MILLENNIUM RESERVE MONTHLY
JUNE 2015
Coming in 2016: Great Migration Centennial
This year’s Chicago Blues Festival will conclude on June 14 in Grant Park with tributes to legendary bluesmen Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters. The tributes, however, will not only celebrate the blues music of two Chicago greats; they will help kick off next year’s 100th anniversary of the Great Migration, a watershed in American history that marked the movement of six million African Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West. The Great Migration is closely tied to the communities, commerce and nature of the Chicago region and Millennium Reserve. More than 500,000 African Americans came to the Chicago region during this period to pursue the promise of economic opportunity. Millions more have been impacted by that epoch in history ever since. Now, a growing, many‐sided effort to celebrate the Great Migration Centennial is coming together in the region and could include, organizers say, a trail that welcomes people who want to learn about the many facets of this dynamic movement. The “trail” may turn out to be an actual physical trail in the region – and/or an interpretative series of sites and activities that embody the Great Migration theme, and, in the process, celebrate valuable regional assets. The Centennial Trail would feature a variety of educational exhibits and other activities, including the Black Metropolis Pullman Porter Great Migration Blues Trail, a half‐day tour that explores the experience of African Americans who came to the Chicago region during the Great Migration. The Blues Trail was co‐created by Paula Robinson, current managing partner of the Bronzeville Community Development Partnership; Dr. Lyn Hughes, founder of the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum; and Harold Lucas, chief executive officer of the Black Metropolis Convention & Tourism Council. Robinson also sits on the Great Migration Centennial Commission, formed in 2012 when an Illinois Senate Joint Resolution officially recognized the Great Migration Centennial. One possible option for a Centennial Trail would demonstrate a strong link between African Americans who migrated here, their natural surroundings in the region and the prevailing theme of trying to thrive in a new environment. In Millennium Reserve, from McCormick Place on the north to east 47th Street on the south, the Burnham Wildlife Corridor is a 100‐acre area of urban wilderness. The Corridor sits on land adjacent to the Illinois Central Railroad – the same railroad that brought thousands of African Americans to Chicago in the last century. Story continues on page 2 1 Millennium Reserve
Coming in 2016: Great Migration Centennial ‐ Continued from page 1
“The Illinois Central railroad is still here – including a now‐abandoned branch we’ve long called the Stockyard Line,” says Robinson. “That’s how many African Americans who migrated here came to work. What we are saying is that there’s an opportunity to make a connection – between the migration of birds and the Great Migration. The common link is that so many have strived to find a better place for themselves and their families.” Robinson and others involved in the Centennial effort are working with the Chicago Park District, the Field Museum and others to make the migration trail a reality. The trail, supporters say, could include a bike path. Other organizations in the region involved in the Centennial effort include the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Choose Chicago, Slow Roll (a cycling group) and many others. The Great Migration is closely related to numerous other developments in the region that reflect the broad influence of African American culture and history. Robinson is president of the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission, which seeks national heritage status for an area long known for African American achievement in arts and culture, business, politics, recreation and more. The area stretches from the City’s South Loop to Woodlawn (18th Street to the North, 71st Street to the South, Lake Michigan to the East, and Canal Street to the West). National Heritage Areas tell nationally important stories that celebrate our nation’s diverse heritage. In this case, a national heritage area would tell the story of African Americans’ struggles and perseverance during the Great Migration and beyond. The Great Migration is also a fundamental part of the Pullman National Monument story, and can be part of the narrative to be told at the Obama Presidential Library, which will be located in Chicago. Scope of Great Migration The Great Migration was an unusually influential movement that continues to impact the city, nation and world in a major way. Statistics show that before the Great Migration, African Americans constituted 2 percent of Chicago’s population; by 1970, African Americans constituted 33 percent of Chicago’s population. Many moved to, and helped create, the area known as the Black Metropolis, the cultural and financial center of black Chicago that is now called Bronzeville. The Great Migration and its impact were depicted in Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. It was also a period during which many leading cultural figures made an imprint on Chicago – and the world. Key figures – among many ‐‐ included journalist and crusader Ida B. Wells, acclaimed poet and teacher Gwendolyn Brooks, and, of course, Louis Armstrong, who came to Chicago in the 1920s when the city was a center of the world of jazz. The Great Migration Centennial will provide residents and visitors a chance to learn more about a movement whose reach is both deeply personal and historic. “My family – like thousands and thousands of families – is a descendant of the Great Migration,” says Robinson. “It’s a movement that changed the region and country.” For more information: VisitBronzeville.com greatmigrationcentennial.com 2 Millennium Reserve - Jun 2015
County Sets Sights on Disaster Relief In recent years, In April 2013, severe floods hit the Chicago region. Many Millennium Reserve communities in the southeast suburbs were among the hardest hit. Two years later, these communities are still working to address unmet needs related to the 2013 floods. Cook County is playing a major role by administering an $83.6 million federally funded Community Development Block Grant designed to assist disaster recovery. The County, along with other regional partners, is also applying for additional grant funds through the National Disaster Resilience Competition, a $1 billion U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded initiative to improve communities’ resilience to severe weather and other shocks and stressors. “I am a strong advocate of working collaboratively when it comes to disaster resilience," says Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. "We are working with municipalities and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and holding neighborhood workshops, to make the best use of our grant resources and to identify innovative ways to make the County more resilient." The County’s response comes at a time when it has become increasingly clear that floods are having a growing impact on area communities. Research (including a recent study of 14 states by the University of Iowa) shows that the Midwest has faced an increase in flooding over the past 50 years. Many communities in the region are ill‐equipped to handle heavy rainfall because of aging infrastructure, and, in particular, sewers. Communities that have not yet recovered from the 2008 recession are, not surprisingly, more apt to struggle to maintain and build new infrastructure, even when it’s clear that they need it. “We are not talking about floods happening in a few isolated communities, but in a wide range of communities,” says Ed Paesel, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, which represents 44 communities in the south suburban area. “And it’s not just that aging infrastructure hasn’t been upgraded and can’t handle the impact of floods. Even our newer infrastructure – much of which is between 40 and 70 years old – is vulnerable.” Illinois taxpayers and property owners have been hit hard by floods. Annual flood damages in the state average $700 million a year, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In 2013, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) released The Prevalence and Cost of Urban Flooding, a study that revealed the impact of floods in Cook County. The report stated that “Residents in 67% of the 27 ZIP codes with the highest concentrations of damage earn below the median household income for Cook County.” In addition, flood insurance only covers a small fraction of the problem. According to the report, “Claims paid [between 2007‐
2011] by the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program – the only formal flood insurance program – represent just 8% of total payouts.” CNT also reported that “between 2007 and 2011, over 181,000 claims – worth in excess of $773 million – were filed for damaged property in Cook County as a result of urban flooding.” Urban flooding is defined by the Urban Flooding Awareness Act as “The inundation of property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems, such as storm sewers.” Story continues on page 4 3 Millennium Reserve - Jun 2015
County Sets Sights on Disaster Relief ‐ Continued from page 3 Current Grant The County’s current disaster relief grant through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG‐DR) initiative focuses on a range of categories, including housing rehabilitation, strategic acquisition (such as buyouts of properties in flood plains), replacement housing and related planning needs. One key will be funding for “gray” and “green” infrastructure (gray infrastructure refers to traditional practices for stormwater treatment like pipes and sewers; green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils and natural processes to manage water and create healthier urban environments). “What we’ve learned through our outreach is that a lot of communities have flooding issues, but don’t know what the underlying causes are – or don’t have resources to determine what solutions can work,” says Dominic Tocci, Deputy Director of the Cook County Department of Planning and Development. “That is where our planning resources can help, and this kind of planning and design/engineering work will be supported by the disaster relief grant.” Resilience Competition Funds from the resilience competition, if awarded, will come from the same source (HUD) as funds for the disaster relief grant. The County’s resilience competition bid will emphasize support for communities vulnerable to various issues, including high unemployment and public health concerns, as well as flooding. The County has selected a pilot area that includes Blue Island, Calumet Park, Riverdale, Robbins, Dolton and Calumet City. All of these communities are located within Millennium Reserve. “We are focused on communities most impacted by the flooding of 2013,” says Tocci. “These communities not only face significant challenges – they have a track record of working together and have strengths to draw from. We hope that we can help communities build on their assets.” An important aspect of the competition is that applicants are strongly encouraged to provide innovative solutions to flooding that create multiple benefits. For instance, solutions might address the socioeconomic impact of flooding, create needed new open space and generate job opportunities through green infrastructure projects. All of these solutions reflect priorities of Millennium Reserve. In Illinois, the process for this competition reflects strong collaboration between eligible applicants, which include the City of Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County and the State. Applicants submitted a coordinated set of proposals to HUD with support from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and other regional nonprofit groups. While HUD asked applicants to submit separate proposals, each did so as part of a regional partnership. As a result, proposals had common elements. The first phase of the application for the competition, which included a public comment period, was completed in March. If applicants are invited, Phase Two would be due in October; awards are likely to be made by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the County also has engaged with regional efforts to support this work, including the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative , a priority project of Millennium Reserve that is better coordinating regional stormwater initiatives. The Collaborative has helped inform how the County is using its CDBG‐DR resources and is providing valuable input to the resilience competition application. For more information: http://blog.cookcountyil.gov/economicdevelopment/cdbg‐dr/ 4 Millennium Reserve - Jun 2015
The Magic of Migration: Stories Bind People, Nature “Think about it: So many of us move, or migrate, for better opportunities, so we can survive – and, hopefully, thrive – and to find shelter, safety, food and water,” says Veronica Kyle, Chicago congregational outreach director for Faith in Place, a Chicago‐based organization that inspires people of diverse faiths to care for the earth through connection, education and advocacy (Faith in Place is a member of Millennium Reserve). “We all need a hospitable community.” Kyle was, in essence, describing why Faith in Place brings people to together throughout Chicagoland ‐ to share their migration stories, learn about the monarch butterfly (and its own migration story) and engage in an array of nature‐based activities. The program, Migration, Monarchs, Birds and Me, has reached multigenerational congregation members from both the African American and Latino communities. For nature outings, participants in the Faith in Place program work with Cook County Forest Preserves staff and volunteers, who can gain certification in various conservation skills. Meanwhile, youth programming is led by Faith in Place’s Eco‐Ambassadors. The program teaches the value of stewardship to people enjoying nature activities at Millennium Reserve sites like Beaubien Woods and Powderhorn Prairie. Kyle saw something several years ago that has been shared by many who work on environmental issues in underserved communities of color in the Chicago region. “I realized that there was a disconnect between the African American community and Latino communities and that of the present‐day conservation community. I realized that if we were going to get people back to nature, we could not ignore their story and history,” says Kyle. “The more I read about the monarch migrating from its homeland in Mexico to the Chicago area, the more I saw that similarities to African Americans were amazing.” The Migration program brings multigenerational congregation members together for story circles in which they share their own migration stories. Even the story circle format contributes to the spirit of people sharing what they have experienced. Unlike a lecture, where one person talks to a group, the circle is designed to encourage all to tell their story. Some participants even bring something to the circle that might enhance their stories, like a musical instrument. Kyle recalls her own personal story. “I was a little girl coming from Alabama and migrating to the big city,” she says. “My mom brought us up on a train – we had five kids, I was the oldest. I remember the shoebox lunch with wax paper and fried chicken, but I also remember the stories about the South ‐ including what I knew about the lynchings and the beatings.” “Chicago was a huge place with tall buildings. I don’t even remember seeing the trees, she says. “While I was growing up, my brother – who was then a teenager – was with friends in the woods, and he was shot in the back by a group of white men. (Fortunately, he lived to tell the story but still has the bullet in his back to this day). The word got around Altgeld Gardens that we needed to stay out of the woods. I’ve often seen how in the story circles, people start with the bitter and go to the sweet. Despite the hardship stories of forced labor and land discrimination, people also share fond memories of tree climbing for juicy fruits – peaches and pears – canning their homegrown produce, catching butterflies and listening to the sweet sounds of birds.” Story continues on page 6 5 Millennium Reserve - Jun 2015
The Magic of Migration: Stories Bind People, Nature ‐ Continued from page 5 Susan Rashad, a master gardener at Benedict The African East church, participates in the program. For Rashad, who lives in the Woodlawn community on the city’s South Side, talking about the migration of monarch butterflies “triggers a story from everyone there.” Her story includes a great‐grandfather and great‐grandmother who homesteaded in Oklahoma. “My parents didn’t meet until they got here. Then they learned that their families were both from Louisiana. They already had a connection.” She says that migration is a universal theme. It is not just that African Americans migrated from the South or that monarch butterflies migrate. Founders of her own church, she notes, migrated from one parish to another. (Meanwhile, recent stories point out that some African Americans are moving back South – a pattern that has been called “Reverse Great Migration.”) Rev. Debra Williams, outreach coordinator for the Migration program, says she has been “in awe of what I have learned about nature and how it connects to the spiritual life of people who participate in the program.” Williams is also a pastor at the Thomas AME Church in the West Pullman area. The Migration program has reached more than 1,000 people in four years. “As soon as we get back from a trip, we find that there are more people who want to be involved in our garden club,” says Rashad. “I would love to see this program expanded.” For Kyle, the connection between her people, her past and nature is indelible. “I believe that we all have an affection for nature,” she says. “It’s about connecting people to beauty in a safe space – and to their own stories. For the monarch, and for many of us, it can be hard to naturally thrive. Connecting to nature and to our stories helps us conserve our world – and share what we’ve learned with each other.” First Person Narrative: Paula Anglin Paula Anglin, a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, is a participant in Migration, Monarchs, Birds and Me, a program of Faith in Place. She is also an actress and played Rosa Parks at the DuSable Museum of African American History earlier this year as part of its King Day celebration. I oversee the George Washington Carver Garden at my church, where we grow pesticide‐free produce and maintain our butterfly garden. (Faith in Place assisted us in starting our native plant and butterfly garden five years ago). One day we named a butterfly garden in honor of a late minister, Rev. Allen. When I heard about [Faith In Place’s] Monarchs, Migration, Birds and Me program, we joined immediately. We’ve been going out to the Forest Preserve, including Kickapoo, Whistler and Powderhorn. It’s helped people get out into nature – not just feeling like you’re in the country when you’re actually in the city, but caring for the earth, planting native plants that attract the butterflies and cutting down invasive species. There are a lot of people from my church who came up from the South. I remember visiting my great‐
grandmother on Brooklyn Street in Kansas City. It was so hot and they didn’t have a lakefront, of course, so great
‐grandma would take a washtub and cool us off in the yard. Next door, the neighbors had a pear tree, and when the pears would fall into her yard, great‐granny would pick them up. She made the best pear preserves I’ve ever have. In later years, she would send them to Chicago. It’s just a lovely memory – so delicious and comforting. My mom came up here as a little girl and learned her lessons of growing up and maturing, and she blossomed, and then she started her family. I guess butterflies are not any different: you come, you mature, you learn, you blossom and you pass. It’s a cycle. 6 Millennium Reserve - Jun 2015
Millennium Reserve Overview Millennium Reserve is a geographic area of Chicago’s southeast side and south suburbs with many challenges but also tremendous potential for people, commerce, and wildlife. It is also a partnership of over 100 public agencies, private businesses, and community organizations which are catalyzing innovative collaborations and actions that:  Stimulate economic growth in the region;  Restore and enhance its natural ecosystems; and  Improve quality of life. Millennium Reserve is guided by partners who understand community priorities, and it is designed to make on‐the‐ground projects happen. Reserve priorities include: expanded outdoor recreation, ecological restoration, stormwater management, brownfield redevelopment, industrial jobs, National Park Service designations, environmental education, and rebranding the region. Partners provide their own human and financial resources to advance priorities. They catalyze action by focusing, leveraging, and augmenting existing resources and by working within a collaborative framework to achieve exponential results. These results will provide tangible benefits for the region that can be measured by job growth, new acres restored, increased public access to natural areas, and much more. More information about Millennium Reserve priorities, progress, and success to‐date can be found at millenniumreserve.org About the Partnership Millennium Reserve is a partnership of government, businesses, and nonprofit groups working together to advance a shared action agenda. It is led by a Steering Committee of diverse Partners who understand community priorities and know how to make the most of the region’s assets. Scores of additional Partners are actively stewarding initiatives and on‐the‐ground projects that help to realize the Millennium Reserve vision. Join Millennium Reserve Millennium Reserve is a special place that belongs to everyone. Joining us as a Millennium Reserve Partner or community makes you an official part of the exciting transformation of this under‐recognized region. For more information and to join, visit http://bit.ly/1GR4Y5W For questions, contact: Suellen Burns e: [email protected] p: 312‐814‐6509 7 Millennium Reserve - Jun 2015