UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Our Next Teach-In

"Message to the mayor" campaign

Join us Wednesday, 9/28 6:00 - 7:30 PM (Central), for our Teach-In on our “Message to the Mayor” campaign, as well as the Citywide Equitable Development Roundtable (CEDR), where we are coalition members. Both efforts are mobilizing Chicagoans to learn about the City’s New Development Plan and give feedback to the Mayor and the Dept. of Planning & Development. Our organization is especially concerned about whether the City will commit to creating more good jobs in communities which really need them, and jobs which are available to local residents. but this new plan will affect much more than jobs. At out Teach-In, we will have two presenters (photos below) followed by comments and discussion. English/Spanish interpretation. Link to register for the Teach-In below.

What's at stake? It's the first time in 50+ years that the City is developing a new Master Land-Use Plan - and many community residents are not aware of this critically important process, which will affect jobs, housing, zoning, green spaces, transportation, & many other aspects of our lives for years to come. Although many Chicagoans have not heard of the City's new Draft Plan, the City wants feedback on their 148-page Draft Plan by November 1st.

Our Executive Director will facilitate on 9/28. After the presentations, we will have a few other community residents of Chicago who will add comments and participate in a discussion with the presenters.

Co-presenters:

Kevin Johnson, Community Organizer, Working Family Solidarity:
Kevin is leading our "Message to the Mayor" campaign, and he will describe our efforts to mobilize community members to send a message to the Mayor about what they think of the New Development Plan. Kevin will also let attendees know how they can participate, by sending feedback to the City, and also by being filmed for a 45-60 second video clip that Kevin is recording (in English & Spanish), so Chicagoans can produce their own unique Message to the Mayor.

Chris White, Organizing Director, ASE (Alliance of the Southeast):
Chris is helping to convene the Citywide Equitable Development Roundtable (CEDR), made up of numerous Chicago organizations, which is monitoring the City's process to create a New Development Plan. Chris will share what CEDR is doing, and how others can participate in pushing the City to have a sincere and transparent process of receiving community feedback.

Photos: (left) Kevin Johnson, of Working Family Solidarity, Lead Organizer of WFS' "Messages to the Mayor" campaign; (center) Chris White, Organizing Director of ASE (Alliance of the Southeast) and main convener of CEDR, the Citywide Equitable Development Roundtable coalition; (right) Esmeralda de la Rosa, member-leader with Working Family Solidarity. She has attended several of the City's listening sessions on development in the Back of the Yards area, and she wonders how seriously her feedback was taken and whether her input would have any impact.