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Here are some updates on various things that have been happening on the South Side and with SSN4H.
News Updates
Update on the POP lawsuit
Last week the Reva and David Logan Foundation announced its $100K donation to support the Protect Our Parks lawsuit against the placing of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, which they called “morally and legally wrong”. You can read the Hyde Park Herald’s coverage of this here. The Logan Foundation funded the construction of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of Chicago and continues to fund programming for the center. For the Herald’s coverage of community reaction to this development, click here, including statements from SSN4H, as well as Louise McCurry, president of the Jackson Park Advisory Council.
We are shocked and disappointed by their decision to donate funds to a lawsuit driven by people who do not live on the south side, do not participate in our communities nor use our parks. We note several ways that $100K could have been or has been used to invest constructively in our communities, rather than help to stall the most significant investment on the south side in over a century. This funding will likely be used to fund a lengthy appeals process that could delay the ground-breaking of the OPC for years.
Past $100K investments for the South Side include:
Alpha Kappa Alpha donation of $100k to Chicago State University
Boeing donated $100k to the YMCA Urban Warrior Program, which helps victims of gun violence and trauma in Chicago
Future investments could include:
Renovation of the Jackson Park Fieldhouse: The fieldhouse is used by many in the community for a range of events including baby showers, community meetings, sporting events and voting, yet it is woefully in need of repairs and renovation. A $100K grant would be a significant investment towards starting the renovation of this treasured building.
Construction job training, transportation to job sites, tool sets and work gear (for example through CCDI) or any of the other groups that are working to better our communities and parks on the south side.
What Can You Do??? Contact the Logan Foundation.
What are your ideas of how $100K could be better spent on the south side? Please join our letter writing campaign to the Logan Foundation and ask that your suggestion be forwarded to the President, Richard Logan. We have a letter template here; we suggest both emailing (preeti@loganfdn.org) and mailing it to the Foundation's headquarters in downtown via USPS (address is on letter template).
Be sure to tell them of your support for the OPC in Jackson Park. You can cite our website, including our map of the improvements that this will bring to an inaccessible and underused section of the park. Discuss why Jackson Park is the right choice for our communiites. You can also review the Obama Foundation’s discussion of why Jackson Park was originally chosen for the site here: Jackson Park: The Right Choice
Earth Day is April 22nd!
Join SSN4H on Saturday, April 27th for a Community Conversation and Tour of the Obama Presidential Site
In celebration of Earth Day, SSN4H is working with the Jackson Park Advisory Council (JPAC) to host a Community Conversation and Tour of the Obama Presidential Center site in Jackson Park. Join Landscape Architect Robert Rock, a member of the landscape design team Living Habitats, who has been working on the site plans for the OPC. He will help us envision how newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials, and grass will complement the OPC buildings and provide new habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife. We will be discussing tree and vegetation plans, the relationship between the new design and Olmsted’s vision for the park as a community space, and how the new landscaping plans are intended to adapt to the changing climate, sustaining the park’s habitat well into the 21st century. Come with any and all questions and wear sturdy walking shoes. Virtual Reality goggles will be provided to help visualize the buildings; they fit over standard glasses.
This will be the first of what we hope will be a series of Community Conversations about what the OPC will bring to our communities and parks.
The day is full of Earth-related events; tentative schedule is below:
1:00 - 3:00 Community Service Project: Re-chipping the 62nd and Stony Island Children's Playground
3:00 - 4:30 Obama Site Tour and Conversation with Robert Rock, OPC Landscape Architect
4:30 - 5:00 Community Resource Fair
5:00 - 6:30 “Before the Floods,” Movie by Leonardo DiCaprio, followed by a community discussion about what we can do locally to slow and survive global warming and Climate Change.
Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) update
The CBA issue has been a long evolving topic that is of great interest to us as well as our communities. Recently, Alex Goldberg of STOP (Southside Together Organizing for Power) noted that the CBA “fight” was not with the Obama Foundation, but with the City of Chicago and the University of Chicago. Following overwhelming support for a non-binding referendum on the ballot in a few precincts of the 5th and 20th wards on the February 26th election, Alderman Hairston has said she will meet and begin discussions with the many stakeholders in the communities affected, including the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and South Shore Works, as well as the newly elected 20th Ward alderman, Ms. Jeannette Taylor. You can read more about this in the Hyde Park Herald coverage here. We will report back on any advances on this topic.
Related to the discussions of how the CBA should best benefit our communities, we would like to highlight some of the recent progress by the Obama Foundations on their Community Commitments pledge.
Economic Impact and Jobs:
- The Foundation spent more than $6 million with more than 70 diverse businesses across different economic sectors. A quarter of that—$1.5 million—was with Chicago-based companies.
- Lakeside Alliance, a coalition of diverse construction firms, was chosen by the Foundation to be their construction managers. Lakeside has opened a South Side Resource Centerto facilitate job training and workforce recruitment and connect with sub-contractors. They are present at career fairs, job information sessions, and ward meetings around Chicago.
Youth Programming
- A new joint award with Chicago Public Schools to celebrate and honor Chicago students, schools, educators, and community partners who have made a powerful impact in their communities through civic engagement and action
- A new public library branch will be located at the future Obama Presidential Center.
- Launched the Community Leadership Corps, a program designed to help young people aged 18-25 create the world they want to live in by working to address an issue in their community. Training sessions were held in Chicago in June, August, and November 2018.
- Continued its partnership with Urban Alliancefor the second year. Obama Youth Job Corps begins workforce readiness training starting in the 10th grade.
- Continues the work of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, particularly as it relates to mentoring and youth violence prevention. So far the Foundation has invested $1 million in Chicago for staffing, training, and financial support to assist local organizations that are doing the most innovative work improving the lives of young men of color.
To read our summary of the Community Commitment pledge and further details of achievements to date click here:
Five Things You Can Do NOW to Support the OPC
1. Tell your friends you support the OPC. Voicing your support to your personal network via email, social media, or even in person discussions boosts the energy of others and gets people off the fence. You can also follow us on social media (Facebook: SoSideN4Hope, and Twitter: @SoSideN4Hope).
2. Do your research. An informed supporter can dispel rumors and drum up positive enthusiasm around the topic. Use our SSN4H website as a resource. Any questions, ask us!
3. Participate in a walking tour of the site. Imagine yourself in the space and see where this development will be in Jackson Park. Information on walking tours is available by signing up for the JPAC newsletter here or following them on Twitter (@JacksonParkAC).
4. Visit Jackson Park. Go for a stroll, take your kids to the playground or your dog to Jackson Bark. Tour Wooded Island, go for a walk with the birders or visit the Japanese Garden. (Don’t forget the Purple Martin Houses south of the MSI lagoon!) There are so many exciting ways to use the park. See for yourself how great the addition of the OPC will be to Jackson Park.
5. Sign up for the Obama Foundation newsletter. Be among the first to know about the latest details. Follow the development of the OPC as it starts the spark of revitalization of Jackson Park and our surrounding communities. The newsletter also highlights the work the Foundation is doing directly in our communities, reinforcing its mission to make the South Side, and the world, a better place for us and our children.
GET INVOLVED
Please see our new GET INVOLVED page on our website. If you would like to advocate for the OPC or just get more involved with your community, please check out our new page with suggestions on how to get more involved. Included are links to our Letter of Support and suggestions about penning letters to the editor, joining Park Advisory Councils or volunteering with us or the Obama Foundation in programming to help make our communities stronger, safer and happier.
Download and post our Timuel Black and Five Things to Know posters and use them to engage/discuss the OPC with your family, friends and neighbors.
Upcoming Community Events
See above for our celebration of Earth Day!
Check our Calendar on the website for upcoming events.
Letter of Support
Join almost 500 UChicago and local community members to voice your support for the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. You can sign here.
Volunteer!
Please consider volunteering with us. We are currently not accepting donations, however we welcome anyone with enthusiasm, diverse skill sets and hope for our future on the southside to work with us moving forward. Go to our volunteer page to sign up.
Please also follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SoSideN4Hope for more frequent updates!
