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In Englewood, Sowing Seeds for a Better Day

By Gordon Walek on Tuesday, February 9, 2010

“You Can’t Go Home Again,” the title of Thomas Wolfe’s 1940 novel, has become shorthand for saying that once you’ve left your hometown or neighborhood to seek success elsewhere, there’s no going back. If you do, you won’t fit in. And the folks who never left will see you in a new, unforgiving light.

That may be true, but it wasn’t apparent on February 1, in Englewood, where a handful of

neighborhood alumni – ranging from financiers to writers to health care specialists – spent an evening at Kennedy-King College talking about their roots. The event, called “A Conversation with Englewood Legends,” kicked off an ambitious month of education and entertainment programming by Teamwork Englewood and Kennedy-King College designed to celebrate Black History Month.

Those returning included Dr. Terry Mason, chief medical officer for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System; James Reynolds, Jr., chairman and CEO of  Loop Capital Markets; Henry P. Wilson, the “community mayor” of Englewood; and Richard Hunt, a renowned sculptor. Also present was Christine Houston, a Kennedy-King College alum who developed the play that was the original concept for the hit 1980s TV show “227.”  All were featured in the City Colleges of Chicago “Rooted in Englewood” billboard campaign, in which their images appear on local billboards, reminding residents – particularly young people – that growing up in a tough environment doesn’t preclude success.

An evening to celebrate
The evening, which began with community leaders launching hundreds of balloons from the

 corner of 63rd and Halsted streets in commemoration of Illinois abolishing slavery on February 1, 1865, was intended to introduce the on-going collection of Englewood narratives through the Teamwork Englewood Living Legends of Englewood project being conducted in association with Kennedy-King College. The project is a community-based program designed to empower youth by connecting them with stories of people who are rooted in Englewood and have become influential leaders in politics, business, education, and the arts. The series was launched last year by the living presidents of Kennedy-King College who shared their leadership reflections during an historic gathering that launched the college’s 75th anniversary celebration. 

“These stories offer a new source of hope and possibility for youth and prove that there is a lot of good emerging from Englewood,” said Asiaha Butler, chair of the Teamwork Englewood Education Taskforce, which initiated the collaboration with Kennedy-King. The Living Legends project, she said, will provide authentic oral histories of successful Englewood residents to counter the prevalent negative images that portray the neighborhood as a decaying, impoverished community.

Efforts to overcome tough times
Having said that, those negative images aren’t entirely inaccurate. Englewood, like so many Chicago neighborhoods, is struggling these days, which makes partnerships between institutions such as Kennedy-King and Teamwork Englewood so critical. Teamwork Englewood is a  non-profit community development initiative formed in 2003 through the joint efforts of St. Bernard Hospital, Greater Englewood Parish United Methodist Church, and Pullman/Park National Bank (now US Bank) to bring together residents, schools, organizations, churches, and businesses in the Englewood community. No questions but that they – a strong educational institution and a community development advocate – are in it together.

“Kennedy-King College brings resources and energy to the community that a make a difference and aid us in encouraging our young people to pursue alternative ways to improve their economic condition and achieve their dreams of success,” said Leon Jackson, Teamwork Englewood’s chairman.

The Kennedy-King campus, opened in 2007, has established itself as the center of Englewood, says Doris Jones, the New Communities Program director for Teamwork Englewood.  The campus, she said, has “added some prestige to Englewood. You see the new Kennedy-King where the shopping mall was and it is now an educational center. That’s a huge boost for a neighborhood that’s seen more businesses leaving than coming in.”

Black History Month celebration
The Kennedy-King College Black History Month celebration, offers a month-long series of

activities that includes films, literary expression, discussions, and seminars that address pertinent issues impacting the Englewood community or that explore the Black experience.  The seminars will be lead by faculty, professors, and instructors from KKC, University of Chicago, DePaul University, Chicago Public Schools representatives and community leaders.  Special performances are scheduled for the college’s Sikia Restaurant operated by Washburne Culinary Institute that include the youth group Young Natives /Urban Aspirations, BABA TYEHIMBA MTU, Master Drummer and the KKC Faculty Trio with Dr. Curtis Prince, Brian Felix and Pete Carney.

BHM Program Highlights:
Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Giving You the Green: Sustaining Communities through green and new technologies. Facilitor: Martin Pieters and Openlands

Thursday, Feb. 18 – Africa Diaspora Forum:  Focus 2010 Haiti,  Facilitator: Africa International House. Poetry from Now for Now: Quraysh Ali Lansana and Gwendolyn Mitchell

Monday, Feb. 22 – African-Americans and Education: The Civil Rights Issue of this Generation. Facilitators: KKC professors Theodore Williams and Richard Forniss.

Tuesday, Feb. 23 – Bronzeville Nights film, part of Chicago Blues Museum exhibit at DuSable Museum

Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Health disparities panel, Facilitator: Dr. Mario De La Hayes-KKC, Dr. Rick Kittles-UC, Dr. Damon  Arnold, Ill. Dept. of Public Health

Thursday, Feb. 25 – Health forum and health fair: “Building Healthy Communities”
Connections in Generations: (Closing Session) Facilitator: Prof. Fredrick Douglas Dixon-KKC.
   
All Black History Month programs are free and open to the Public.  All programs were originally scheduled for the KKC Theater Building at 740 W. 63rd St., but because of weather conditions may be moved.  Parking is available off-street or in the Student Parking Lot at 65th and Halsted.  Visit:  www.kennedyking.ccc.edu or www.teamworkenglewood.org for updated schedules or call: Teamwork Englewood: 773-602-4523 or Kennedy-King College: 773-602-5543/773-602-5000 for additional information.