist director and producer here in Chicago NEXT STEPS As a result of our initial assessment using a race equity organization assessment tool and working in collaboration with our board of directors we set three immediate goals for 2019 Translation of video written content and budgeting for Spanish language graphic designers Her primary interest is in good Creatives Community Supper Club Creative work is subjective so creating effective equity based hiring practices can be difficult As part of our solution we are creating a monthly unintimidating space hosted across the city for us to meet and recruit creatives with less traditional training and backgrounds as well as workshop new ideas nonprofit that works with artists Resources for new collaborators to use race equity as a lens in their work with State Matters and think critically about distribution plans language visuals historical context and recognizing current inequities within a government system at statematters org government and how art and shared cultural experiences can be a mechanism for civic engagement and discourse She is a co founder and the executive director of State Matters a to explain how state and local government works State Matters began in January 2018 with a mission to make government more understandable accessible and accountable More info KACIE SMITH INCLUSIVE STORYTELLING Whose Voice Matters in State Matters The work is ongoing and there is a long way to go ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Follow State Matters on social media to see more of our work or visit statematters org If you would like to connect directly with me kacie statematters org 2019 FELLOWS CUE 43

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TIFFANIE BEATTY 44 Tiffanie Tiff Beatty Associate Director of Programming at Chicago Humanities Festival is the primary programmer assigned to more than 30 programs annually Tiff is CHF s lead programmer for audiences in their 20s and 30s Tiffanie also manages all programming partnerships PRODUCTIVELY SPECIFIC A Chicago Poet Distinguishes Between Diversity and Equity By Tiffanie Beatty Associate Director of Programming at Chicago Humanities Festival including dozens of cultural civic and academic institutions and leads the diversity equity and inclusion initiative at CHF Tiff is a recipient of the 2019 Chicago United for Equity Fellowship and Field Foundation s Field Leader Award In addition to her work at CHF she writes and performs original spoken word poetry and hosts Art Is Bonfire under the name Pyro Poet CUE ART DESIGN MEDIA Folded Map Project at South Shore Cultural Center Photo by Ben Gonzales CHALLENGE The humanities is the study of how people process and document the human experience Since humans have been able we have used philosophy literature religion art music history and language to understand and record our world For thirty years the Chicago Humanities Festival CHF has engaged people in discussions about ideas that matter I am a Black queer feminist performance poet and I create programs for CHF APPROACH As attention turned to me in a staff meeting I shouted in my most authentic voice This goes out to all you amateurs successfully shocking the room to attention Now they re listening I thought as my piece transitioned into my co worker also a person of color and I translating our experience attending a soon to be mandatory anti racism and systemic oppression training to a room of mostly white folks Since that ancestor assisted staff meeting I ve begun exploring how CHF stakeholders can deepen and formalize our organization s commitment to equity and inclusion including co planning Envisioning Equity a regional conference and internally a leadership committee people of color caucus and a racial equity impact assessment But first I did my research In 2015 Arts Administration and Policy School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduate fellows Ryan Blocker and The words loved me and I loved them in return Sonia Sanchez Raquel Iglesias investigated strategies to build diversity as a sustainable embedded part of the organization Ryan and Raquel began with a pivotal question how useful is a word like diversity Following leaders in the cultural sector they recommended moving away from diversity to terms like race inclusion difference and Black Latino Asian and Indigenous These words have a productiveness to their specificity they noted While diversity is a worthy goal in building audience and revenue strategies using the term race equity considers a range of barriers to achieving diversity and inclusion including procedural economic cultural linguistic technological and practical factors NEXT STEPS As CHF s 2023 Strategic Plan seeks to expand and deepen connections with more diverse audiences and new revenue streams CHF staff must challenge leadership to go beyond diversity quotas leveraging our own stories and identities to distinguish between diversity and equity in our work and lives As staff lead CHF s strategic planning process from a racial equity lens our language like great poetry must be incisive intentional and human centered to understand and record our impact ADDITIONAL RESOURCES https www chicagohumanities org about 2019 FELLOWS CUE 45

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By Glenance Green Deputy Director at Free Spirit Media CHALLENGE We are only as strong as our community partners and the youth and young adults that we serve Free Spirit Media s efforts to strengthen our pipelines from entry to the media industry are deeply influenced by our partners Leveraging the assets of those partners to better support our ecosystem in service of our missions will come as a result of intentional collective system building at the grassroots level APPROACH Our first collective system building effort includes a Racial Equity Data Forum focused on the following areas below Identifying Workforce Competencies What are the core competencies that industries media and beyond are seeking employing How are we preparing our demographic to be successful 46 2019 FELLOWS CUE When I dare to be powerful to use my strength in the service of my vision it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid Audre Lorde Examination of Data Identifying the Gaps What goals are we setting What are the targets What are the benchmarks Data Visualization How do you use what you have How do you use what you have to tell a story NEXT STEPS Since we are focused on strengthening the work of the North Lawndale community our target audience includes service providers media partners and foundations deeply invested in the work of Westside community organizations This is the first of many initiatives helping to reshape both our organization and community approaches to addressing the needs concerning racial equity in the North Lawndale community It is our hope that all participating partners can use the information gained to enhance their work Glenance Green is a researcher scholar content creator and artivist who uses various art forms as tools of healing and liberation She is the Deputy Director of Free Spirit Media a media arts and education organization in the North Lawndale community that transforms media and society by providing opportunities for emerging creators primarily from communities of color to produce and distribute original content and to pursue artistic personal and professional aspirations For more information on Free Spirit Media visit www freespiritmedia org ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Website www freespiritmedia org FB FreeSpirit Chi IG freespiritchi Twitter FreeSpiritMedia GLENANCE GREEN SPEAKING TRUTH WITH POWER Got Data Got Community Let s Tell a Story Understanding the Measures and Metrics What do we need How do we know 2019 FELLOWS CUE 47

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CHICAGO IMPACT PROJECT THE 2019 VOTE EQUITY PROJECT 48 CUE CITYWIDE IMPACT CHALLENGE What does it mean to vote for racial justice How do we build a vision for a Chicago that serves all of our communities And how can we do this together by centering and amplifying the voices of the communities who have been most harmed by structural racism In the summer of 2018 CUE started working with community organizers researchers civic engagement advocates and local funders who were interested in exploring these questions Over a six month planning phase we debated many ways to bring a nonpartisan platform to engage Chicagoans in building a shared vision for our city s future While we were committed to nonpartisanship we were dedicated to one clear goal engaging everyday residents in a conversation about how to build a Chicago where race cannot predict our life outcomes We decided on a multi step process that was led by the voices of everyday people at every stage We knew that people plug into politics at different times in a election cycle We wanted to build a process that ensured that no matter when voters got engaged racial equity was on their mind before they headed to the voting booth English and Spanish paper guides disseminated at voter forums and schools through a civic engagement bus designed by youth organizers APPROACH We began by asking How can we make Chicago work for all of us Chicagoans submitted 262 ideas scrawled on paper forms at events or submitted online Of these 186 unique concepts moved to the next round to be voted on by residents We engaged a prioritization vote that paired two randomly selected ideas at a time and asked people to make a choice between them Over hundreds of votes this method reveals the group s collective priorities By enlisting dozens of residents across the city to launch a citywide community dialogue process in person voting occurred throughout the city in both English and Spanish Community members also used these discussions to develop a personal vision for equity and lobby each other to prioritize issues that they felt passionate about All in all 2 152 Chicagoans voted either in person or online in 52 271 match ups Since we heard from multiple voters in every ward in Chicago we invited candidates from every ward to state their position on the top voted issues The result become the Voter Guide for Racial Equity shared on VoteEquity org and in NEXT STEPS Moving forward we see the Vote Equity Project as a model for future civic engagement efforts that aim to engage everyday people and the voices of residents who are too often excluded in political decision making To use this process in your community reach out to us at information chicagounitedforequity org or visit VoteEquity org to learn more PARTNERS Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Generation All Grassroots Collaborative Metropolitan Planning Council Reform for Illinois UIC s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement FUNDERS Chicago Community Trust Truth Racial Healing and Transformation Greater Chicago Woods Fund Individual Donors at 10 500 levels 2019 FELLOWS CUE 49

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RESEARCH POLICY What does ethical and equitable research require How can respected research and policy advocacy organizations use their platforms to center communities in decisions being made about their future 50 CUE RESEARCH 2019 FELLOWS POLICY Fellows in this sector recognize the power of numbers well and the need to contextualize this work with authentic narratives In the pursuit of this balanced approach they explored the following strategies Build structures for collective learning Kendra Freeman explores how to build a shared learning community for professionals in the field of community development to deepen their understanding of equity in their work while Tanvi Shah develops a racial equity training protocol that offers workforce development organizations a framework to review their internal practices Genese Turner s project explores how to apply an equity lens within a single organization to distill lessons for the field Developing advocacy and action plans co created with community stakeholders Imron Bhatti explores how equity must be centered in coalition and umbrella organizations for equitable advocacy while Jim Merrell s project focuses on building a community process for mobility planning Share power in the research process Jen Brown kicks off this section by sharing how Northwestern University s School of Medicine is grounding its practices in sharing power with communities represented in its research These projects are seeding a powerful philosophy of research and policy advocacy that is accountable to the communities most impacted by our current and historic inequities 2019 FELLOWS CUE 51

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JEN BROWN Jen Brown is Director and Co Founder of the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities www ARCConline net at Northwestern University She s passionate about ARCC s mission to grow equitable research partnerships between Chicago communities and Northwestern to improve health equity She is faculty at Northwestern s Feinberg School of Medicine Jen serves as co chair NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US CommunityAcademic Collaboration to Grow Racial Equity in Research By Jen Brown Director and Co Founder at the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities Northwestern University of the Chicago Consortium for Community Engagement co chair of Chicago Department of Public Health s Healthy Chicago 2 0 Data Research Team and Partnership for Healthy Chicago associate editor of Progress in Community Health Partnerships journal and member of Chicago Ideas Radical Creators 52 CUE RESEARCH POLICY Community academic partners collaborating to ensure research is driven by those most impacted by health inequities CHALLENGE Communities of color experience higher rates of most preventable and chronic diseases Mistrust resulting from a history of unethical biomedical research and racism and bias in research has led to underrepresentation of communities of color in research participation and design and findings that are less likely to be relevant or impactful for decreasing health inequities Community academic partnerships that authentically elevate voices and leadership of communities aim to ensure research is community driven trustworthy and focused on impact In community engaged research communities are partners not just participants APPROACH Led by diverse community stakeholders and academic researchers the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities ARCC at Northwestern University are working to collaboratively develop recommendations for applying a racial equity lens in health research and community engagement ARCC is participating in foundational training on core components of racism white supremacy and bias ARCC will build on an 11 year history of supporting engaged research partnerships and diverse community relationships to explore specific ways that health research institutions projects and partnerships perpetuate racism and deepen racial and health inequities to consider Research culture and practice must center community leadership and actively ensure research addresses racial and health inequities and doesn t just document or perpetuate them How research topics and target populations are chosen and framed Racial representation and cultural humility of research faculty and staff Research language that perpetuates stereotypes or dehumanizes and Scarcity of research on impacts of and interventions to address structural inequities NEXT STEPS Recommendations for change and sustained support for applying a racial equity lens in research will be shared with leadership at Northwestern community stakeholders and other academic institutions Recommendations may include proposed policy and practices changes and training resources e g storytelling case studies discussion guides checklists videos Research must intentionally strive for projects and partnerships that work towards health justice in both their practice and outcome ADDITIONAL RESOURCES www ARCConline net www ARCCresources net ARCC northwestern edu 2019 FELLOWS CUE 53

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By Kendra J Freeman Director of Community Engagement at the Metropolitan Planning Council CHALLENGE A history of structurally racist policies that guide how we invest in people and places is hurting the Chicago region Planning and development as a field lacks racial diversity equity and inclusion DEI Decision makers in this space are not trained in equity principles and lack a shared framework resulting in decision making that fails to acknowledge historical inequities or take action to dismantle them When policies and process are colorblind they maintain the status quo and perpetuate disparities regardless of intent APPROACH Professionals in the development community must understand the impact of structural racism on the built environment and develop competency in DEI concepts and tools in order to shift the conditions that hold inequities in place This project aimed to address this need by piloting a targeted peer learning community that 54 CUE RESEARCH POLICY If we can change the framework for planning and development centering racial equity in the process we will begin to see investments that yield better outcomes for individuals organizations and our region incorporates the practical application of racial equity assessments and tools as an effective approach for skill building and fostering a culture of change among leaders in the field of community development By building the capacity of leadership to assess their working environment and decision making utilizing a racial equity framework this approach provides opportunity to correct biased practices and enables systems change If we can change the framework for planning and development by centering equity in process we will begin to see investments that yield better outcomes for individuals organizations and our region NEXT STEPS As we look towards the future we aim to launch a multi sector cohort of leaders in planning and development to address structural racism and how to undo it Our aim is to build the capacity across professions that impact the built environment to foster a culture that promotes equitable development ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Kfreeman metroplanning org Kendra Freeman has held leadership positions in the private and nonprofit sector with a focus on investing in people and places She works to elevate the voice of underrepresented communities in community development public policy and civic engagement KENDRA FREEMAN BUILDING WITHOUT BIAS Leading a Cultural Shift to Foster Equitable Development 2019 FELLOWS CUE 55

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IMRON BHATTI Imron serves on the Board of Directors of Advocates for Urban Agriculture a coalition of Chicagoland urban farms community gardens individuals and busi JUST FOOD Engaging the Field to Inform Equitable Agriculture Policy By Imron Bhatti Board of Directors Advocates for Urban Agriculture nesses working towards a food system where urban agriculture is an integral part of community economic development food security environmental sustainability and overall quality of life for all Imron is an attorney working for more equitable cities through better transportation land use and housing policy He currently works in the Office of Fair Housing at the U S Department of Housing and Urban Development 56 2019 FELLOWS CUE RESEARCH CUE POLICY CHALLENGE Racial equity isn t just about better outcomes it s about transforming who has the power to determine the path towards this vision Urban agriculture is an important part of building a more sustainable and equitable local food system but urban agriculture is not innately sustainable or equitable As an umbrella advocacy organization Advocates for Urban Agriculture realized that while we were calling for a more sustainable and equitable local food system we had to do more to ensure our advocacy centers and reflects the leadership of Chicago communities most impacted by urban agriculture Advocates for Urban Agriculture AUA is developing tools and processes to ensure that the orga nizations programs and policies we champion are contributing to a more equitable food system and not reinforcing existing patterns of injustice APPROACH At AUA we are conducting a foundational analysis of the benefits burdens and inequities in the current urban agriculture landscape using existing data and developing a survey to fill gaps in our understanding of urban agriculture in the region For example we know that most farms are located in community areas with the greatest concentrations of Chicagoans experiencing food insecurity but we do not have reliable data to understand whether these farms are improving healthy food access in those neighborhoods While the USDA s Census of Agriculture indicates that Cook County s farms are disproportionately owned and operated by white growers we know less about the relationships between these operations and the largely Black and Latino communities in which they re located NEXT STEPS The results of this analysis will inform targeted outreach leveraging AUA s citywide network of advocates to understand the priorities opportunities and needs of existing growers as well as individuals and community groups facing barriers to growing AUA will also engage the communities surrounding growing operations focusing on the residents of neighborhoods with the greatest concentrations of com Agriculture s growth is intimately tied to land ownership and access to capital so we have to be proactive to avoid replicating Chicago s inequities especially with marijuana s legalization on the horizon mercial growing operations the greatest concentrations of the harms we believe urban agriculture can address and the greatest capacity to support future agriculture Through this outreach AUA will formalize a transparent inclusive process for members community organizations working on related policy issues and impacted communities to inform our programs advocacy priorities and metrics to assess whether AUA is contributing towards an economically and socially inclusive food system that lifts up the foodways and histories of people of color ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Sign up for updates and learn about how to get involved with AUA at auachicago org 2019 FELLOWS CUE 57

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By Tanvi Shah Program Manager at the Frontline Focus Training Institute at the Chicago Jobs Council CHALLENGE What does an equitable workforce development organization look like How do we build workforce training programs that honor the unique skills and assets of our people A few years ago the Chicago Jobs Council began the process of reflecting on our culture and work to promote racial equity This work is critically important but finding time and resources to lead it and make it a priority can feel daunting and expensive Often there is a willingness to engage in the work but a need for support to get started Given our position as a capacity building organization in the field of workforce development we sought to address the need for training and support for workforce organizations that are seeking to address racial equity in their work APPROACH We are working to develop a racial equity organizational assessment for the workforce development field that 58 CUE RESEARCH POLICY will allow community based workforce agencies to evaluate their programs policies and practices in order to identify strengths and areas for growth in their equity work The tool will include concrete examples of racially equitable policies and practices that are tailored to workforce development programs and agencies These on the ground examples and best practices will be a resource to frontline workforce agencies allowing them to evaluate their current efforts and strategize how to move their equity work forward NEXT STEPS Structural racism is at the root of racialized disparities in the labor market To fulfill our mission of employment as a pathway out of poverty the Jobs Council must work to dismantle these entrenched and systemic barriers The racial equity assessment for the workforce development field will allow organizations to assess their current orientation towards racial equity and By uplifting racially equitable practices we hope to increase the capacity of the workforce development field to impact employment disparities that affect people of color Tanvi Shah currently serves as identify specific strategies they can implement to address sector wide structural challenges This project will give us a way to more intentionally support community based workforce organizations that are also committed to racial equity and reducing the structural barriers disproportionately affecting job seekers of color By working together we hope to amplify our collective impact and achieve more equitable outcomes for all a Program Manager with the Frontline Focus Training Institute at the Chicago Jobs Council She previously worked at the Indo American Center as the Workforce Development Manager where she gained extensive experience in program design implementation and management She has a strong background of curriculum development and facilitation as she has designed multiple job readiness curriculums and served as a job readiness trainer In her current TANVI SHAH WORKING TOWARDS EQUITY An Assessment for Workforce Development Organizations role she is overseeing a new initiative to build a universal career readiness framework for the workforce development field ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Want to learn more about the Jobs Council s racial equity work Visit https cjc net racial equity 2019 FELLOWS CUE 59

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JIM MERRELL Jim Merrell works as Advocacy Director at Active Transportation Alliance an organization that advocates for better walking biking and public transit across Chicagoland Jim leverages a decade of issue advocacy experience to engage thousands of Active Trans members and supporters in strategic advocacy campaigns designed to bring more equitable transporta WHOSE STREETS Ideas for Integrating Racial Equity into Transportation Decisions By Jim Merrell Advocacy Director at the Active Transportation Alliance tion options to the region 60 CUE RESEARCH POLICY CHALLENGE Decisions about how we invest public dollars in our transportation system generate a variety of benefits and burdens for residents We must ensure these investments are channeled in support of goals and projects that lead us towards an equitable city Examples of equitable investment might look like building public transit connections between job centers and areas with high unemployment Decisions must also account for how intended and unintended consequences of transportation infrastructure impact the most vulnerable members of our communities such as low income residents who face displacement if their rent increases as a result of new bike trail or other local amenities To achieve equitable outcomes from our transportation investments we must have a community vision for transportation equity and an equitable process for deciding how and where these investments happen However in Chicago racial equity has not been a part of the conversation about transportation project development and associated community engagement APPROACH My approach is to start a critical conversation to develop recommended improvements to Chicago Department of Transportations CDOT policies and practices so that they directly address racial equity To do this I am working to Conduct a review of existing policies and practices from peer cities Document current practices in Chicago and Interview community leaders who have recently participated in CDOT projects for their perspective These resources will inform a community led process for creating recommendations I plan to work with local leaders in the mobility justice movement to facilitate this process over the next 6 months The output of these efforts will produce materials that provide background information necessary to facilitate a meaningful conversation with representatives of communities most impacted By working with leaders in the transportation and mobility justice Go to any public meeting on transportation and you will witness the breakdown in trust between residents and government By exploring ways to share power in decision making over our streets we can create more equitable communities movement this project will result in a co created engagement process for developing community recommendations for a transportation equity vision and integrating racial equity into CDOT outreach and project development NEXT STEPS I am working to develop the contextual resources and will be engaging with mobility justice advocates and community leaders to design the process for leading this conversation and converging on recommended improvements to the city s transportation infrastructure decision making ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Stay tuned to www activetrans org for updates Moving forward we will work with leaders in the mobility justice movement and other allies to facilitate a conversation about what a community vision for transportation equity looks like in Chicago and how engagement practices at CDOT can be reimagined to place racial equity at the center of the conversation 2019 FELLOWS CUE 61

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By Genese Turner MIPS MCPM Program Manager Illinois Public Health Institute CHALLENGE In Chicago data shows a few miles can equate to a 15 year difference in life expectancy Chicago Health Atlas Illinois Public Health Institute IPHI recognizes that social and structural determinants of health like education housing food security and racism greatly impact health for individuals and communities While striving to be in the forefront of the health equity landscape we found it requires intention self reflection and strategic effort to consistently use a health equity and racial equity lens in daily practice Engaging new programs and partners requires us to be more explicit in ensuring projects are addressing key points of health equity such as structural racism gender inequality and classicism There is difficulty in encouraging partners to engage in equity activities that we have not engaged in ourselves APPROACH Our journey began with a three day workshop on racial equity followed by the formation of an internal equity committee that includes staff from all levels IPHI is piloting three equity focused processes that we are 62 CUE RESEARCH POLICY There is difficulty in encouraging partners to engage in equity activities that we have not engaged in ourselves evaluating through an equity lens so that we can learn retool and scale our efforts IPHI s Center for Capacity Development is prioritizing equity in our work with hospital partners on assessment and planning via the Alliance for Health Equity Specifically IPHI prioritized input and engagement by communities most impacted by inequities and we used data analysis methods to emphasize health and racial equity needs across the City and County A key outcome will be understanding how partners received the equity data and how internal staff viewed the process We are documenting lessons learned and tough points to inform continued equity work across the organization NEXT STEPS During the 2019 CUE fellowship deliverables expanded to include a formal framework for using a health equity lens in daily and institutional practices recommended techniques to discuss structural racism and equity internally and with external partners and a draft plan for how we are bringing our partners along this path with us This journey is far from over It may take us down paths we never imagined However the destination will forever remain to help create a more equitable life for our communities Genese Genny Turner MIPH MCPM hails from 15 years in corporate America before following her passion to the nonprofit sector As a Program Manager with the Illinois Public Health Institute IPHI Genny is committed to fighting health inequities through reducing structural racism and violence increasing community safety and community development and other initiatives that allow people to lead healthy and happy lives IPHI leads action to promote prevention and improve public health systems in order to maximize health health equity and quality of life for the people of Illinois ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For more information please find us online at https iphionline org and http allhealthequity org GENESE TURNER EQUITY AS A JOURNEY Practicing What We Preach 2019 FELLOWS CUE 63

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CHICAGO IMPACT PROJECT FROM MEGA TIFS TO MEGA EQUITY Applying the REIA tool to Tax Increment Financing projects CHALLENGE In April 2019 Chicago City Council members approved public tax subsidies to redevelop two significant parcels of land The first has been dubbed Lincoln Yards with over 50 acres of riverfront property between Lincoln Park Bucktown and Wicker Park Developer Sterling Bay cast the vision of this massive new development calling on Chicago to provide 900 million in public subsidies from a newly created Tax Increment Financing district that will redirect newly captured tax revenue from this development to the developer The second development earned the nickname The 78 stating its intention to build Chicago s next great neighborhood on 62 acres on the riverfront between Pilsen Chinatown and the South Loop Related Midwest the developer seeking to build this new neighborhood called on the City to contribute 551 of tax revenue to offset development costs Critics of both deals decry a lack of public process and the transfer of public dollars to pri 64 CUE CITYWIDE IMPACT vate corporations for profitable deals that will benefit investors without the public subsidy Advocates have also expressed concerns about the lack of public dollars for education investments questions of equitable investments in green space and concerns about displacement for local residents and locally owned businesses Officials in the outgoing Emanuel administration argue that these deals benefit the city s shared financial future spurring longer term economic development APPROACH As City Council voted to approve the TIF investments CUE was asked to facilitate a Racial Equity Impact Assessment by a coalition of organizers faith leaders and business owners The TIF Equity Coalition quickly amassed nearly 1 500 signatures in support of the REIA Fellows from both cohorts have been working to develop this process which will launch in fall 2019 This work will be driven by engaging community stakeholders in reviewing data and participating in civic dialogues The following stakeholder categories were established to promote equity in whose voices are centered in this engagement TIER 1 Residents near the two new megaTIF geographies who are historically most impacted by inequity both displacement risk and inequitable investment in public services amenities TIER 2 Small businesses near these megaTIF geographies who are historically most impacted by inequity TIER 3 Residents in neighborhoods with underfunded TIFs and historically low capital investment TIER 4 Businesses in neighborhoods with underfunded TIFs and historically low capital investment TIER 5 All residents and business owners in the City of Chicago not captured in the categories above ABOVE News Article on Lincoln Yards Development NEXT STEPS Throughout June and July CUE will host REIA training events across the city to introduce Chicagoans to the key components of a REIA share opportunities for them to get involved with this REIA and model how to apply the tool in their own communities This will set up wider spread REIA engagements for this report throughout the fall The entire project is estimated to take approximately seven months given the size and scale of this issue We aim to publish recommendations in January 2020 2019 FELLOWS CUE 65

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ORGANIZING ADVOCACY In many ways grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts seem undeniably rooted in equity work But how do the stories we amplify the coalitions we build and the problems we choose to address impact the entire sector of organizers and advocates 66 CUE ORGANIZING 2019 FELLOWS ADVOCACY Fellows who work in organizing and advocacy know that the choices they make impact an ecosystem built on structural racism The way they engage their power can build movements with impact across generations Restructure advocacy by challenging traditional roles Cliff Helm evaluates how to use a legal framework to challenge the structural inequities emerging small businesses face expanding advocacy beyond a case by case basis Jasemen Hatcher reimagines how power flows in legal aid organizations by focusing on partnerships that equip clients to become community advocates Engage authentic storytelling for healing and advocacy Systemic change can be fueled by powerful individual narratives as Danielle McCain and Maurice Robinson explore in their work to amplify and spotlight stories of trauma in housing and mental health Fellows in this sector collectively developed the following key strategies to heighten their impact Ensure that advocacy tables are accountable to the communities they serve Niya Kelly explores how the REIA tool can make her legislative advocacy more accountable to the leaders she serves at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless while Juanita Irizarry iterates on this model to guide which coalitions and advocacy partnerships Friends of the Parks will join Use Racial Equity Impact Assessments to diagnose root causes and build campaigns for reform Megan Brand explores the use of the REIA tool in evaluating racial disparities in an Edgewater elementary school while Leone Jose Bicchieri considers the tool s utility in building a collective framework to advocate for Black and Latino workers and residents on the southwest side The framework is also used to diagnose the root causes of housing quality issues and disparities in mortgage lending as explored by Loreen Targos at Metropolitan Tenants Organization and Isaias Solis at the Latin United Community Housing Association Through a racial equity framework the work of organizers and advocates can help elevate stories of impact make advocacy authentically accountable to our communities and transform our city 2019 FELLOWS CUE 67

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NIYA KELLY Niya Kelly is the State Legislative Director at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Her work focuses on the Illinois state budget and youth homelessness and housing insecurity policies In her work she has written and advocated several pieces of legislation She is currently working on legislation to create a youth homelessness task force a bill that will permit people with disabilities the elderly and folks experiencing homelessness on SNAP to buy prepared meals a homelessness prevention program expansion and eliminating the TANF full family sanction 68 CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY TO WHOM WE SERVE Equipping people with lived experience to lead transformation By Niya Kelly State Legislative Director at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless CHALLENGE At the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless the community we serve are our leaders who have experienced homelessness In Chicago we know that our issues with housing instability and homelessness are rooted in systemic racism Yet our leaders have not been afforded the opportunity to learn about these root causes leading them to internalize some personal failing when talking about homelessness As we seek to amplify our leaders roles as self advocates our leaders must be equipped with access to the historical context policies practices and structures that have fueled homelessness Most importantly for our work to be truly leader driven our leaders must have the tools to hold us accountable to their vision as we engage in a true partnership in our advocacy work APPROACH To build a future where we are authentically accountable to the leaders we serve this project requires two key steps Engage a group of CCH leaders in a foundational racial equity training then These leaders will use this training and the Racial Equity Impact Assessment tool to evaluate each state initiative CCH puts forth in Springfield during the legislative session Youth organizers entering the Governor s Office to request a meeting We must simultaneously step up and step back to ensure our leaders understand and have a stake in racial equity work to reach the broader goal of ending homelessness NEXT STEPS As we move forward we are developing out our training facilitation plan practicing the training with CCH s organizing department and engaging the group of CCH leaders who will attend the training After completing the training we will work together to adapt the Racial Equity Impact Assessment and receive feedback from colleagues and leaders who will be using it annually The REIA tool and process REIA will help us evaluate the legislation we propose each legislative session 2019 FELLOWS CUE 69

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all men are created equal That statement was inauthentic then and it doesn t play out well now Similarly Chicago s parks manifest the By Juanita Irizarry Executive Director Friends of the Parks CHALLENGE Good park policy and design cannot be developed without including the voices of those most impacted by the decisions Appropriate park investments must respond to local residents needs prioritizing voices who have been historically ignored in park decisions Guided by a revised mission that speaks to ensuring an equitable park system in Chicago Friends of the Parks FOTP is applying an equity lens to our organization As we work toward institutionalizing equity focused processes procedures and frameworks we are also working to raise the standard for equitable advocacy and ensure that our advocacy efforts amplify the diverse communities that are most impacted by disparities in access to green spaces APPROACH As we more fully prioritize the empowerment of park partners in underinvested communities we have created 70 misapplication of the term equal in so many ways Juanita Irizarry grew up and has lived her lifetime in Logan Square and Humboldt Park along what is now The 606 Bloomingdale Trail She studied a formal process for deciding which organizations we will create strategic alliances This builds upon articulating a new theory of change more focused on community engagement and new program logic models We are now completing an equity informed framework of questions to consider as we decide who to invite to our tables and whose tables to sit at as we develop advocacy positions CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY ABOVE FOTP 2019 State of the Parks Summit NEXT STEPS Our goal is for Chicago s most underinvested parks to benefit from this project Other parks and open space organizations may choose to adopt this protocol as well Ultimately we hope to see the Chicago Park District evaluate their resource distribution through this racial equity lens as we recently highlighted in our 2018 State of the Parks report urban planning and policy with an emphasis in housing and community development inspired by her curiosities about her context of parks and boulevards in periods of decline and then gentrification Having worked and volunteered for many years in community based non profit organizing and advocacy she currently leads Friends of the Parks a fierce park advocacy organization fighting for Healthy Parks for a Healthy Chicago ADDITIONAL RESOURCES You can read Friends of the Parks 2018 State of the Parks report here https fotp org state of theparks 2018 JUANITA IRIZARRY SETTING EQUITABLE TABLES Evaluating partnerships through a racial equity lens 2019 FELLOWS CUE 71

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CLIFFORD HELM Clifford Helm is a Staff Attorney for the Community Law Project of the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights He works with community organizations coalitions non profits and cooperatives across Chicago on drafting community benefits agreements and developing strategies and policies to support equitable development Previously Clifford ran his own law practice with the support of the Justice Entrepreneurs Project providing legal services to business social enterprises non profits and cooperatives in Chicago Clifford SMALL BUSINESSES EXPENSIVE LAWYERS AND SYSTEMIC RACISM Evaluating programs for structural inequity By Clifford Helm Staff Attorney at the Community Law Project of the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights received his law degree from the University of Michigan 72 CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY Pro bono attorneys at a small business workshop CHALLENGE Small businesses create and retain community wealth employ residents and build long term economic benefits for a community But new small businesses particularly in historically disinvested communities of color face numerous barriers to success How can legal support for small businesses advance racial equity and economic justice The Community Law Project is ask ing itself this question as it goes through a strategic planning process to re center our work including our small business work on racial equity and economic justice As attorneys we support small businesses with legal services But many of these barriers are not legal in nature leading us to question what impact we were really having APPROACH Using a race equity lens we are changing our focus in working with small businesses to increase our impact in historically disinvested communities of color Our historic eligibility guidelines frequently resulted in our support for businesses that were not getting the financial ed ucational or other support they needed to succeed Without these other supports in place the businesses had very low success rates and we questioned whether or not we were advancing an equitable mission by simply serving as legal advisers Many of the other barriers entrepreneurs face are systemic and we should realign our services to chip away at those systems We are exploring some shifts in our work focusing on partnerships with agencies providing the holistic support services needed to ensure that businesses are successful and leveraging funding that focuses on developing disinvested commercial corridors In addition we are exploring a focus on industry specific programming to address deep issues of race and economic equity such as food justice All of us knew we needed to take a step back to question our effectiveness and our decades of doing this work NEXT STEPS In the next few months we will continue to engage community members to reassess where we should be al locating our resources how to train our volunteers how to align our programming with our strategic plan and how to evaluate the standards we should set for ourselves ADDITIONAL RESOURCES www clccrul org community law project 2019 FELLOWS CUE 73

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By Jasemen Hatcher Senior Housing Counselor Landlord Tenant Liaison at Open Communities CHALLENGE The Summer Project of 1965 saw Dr Martin Luther King speak on Winnetka s Village Green through the efforts of Interfaith Housing This pivotal moment helped shape the services of what is now known as Open Communities As the agency transforms its programs to address the needs of communities we realize the dream we had for housing justice and racial equity has been deferred Open Communities has sought to understand how the principles of racial equity can increase the effectiveness of trainings and workshops in the fight for housing justice Our goal is to create advocates that will fight against discriminatory policies gentrification and evictions in the communities where they reside According to Princeton University s Eviction Lab 6 300 people are evicted across the nation each day These evictions disproportionately impact African American women and single mothers Within the City of Chi 74 Today s residential segregation is not the unintended consequence of individual choices and of otherwise wellmeaning law or regulation but unhidden public policy that explicitly segregated every metropolitan city Richard Rothstein CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY cago the Lawyers Committee for Better Housing found that landlords are 4 times more likely file for an eviction within African American communities The impact of evictions keeps communities and people of color in a cycle of poverty and furthers the inequity of voice and self determination as residents rely on legal support in advocating for their future APPROACH Open Communities has created a series of four workshops integrating the principle of racial equity in 5 housing areas These workshops aim to empower individuals and communities impacted by discriminatory housing policies to become community advocates and leaders By increasing advocacy we will reduce the number of evictions in Cook County decrease housing voucher discrimination improve access to sustainable housing and support community asset building NEXT STEPS Over the next year Open Communities will host housing equity trainings that have a racial equity lens every quarter Participants will complete all 17 sessions offered by Open Communities At the end of the trainings participants will be able to advocate independently or assist Open Communities fight for racial equity and housing justice in their communities ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Open Communities will host trainings in Chicago and throughout the North Shore If you are interested in having us host a training or learning more about the project contact jasemen open communities org Jasemen Hatcher is the Senior Housing Counselor Landlord Tenant Liaison at Open Communities At Open Communities she works alongside the dedicated staff fighting for affordable and equitable housing Open Communities mission is to educate advocate and organize to promote just and inclusive communities We seek to eradicate housing discrimination in all of its forms and against all persons because of race color national origin religion gender gender identity sex sexual orientation disability familial status or source of income Quality housing is a human right fair housing is the law JASEMEN HATCHER FROM CLIENTS TO ADVOCATES A Racial Equity Approach to Housing Training Education 2019 FELLOWS CUE 75

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DANIELLE MCCAIN 76 civil rights lawyer and social justice UNTOLD DAMAGES The Mental and Emotional Toll of Housing Discrimination on Survivors discrimination generally on mental and emotional health that has been conducted over the years has focused broadly on major events ex loss of a job and more recently in the context of daily life ex micro aggressions However this project concentrates specifically on housing discrimination and looks directly into its impact on mental and emotional health advocate spans law firms nonprofit By Danielle McCain Civil Rights Attorney and Educator Collect qualitative data during the interviews with a particular emphasis on the mental and emotional aspect of their injuries Danielle McCain has proudly dedicated her career to fighting for and giving voice to underserved and marginalized individuals and communities Her remarkable work as a organizations and academic institutions With visionary leadership and her trademark versatility McCain strategically navigates places and spaces with the imperative of leaving them more diverse inclusive equitable and just She is currently an adjunct professor at John Marshall Law School and is developing research on housing discrimination with the Fair Housing Legal Support Center CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY CHALLENGE In 2015 my family experienced racial discrimination in our search for a single family home The ways mentally and emotionally that we experienced housing discrimination made me a more convicted determined and passionate advocate It also planted the seeds for this project Chicago has a well documented history of segregation Fifty years after the Fair Housing Act and despite efforts by various organizations Chicago continues to experience high rates of housing discrimination with most discriminatory cases being based on race source of income and disability there have only been negligible shifts in our neighborhoods The stronghold of segregation in Chicago is deeply rooted in its long history of housing discrimination and limiting the freedom of movement for people of color the disabled voucher holders and other marginalized communities Despite this research about the negative impact of racism and APPROACH This project explores the narratives of individuals and families that have experienced housing discrimination in Chicago In this project we Collaborate with fair housing organizations to identify housing discrimination survivors and conduct interviews with them Use the qualitative data as the launching point for further research and gathering of quantitative data As a result we are comprehensively documenting and providing evidence of the depth of mental and emotional injuries suffered by housing discrimination victims We want to use this project and further research as a resource that can be used by legal advocates to support higher settlements and damage awards in fair housing cases NEXT STEPS Findings from this project will first raise Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God s children Dr Martin Luther King Jr 1966 Chicago Solider Field Stadium as part of the Chicago Open Housing Movement awareness and second provide evidence to begin translating the mental health consequences of housing discrimination for application in actual cases Traditionally damage awards in fair housing cases have been low comparative to damage awards in other areas of tort law One of the intended outcomes of this project is to build a body of research that supports greater damages for victims Therefore evidence from this study will provide the information needed to inform the fair housing community the legal community including courts and juries and the general public about the detrimental effects of housing discrimination on health ADDITIONAL RESOURCES untolddamages gmail com 2019 FELLOWS CUE 77

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By Maurice Robinson Co Founder CEO at Rallyus pro and Principal of QM Strategies CHALLENGE Here s what we know African American men are the most incarcerated demographic in the United States There are a number of programs for returning male citizens but where are the readily accessible safe spaces and preventive initiatives for African American men who have experienced trauma Many African American men have witnessed or been the victim of some type of recurring violence Many have experienced sexual abuse which is often unreported due to family dynamics potential public shame social constructs and or personal conflicts APPROACH First I d like to make the distinction between Black and African American males I am using the term African American specifically referring to American descendants of slaves or ADOS The term Black can be designated for those of darker hue regardless of race nationality or country of origin Many studies find 78 African American men are often socially overlooked in terms of mental health How does the mental health of African American men impact African American communities that most men who are abused become abusers themselves In the African American community however it is believed that rather than becoming sexual predators men who have been abused tend to project their hurt with violence homophobia anti social behavior and misogyny When it comes to gun emotional or physical vio CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY lence African American men are often the victim AND the perpetrator Those behaviors cause a domino effect that leads to depression and anxiety The result murder rates depressed housing markets absence and lack of resources skewed statistics and even the suicide rates may be the result of generational untreated traumas experienced by African American men African American children commit suicide twice as much as white children Moreover of the all suicides across demographics within the African American community men accounted for 80 of all suicide cases between 2012 and 2018 What other conditions in the last ten years have contributed to this outcome There are many factors that contribute to this disparity Most importantly we have to redefine the meaning and perception of depression in African American communities and how lack of services contribute to these statistics Beyond suicide and depression the outward social behaviors have lasting generational consequences and often go unexplored and under treated NEXT STEPS We will examine many factors that are triggers for African American men via a series of discussions culminating with a live radio discussion with mental health professionals and survivors sharing their experiences A live radio experience lends a voice to those willing to share their experience comfortably without being seen As a simulcast we are able to reach a wider audience and collect questions from the internet We hope this leads to legislation outreach and more awareness regarding African American mental health ADDITIONAL RESOURCES domesticabuse org Sarah s Inn The Resilience suicidology org Maurice Robinson is the Co Founder CEO of Rallyus pro and Principal of QM Strategies A native of the Austin community on Chicago s West Side Maurice has been an active figure in social activism via the arts for over 10 years As a member of the ensemble cast of the R E D I Foundation redifoundation org for 6 years 70 000 youth have been impacted by their work related to mental health MAURICE ROBINSON WE CRY IN SILENCE Unpacking AfricanAmerican Male Mental Health 2019 FELLOWS CUE 79

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spent 20 years working alongside By Megan Brand Co founder of Speak Up MEGAN BRAND and community builder She has FROM COLORBLIND TO COLORBOLD An REIA at Peirce Elementary Megan Brand MS Ed NBCT is an educator organizer parent children and families from all walks of life through both schools and community organizations Megan currently serves as co founder of A volunteer facilitates a parent focus group Speak Up a non profit working to mobilize schools and families to disrupt systemic racism and white supremacy by talking explicitly with children about race Speak Up provides teacher professional development parent education and consulting focused on racial equity and anti bias education Connect with Megan and learn more at chicagospeakup org 80 CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY CHALLENGE Like many other schools in Chicago Peirce Elementary School is experiencing significant racial inequities Located in Andersonville Peirce s student population is 44 Hispanic 33 White 11 Black 6 Asian and 6 other While the school excels on the citywide schools report card leaders at the school are deeply concerned that Black and Latino students are scoring 30 50 percentile points lower on math and reading tests than White and Asian students at the school APPROACH I partnered with Peirce Elementary School to conduct a Racial Equity Impact Assessment REIA to ensure that students of color receive an excellent education and experience We want to shift the school culture policies and practices from being color blind to being color bold by naming our country s history of racism reflecting on racial identities and experiences and prioritizing racial equity Our goal is for Peirce to become a model for effectively disrupting racism and eliminating school based racial inequities The REIA process included 20 one onones 6 Parent Race Culture Group meetings a parent survey 3 committee meetings 5 focus groups for parents of students of color 3 rounds of Speak Up s 7 week anti racism course and an all staff survey Over 150 stakeholders contributed and we had a total of over 400 points of contact Over 80 of both families and staff reported a positive overall experience at Peirce However families of color also reported experiencing exclusionary practices inadequate responses to concerns stereotyped curriculum weekly micro aggressions teachers dismissing students questions or disciplining students unfairly and racial slurs and bullying Some teachers and staff shared these concerns although many did not notice a problem Both The white kids ask my Hispanic looking girl how she is getting A s if she the white girl did not do that well They are saying that she doesn t deserve to get good grades because of her color Latina Parent parents and some teachers emphasized the need for more teacher and parent training on bias and race fairer discipline racially representative curriculum consistent reporting and responses to racial incidents and continuing this process of examining racial inequities NEXT STEPS Peirce will now launch an intensive long term Racial Equity Initiative driven by an interdisciplinary Racial Equity Team that includes administrator teacher staff parent and student representatives As part of the launch parents of color want to create a video about their experiences at Peirce to share with teachers parents and students the beginning of next year with the intent of starting wider community dialogue The administration local school council and various parent committees will also begin to implement specific school policy recommendations in collaboration with the community ADDITIONAL RESOURCES chicagospeakup org peirce cps edu www facebook com chicagospeakup antibiaseducator gmail com 2019 FELLOWS CUE 81

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In Chicago families of color are being forced out of our homes our neighborhoods our city At 19th Washtenaw where three neighborhoods meet we began to fight back Leone Jose Bicchieri is the By Leone Jose Bicchieri Founder and Executive Director at Working Family Solidarity Founding Executive Director of CHALLENGE In Chicago low and moderate income families especially African American and Latin face unemployment underemployment and lack of affordable housing These demons cause hardship and displacement of families and they disproportionately impact families of color Thousands of Latin families have been pushed out of Pilsen over the years and overall in Chicago over 200 000 African Americans have been forced to leave the city in the past decade and a half This push often happens in areas with empty buildings and empty lots which are then turned into either exploitative factories or upscale establishments neither of which help local working families to secure good jobs APPROACH The geographic area impacted by this project are the communities of Pilsen 82 Working Family Solidarity WFS residents began pushing back against the local factory s emission of toxic chemicals As workers ex workers and community members began to unite the Community Labor Justice Campaign was born to fight for good and accessible jobs environmental safety and to reduce housing displacement Since the SW corner of the City s Planned Manufacturing District 7 is attracting new companies to the empty buildings and lots we are working to ensure that these are good jobs but also that protect against discrimination in the hiring process We are using the Racial Equity Impact Assessment as a tool to support organizing and to find solutions that prioritize equitable development and Little Village where most residents are low and moderate income Latin s and North Lawndale where the majority of residents are low and moderate income African Americans At 19th Washtenaw where these three communities meet workers began fighting for decent wages better working conditions in 2018 This campaign accelerated when local CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY ABOVE Workers outside one factory at 19th Washtenaw after talking with other workers and community members about our campaign for racial equity and economic justice NEXT STEPS We have begun to meet with the local Alderperson alongside groups fighting for good local jobs like the Manufacturing Renaissance and to reach out to businesses who are coming to the area As we work to finish the REIA this summer we will begin to promote the idea of a Community Benefits Agreement for this area a non profit organization based in Chicago working to unite low moderate income families especially African American and Latin in several neighborhoods of Chicago Leone has 30 years of experience organizing for racial and economic justice in various parts of the U S and in other countries and he has coordinated both local and national level campaigns WFS carries out Racial Unity Dialogues Know Your Rights workshops on labor housing and related issues and organizes specific Community Justice Campaigns ADDITIONAL RESOURCES www workingfamilysolidarity org Facebook Working Family Solidarity 2019 FELLOWS CUE LEONE JOSE BICCHIERI WHO GETS TO WORK WHO HAS TO LEAVE Using an REIA to organize for workers and residents rights 83

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LOREEN TARGOS 84 ASSESSING HOUSING QUALITY A Racial Equity Check Up Loreen became a Healthy Homes Organizer with the Metropolitan By Loreen Targos Board Chair at the Metropolitan Tenants Organization Tenants Organization in 2007 to pilot Chicago s first primary prevention lead poisoning program She has since earned a Masters of Science in Public Health and now chairs the MTO Board of Directors Loreen currently works as a scientist at the US EPA is co chair of the South Side branch of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America and is an ensemble member of PREACH an all POC spoken word improv group CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY MTO tenant leaders celebrate organizing successes in their building CHALLENGE Chicago faces an ongoing housing crisis not only in areas of accessibility affordability but habitability and stability The Metropolitan Tenants Organization MTO receives thousands of phone calls a year from tenants who face dangerous and unhealthy housing conditions and tenants who face tremendous obstacles simply trying to ensure their homes have the met the most basic housing standards These disparities are stark across racial groups with Black and Latino communities disproportionately bearing the burden of these inequities As such any policy solution to address the quality of housing should center racial equity to ensure these disparities do not persist in the reforms we seek APPROACH MTO is working in coalition with stakeholders to create policy that aims to eliminate disparities in the housing quality renters face called the Chicago Healthy Homes Check Up Program The goal of this policy would be to address the quality of housing in a way that decreases racial disparities in access to quality housing Given this goal we are working to center the tenants most likely to be impacted by this legislation by conducting a Racial Equity Impact Assessment By engaging voices often marginalized when it comes to having a say in the state of their housing we plan for this REIA to Identify current vulnerabilities that allow housing disparities in rental housing to persist and How those vulnerabilities will be diminished or exacerbated by this policy proposal A just city is a city with the political courage to ensure everyone has a place that is safe decent and healthy to call home NEXT STEPS As a result of this work we will complete a Racial Equity Impact Assessment that identifies the complexities that have allowed these disparities in housing quality to persist and worsen and provide clarity in the ways in which this policy may affect these disparities Positive outcomes of the REIA can inform policy makers not only in Chicago but across the nation as we see divestment from housing stock for working class people and families ADDITIONAL RESOURCES tenants rights org 2019 FELLOWS CUE 85

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By Isaias Solis Director of Programs at the Latin United Community Housing Association LUCHA CHALLENGE Fifty years after the federal Fair Housing Act banned racial discrimination in lending African Americans and Latinos continue to be routinely denied conventional mortgage loans at rates far higher than their white counterparts This modern day redlining persisted in 61 metro areas even when controlling for applicants income loan amount and neighborhood according to millions of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records analyzed by The Center for Investigative Reporting Additionally an Institute for Policy Studies recent report showed that between 1983 and 2013 the wealth of the median black household declined 75 percent from 6 800 to 1 700 and the median Latino household declined 50 percent from 4 000 to 2 000 At the same time wealth for the median white household increased 14 percent from 102 000 to 116 800 86 LUCHA Homebuyer Workshop Sponsored by CHASE Bank The deep and persistent racial wealth divide will not close without bold structural reform It has been created and held in place by public policies that have evolved with time including slavery Jim Crow red lining mass incarceration Isaias Solis currently serves as the Director of Programs for among many others the Latin United Community Institute for Policy Studies HUD Approved Housing Coun Housing Association LUCHA a seling Agency and Community Housing Development Organi APPROACH LUCHA works to address the racial wealth gap by increasing home ownership in the geographic communities of Chicago and the outer suburbs We know from both the quantitative data above and the lived experiences of many of our clients that mortgage lending practices have significantly transformed since redlining was a formal practice To address this LUCHA will conduct a Racial Equity Impact Assessment REIA of mortgage lending practices as well as local lender overall approach to lending and community investment This REIA will compile expert insights community input and data into a comprehensive report with recommendations to lenders lender regulators and the general public CUE ORGANIZING ADVOCACY NEXT STEPS By July 2019 LUCHA will convene a steering committee which at a minimum will consist of experts in mortgage lending affordable housing community and economic development finance community reinvestment and real estate to explore the issues analyze data and generate initial thoughts and a model for broader community discussion Throughout September 2019 LUCHA will host community conversations throughout Chicago to introduce community stakeholders to the key components of the REIA and develop both short and long term recommendations to address disparities in mortgage lending practices ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Home Mortgage Disclosure Act HMDA https www ffiec gov hmda default htm Racial Wealth Gap Report http www demos org sites default files publications RacialWealthGap_1 pdf ISAIAS SOLIS CLOSING THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP An Analysis of Mortgage Lending Practices zation CHDO He possesses a combined 15 years of service in education government non profit public health and health center operations His work can be summarized by his commitment to equity and ensuring that opportunity is afforded to members of our society who face systemic and institutional barriers to achieving self sufficiency 2019 FELLOWS CUE 87

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