Derion Barnes '24

Derion Barnes is a black culture wellness advocate dedicated to improving the quality of life in Chicago's most impoverished neighborhoods by any means. Born and raised on the Westside of Chicago, Derion saw firsthand the disinvestment in his Garfield Park community but also saw the potential for growth and development. As a community leader, Derion has facilitated local food drives to combat the lack of grocery stores and provide healthier food options for residents, assisted with back-to-school fundraisers for CPS students, and mentored youth by introducing holistic health practices like yoga and meditation as methods for gun violence prevention. With new projects, programs, and businesses starting to emerge west, Derion has positioned himself to engage with community to inform and reassure that changes are being made for us and by us. 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

Throughout many roles and interests, Corey Dooley works to build a stronger, prosperous, self-sufficient and people-led Westside. In his work and life, community is at the core. 

“When I look at the word community, I see it as two words: communication and unity,” Corey said.

Communication is essential to know what’s going on in your neighborhood and for that, “you got to be able to talk to your neighbor.” Unity is key so everyone is on the same page, he said. 

“Community Corey,” as he is known in Chicago’s Westside, found a home away from his native Dallas. Football initially brought Corey to complete his undergraduate studies in political science at Concordia University Chicago; the community made him stay. 

“You can't say my name without saying community first and that's just really how I move,” he said. “I’m a really big people person.” 

Corey thrives when working with other people. Playing sports helped him learn leadership and relationship building, yet a more harrowing experience fueled him to be a resource for others and bring communities together. This can be one of many steps in creating a safer and vital neighborhood. 

When he was 15, a domestic violence incident forever changed his and his family’s lives. When his mother wanted a divorce, his stepfather tried to take their lives. Upon returning from his younger brother’s football game, Corey was shot four times and his mother was shot twice, while his 13-year-old brother witnessed the violent events. 

“By the grace of God we made it out, even though the doctors gave me less than a one percent chance to live,” he said. 

It took years for Corey to understand and heal from this painful experience, yet through his faith and resilience, he has found purpose in this life-changing moment. Instead of trying to understand “why this happened to him,” he looks at how he can “use this experience” and “what God is trying to teach him.” 

“I’ve heard it like this: 90 percent of life is not what happens to you, but how you react to it,” Corey said. 

His experience connects him to people who have experienced the painful effects of domestic and gun violence in Chicago, where he hopes he can inspire other survivors who can look at him and find someone “who went through something hard and was able to come back out on top.” 

Beyond sharing his story, Corey has taken on many different roles to make a difference in the Westside. 

For several years, he worked as corridor manager with Malcolm Crawford, executive director for the Austin African American Business Network Association, to help build a booming commercial corridor along Chicago Avenue in Austin, garnering city support. 

This spring, he worked with Project Exploration to create the Austin Experience, an initiative to organize and highlight community-led events for youth in Austin.

“It's hard to save the world but it's a lot easier to save your community,” he said. 

In all of these roles, Corey has made a difference by building relationships, connecting with people and organizations and sharing valuable information like grant opportunities, requests for proposals and other resources that can help support local businesses and initiatives. He is strengthening a network of collaboration, building on a history of strong and organized Westsiders who have worked to improve their blocks for generations.

“The Westside is really family because it's so small, everyone kind of knows each other,” he said. 

The vision for “Soul City Corridor,” a thriving African American commercial corridor, is to bring economic transformation and prosperity to Austin – and hopefully, other Westside neighborhoods. 

In all, there are countless opportunities disguised as obstacles, a lesson Corey learned from Black businessman and magnate Elzie Higginbottom at a forum hosted by AAABNA. 

“When you see trash on a lot or you see a vacant lot, you see an obstacle. Don’t see an obstacle, see opportunity,” he recalled. Someone could start a cleanup business or acquire the lot to build something they want to see, Corey said. 

“That really shifted my mind as far as ‘I don't see obstacles, I see opportunities,’ and I do my best to share that with people,” he said. Paired with increasing business, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education on the Westside, there is a huge opportunity for transformation, he said. 

“I think in this day and age, that conversation is starting to be had a lot more and I think once we add it to the social and political [involvement], it's really going to catapult our communities,” he said.

Corey is often found at local events, partnering with neighbors, community groups, local organizations and businesses. 

In his vision for changing a community, everyone has to be involved – including the youngest generations. While running for city alderman in 2023, Corey spent time volunteering with young students from Michele Clark High School and teaching civics. 

He hopes as a young person running for office, he was able to show other young people they can also be politically involved in their communities. If they saw a young man they “can reach” like a normal average person, perhaps young people will say, “Why can’t I do it?”

In the next few years, he hopes to continue building sustainable communities on the Westside by developing the skills and mindsets of the younger generations. 

“I want to create a youth-led-business organization focused on developing the next generation of leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs,” he said. 

From his personal and professional experiences, Corey has learned the value of knowing who you are and how that impacts how you act, something he wants more young Westsiders to know as they are flooded with online representations and messages.

“It all starts with knowing yourself and knowing who you are,” he said.  “You got to have the faith, to know that everything is not in your control and you gotta surround yourself with a good circle.” 

Some of these lessons can create a lasting change, break generational curses and help survivors of violent environments find a new path, just like Corey did for himself. 

“That’s how you create sustainability – when you train the next generation,” Corey said.

In his day-to-day life, Corey is also working to transform his community, starting with his family. 

“I saw what I didn't want and so that made it easier for me to decide what I do want,” he said, adding he and his wife are working toward building a strong, united family. 

Simultaneously, Corey is working to obtain his second master’s degree from Arizona State University, where he already completed a master’s in social justice and human rights. An entrepreneur, young leader, creator, and community conveyor, Corey’s work spans across the many people and places that make the Westside great. In whatever he does, his mission is clear: to build a stronger Westside community. 

“If I get to the top, and I look down, and it's just me up there, I didn't really make it,” he said. “The glory is really in making sure that others made it.” 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

In 2022, Jasmin Graham embarked on a new chapter in passing on information, practices and education with the potential of improving Westsiders' quality of life. 

The West Garfield Park native founded Spiritchill Wellness, a brand dedicated to offering holistic spaces, tools and practices that lead to balanced and healthier lifestyles. 

Through her business Jasmin wants to share some of the practices that helped her navigate anxiety with other Westsiders, such as meditation, yoga and mindfulness. 

Jasmin first tried these practices when she sought treatment alternatives for anxiety outside of medication. The COVID-19 pandemic, her career and stress from everyday life first triggered anxiety. After seeing improvements, she decided to share this with her community — more than a business, it is a contribution to improving life expectancy on the Westside. 

“I want to make sure that I create this inclusive, holistic wellness brand that has different components like yoga, fitness workshops and just anything that serves a purpose of allowing people to live a more balanced and better lifestyle,” she said. 

The pandemic heightened the inequities in health care in the community she loves and calls home. In some areas of the Westside, Chicagoans live 16 years less than Chicagoans in the Loop, according to data by the American Medical Association and the coalition of local hospitals West Side United. 

Negative health outcomes on the Westside often result from limited access to resources, spaces and knowledge, which combined with socioeconomic factors, impact Westsiders’ physical and mental health. Health, as defined by the World Health Organization is not only the absence of disease but “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” 

Yet, people on the Westside have limited access to practices that can improve mental health and increase their wellbeing, such as yoga and meditation.

“When it comes to self-care we were missing these things and it’s like ‘Man, these things don't exist on the Westside and that's a problem,’” she said.

While continuing her full-time job in the education field, Jasmin became a certified yoga instructor to be able to bring this practice to her community. Spiritchill Wellness hosts yoga events, retreats and other wellness events where Westsiders get access to these practices. 

Meditating can be intimidating for those who are unfamiliar with it, yet people can learn many ways to practice meditation and benefit from it, she said. It provides a space for processing emotions, navigating challenges and improving mental health, she said.

“I want to share this with other people. I know everyone is on a different frequency and we all do things for different reasons, but I just understood what it did for me and I just couldn't wait to share it,” she said. 

A lifelong Westsider, Jasmin joins other community leaders striving to reduce the health gap in Garfield Park. She has hosted yoga sessions with Peace Runners 773 and, inevitably, joined the run club that takes over Garfield Park every week to get Westsiders active, healthier, and empowered. She has also partnered with local organizations like Breakthrough Urban Ministries and Garfield Park Rite To Wellness to offer free or low-cost yoga classes. 

As her business continues to grow, she wants to provide year-long fitness and wellness programs on the Westside and eventually, open a dedicated wellness space “in the community, for people in the community.” 

With a career dedicated to education, Jasmin’s vision for a better Westside is influenced by some of the opportunities she found in this arena. When she was a student at North Lawndale College Preparatory High School, she joined the All Stars Chicago program, where she developed leadership skills and interned at a law firm. This experience helped her decide what she would study in college and develop lifelong skills she still applies.  

As an undergraduate student at Illinois State University, she got two opportunities to participate in study abroad programs, spending time in Amsterdam, London, Paris and Greece. 

This time abroad helped her realize how much she loved her community – and reaffirm her commitment to pursue a career in education. 

“I really love Chicago. I really love my city and I really love the Westside and I'm proud of the Westside,” she said. 

Now, she hopes to provide similar opportunities to students in the city and the Westside. In 2016, she joined Chicago Public Schools, where she worked until 2022. She then joined nonprofit Breakthrough Urban Ministries to help coordinate a pilot program that provided Chicago Public School students who left the school system with an alternative program to finish their education. 

As a Family Support Coordinator, Jasmine found an opportunity to help hundreds of students who stopped going to school during the pandemic or dropped out for other reasons, to develop soft skills, complete their studies and learn about workforce training opportunities. 

A lifelong Westsider, she knows not everyone in her community has equal access to education and has dedicated her career to change that. This fall, she will return to DePaul University, where she obtained a master’s degree in education, to pursue a doctorate in Educational Leadership. 

Meanwhile, she continues to share knowledge with other community members– and proudly carries the Westside with her. 

Born and raised in West Garfield Park, she grew up in the home her grandparents bought – the place where her mother, aunts, uncles and cousins gathered. She went to church five minutes away from her home, went to Westside schools for a few years and frequented Westside gems like the Garfield Park Conservatory. She is proud of carrying the strong family-oriented and community spirit that abounds on the Westside and continues to live in Garfield Park, two houses apart from her family home. 

Her Westside experience influences how she does business, how she leads with empathy and openness and how she advocates to improve access to health, wellness and education in her community. 

As she continues to make strides for her community, she wants to continue to build on the community’s spirit, collaborating with other leaders and creating a “domino effect” that improves life on the Westside. 

“It's up to us to take the stance and to spread the word with people here that have lost hope or people who don't understand their voices matter,” she said. 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez 

Like many Westsiders, Jonathan Johnson is a man of faith and the son of his community church. First a Maypole Avenue Church of Christ churchgoer, now a minister, he is dedicated to serving his community through the realms of faith. 

Faith creates communities of love, he said. 

These communities are vital in Westside life, providing a safe space for people from all walks of life and an opportunity to believe in something greater than themselves. 

For many young Westsiders, these are the communities that can fill voids at home and keep them safe, he said. 

His faith, “the cornerstone” of his work, has moved him to advocate for young Westsiders and collaborate with local organizations to mentor and support struggling young people. He served as a youth development coach for violence prevention nonprofit UCAN and then as a chaplain. 

In these roles, he aimed to provide a safe space, mentorship and information that young people can apply to find opportunities, steer away from negative paths and achieve their full potential. 

“I wanted to give the youth what I didn't necessarily get, I had to find my way through on my own,” he said. 

For around 10 years, he has helped young people from Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park navigate “turbulent times” and become better versions of themselves. Some have faced instability at home, others lack the presence of their mother or father and others have been pushed to find ways to survive, not thrive. He has built relationships and created safe spaces for them to express their hurt, rather than bottling it up, he said. 

“I know the hurt of wanting your mother’s love and wanting your mother’s understanding but she’s on the go or she’s not there,” he said. 

Some successfully built better futures; others developed skills that helped them navigate extremely difficult circumstances. 

Building relationships and being available to community members in need have simultaneously shaped who Jonathan is. Whether he’s an ear to young people or older community members, he understands that the first step to helping his community is understanding people’s needs at the ground level. 

“I’ve learned to listen more and say less,” he said. “I’ve learned that actively listening is an integral part of doing any work on the Westside.” 

When people are hurting, they need a safe space and someone who is empathetic toward them. Listening creates that space and provides an opportunity to identify the root of someone’s pain to find solutions, he said.

The next step in his ministry career is to become a senior pastor and grow the church’s reach to help more people. He knows the job comes with challenges, as some community members see the church as “monopolized” or believe having faith is corny or embarrassing, he said. 

Growing up in church, his experience was vastly different. Faith has helped him stay grounded, navigate adversity, and have compassion for each person, regardless of what they’ve said or done. 

He is eager to change these views by preparing himself to be able to serve different people in the community. 

“People want to know how to heal, they want the recipe to heal as an individual…” he said. “I want to show people believing really helps you grow as a person.” 

In addition to his ministry work, Jonathan works with healthcare and social services provider Thresholds to reach people with mental illness in the Westside and West suburbs. 

He has completed training in mental health and youth engagement to be able to identify individual needs and appropriately serve them, he said. 

“I hope that with the work I'm doing now, I'm able to not leave anyone out when I'm servicing their community, and more importantly, I hope to educate more people on what it takes to serve the community,” he said. 

Having grown up in Garfield Park, he has experienced the beauty, bliss, trauma, and love that coexist in the community. He recalls growing up in a neighborhood where everyone knew everyone, businesses and restaurants at a walking distance from his home, the barber shop where he cut his hair for about 10 years, buying candy and snow cones from neighbors, and riding his bike around. These childhood experiences grounded and shaped him, he said. 

Nevertheless, when he left his hometown to complete his education, he saw how much Garfield Park needed resources and investment to realize its full potential. He holds a bachelor’s in Biblical Studies from New Life Bible College in Cleveland, Tennessee and a bachelor’s in Business Administration from East West University. These educational opportunities gave him a new perspective reaffirming his commitment to serving people in the community he grew up in. 

“It taught me how to plan, how to structure, how to be more administrative, how to be more diplomatic, and how to evolve different facets of myself to be able to get behind-the-scenes work done for the community,” he said.

In the future, Jonathan aspires to be a local alderman using the tools he is equipped with and building on collaboration with community members. He also wants to ensure longtime Westsiders can stay in their communities, amid gentrification in East Garfield Park, which is pushing people out of their neighborhoods, he said. 

Meanwhile, he will continue to grow and serve Westsiders wherever they need him — inside or outside Maypole Avenue Church of Christ.

“They’ve helped me become a better man just like I’ve helped them become better people,” he said. 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez 

Anthony Jones, known as Ant, is no stranger to the Westside. He was born and raised in K-Town, a historic district in North Lawndale named after rows of streets that start with the letter k. 

Westside streets have shaped who Ant is. For years, he has worked to shape them too. 

At the core of his community work is the desire to improve the lives of those who call them home — or have found their grounds there. 

To bring positive change, Ant, “The Street Priest,” devotes his time and energy to meeting people in need where they are at. 

“I look to help a lot of people, so for me, it's a lot of listening and being in a lot of different arenas,” he said. 

“It’s a lot of footwork, a lot of relationship building. I’m in the community a lot.”

Westsiders’ needs abound and vary. He works to bring people closer to the services they need, including substance use treatment, gun violence prevention, housing and mentorship. 

They are not foreign to him.

“I have experienced all of those fields for drug abuse, going to jail, homelessness. I have experience in all and I got to see the other side of it,” he said. 

Though it was not easy, he turned his life around and he now fights to ensure other Westsiders are not deprived of resources when they most need them. Westside communities overwhelmingly welcome returning citizens. 

According to a study by the University of Illinois Chicago, in 2019 the city was home to 35 percent of returning citizens released from Illinois state prisons. They returned to only six of the city’s 77 community areas - Austin, North Lawndale, East Garfield Park, West Englewood, Humboldt Park, and Englewood. 

Research shows a recurring series of obstacles to reentry: housing insecurity, unemployment, discrimination and stigma from incarceration and substance use disorders.

“I know the injustices of being on the other side, of being deprived of resources, even to help yourself to get better when you're coming from prison,” he said. 

Through The Street Priests, his organization, he reaches Westsiders in need, finds solutions and amplifies the work of other community leaders working to improve their community. 

Ant’s work goes beyond. He serves as organizer and outreach coordinator for Westside Rising, a coalition of Westside community organizations and leaders with a mission of leveraging community power. 

To overcome the effects of years of disinvestment, The War On Drugs, and other challenges that limit opportunities and resources for Westsiders, Ant knows working together is the only way forward. 

As an organizer, he knows there are many leaders and churches leading their own efforts. His mission is to bring them together.

“Everybody's working on their own island, and that's not working,” he said. 

Ant’s journey is a testament to the effect one community member can have when they offer someone an alternative. 

He was “tired” of the life he was living, so he went to Georgia to “change his life.” There, he joined a ministry called Fishers of Men that started his journey in organizing, prison ministry and reentry services. Ant visited jails, worked in the church, visited substance use recovery centers, got a job in construction and led the church’s outreach efforts. 

“Real street ministry, that’s all I did,” he said. 

When he returned to his hometown, he continued this work at the church where he grew up. He joined Bethel Lutheran Church and started leading a prison ministry there. 

He is currently working to help a group of young people get “off the corner” by connecting them to job opportunities. Building relationships with them has shown him why they decided they needed to “do for themselves, do whatever they feel is necessary.” 

'It's a desert there. There’s no resources, there's no grocery stores, no job opportunities. It's not like the neighborhood is hiring anybody in the neighborhood. They're not a part of that or anything, everything and everything is dry.”

“So when you have that, that's a cocktail for disaster, because everybody's running into a wall.”

Through partnerships and collaboration opportunities, he has helped some of these young men apply to jobs for the city program One Summer Chicago. 

Though some have shown interest, it has been a hurdle to ensure they can participate as many young people lack the documents needed in the hiring process such as social security cards. Oftentimes, this is a reflection of their life experiences — from living in unstable homes, lacking mentors, dropping out of school or dealing with mental illnesses. 

“We can't treat them like the kids that have parents at home and they're taking them to school. These are not those kids. And if we don't come up with ways that don't frustrate them, we're going to lose them,” he said. 

Ant understands the environment where many young kids are immersed in. He knows the “pressure” many young Black men experience, the stigma around mental illnesses like depression and the outlets that young people can resort to, in search of an escape. 

Growing up on the West Side, he attended some of the best schools and went to college for two years. On paper, Ant was success-bound. He experienced the beauty and glory of Westside life, with a community where everyone knew each other – and cared for each other. 

Yet, the burden of depression, pressure of “being cool” and the environment he had access to, led him to joining a gang. With it, came the use of substances. Ultimately, he ended up “with more than what he bargained for.” 

Unlike some of the environments where young people are growing up today, gun violence was not as prevalent. 

In today’s environment, with new elements like social media and access to highly-powerful guns, it is more urgent to implement solutions and provide alternatives, he said. 

This change also calls for a change in mindset, one “that doesn’t happen overnight.” 

Community members must be ready to step in and lead the path. They must “trauma-informed, justice-informed and ready to help other stabilize their lives and understand their impact. 

“You have more mentorship in gangs than anything, and that's a shame,” he said. 

Through his work, from the realms of the church to community organizing and street ministry, he has helped dozens of people access treatment for substance use, provided resources for many returning citizens and helped feed more than 6,000 people through Bethel Lutheran Church’s and Westside Rising’s “Free Lunch Thursday.” 

It is likely he has impacted many more people through street outreach and ministry, yet “he can’t put a number on it.”

In the future, Ant hopes to build houses, support networks and job programs that can help people in areas of the Westside “get on their feet and stabilized.” 

It is no easy task, but understanding community needs sheds a light on solutions that improve community safety. 

“You have to be on the ground. This calls for ground work, boots-on-the-ground in the community. Voices being heard,” he said.

“We're going to do something in this community to make this community better without a shadow of a doubt.” 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

Where others see disinvestment, Elaine Marthel sees promise. Born and bred in Chicago’s Westside, Elaine grew to become a mentor to hundreds of young people in North Lawndale. Determined, courageous, and grounded, Elaine embodies the traits and skills she is instilling in future generations. 

Drawing from her own experiences, she knows that many young people “don’t simply act out.” Many of the youth she serves face emotional, social and economic challenges, holding them back from reaching their full potential. Elaine is there to understand them and empower them to live with purpose. 

“I believe that you don't blame people or things or situations,” Elaine said. “My grandmother said it like this ‘You live the hand you're dealt.’” 

This is part of the mindset Elaine wants to develop in Westside youth, to be “solutionists.” 

“It’s easy to tell you what the problem is in our community - lack of this, lack of that,” she said. “But I tell our kids to come up with a solution.” 

Her work is an investment in North Lawndale’s future. About 24 percent of North Lawndale’s population is between 5 and 20 years old, 2021 census data shows. For Elaine, investing in the youth is investing in the future. 

“My job is to pour and invest, so we can impact future generations,” she said. “I know that I have to show up because the work I do now shapes the future.”

Being a mentor goes beyond a title. It means showing up for kids when they need it, even when it is inconvenient. It means not judging their choices, but instead understanding their reasons. It means holding kids close as if they were her ownand simultaneously allowing them the freedom to make their own choices. 

“Sometimes it’s me just telling a kid they did a great job,” Elaine said. 

Through her nonprofit organization, Project Impact 180, Elaine provides out-of-school spaces where young people develop socio-emotional skills and improve their academic learning. 

“I want them to understand that every day that you're on this side of Earth is not going to be roses, right?” she said. 

“How does a young person get the skills to learn how to function when they’re having a thorn moment?”

This holistic approach is present in all of the nonprofit’s programs. 

The mentorship program helps youth develop five critical skills - confidence, competence, connection, character, and compassion. These skills are fundamental today when young people make choices that could forever impact their future. 

Without them, kids and teens can struggle to improve their academic outcomes. In North Lawndale, about 20 percent of people haven’t finished high school and just 31 percent of people have a high school diploma, according to 2021 census data. Only 10 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree.

Helping youth improve academic performance in K-8 and middle school could increase their chances of graduating high school or going to college. 

Elaine knows it firsthand, as she started Project Impact 180 to help her grandchildren improve their grades. After her success, Elaine confirmed what she learned in her career as an educator and faith leader: kids, especially those struggling at school or engaging in risky behavior, need a fun, engaging and safe space. 

In Project Impact 180’s afterschool programs, mentors and tutors support North Lawndale’s young students in completing their homework, improving their reading, and learning about math, science, technology, and engineering. Kids also participate in activities that range from journaling and creating vision boards to playing improvisation games or solving conflicts through dialogue. 

Currently, Project Impact 180 runs an out-of-school program at the Chicago Public Library Douglass branch and an after-school program at the Chicago Public Schools elementary school Lawndale Community Academy, serving dozens of kids. 

In addition, Project Impact 180 runs summer mentorship programs and a program dedicated to promoting outdoor and hands-on activities for kids, an alternative to spending their free time online. 

Defined in her own words, Elaine is a mother, a teacher, a mentor and a friend to the young people she works with. She is everything she wishes she had as a kid growing up in North Lawndale. 

She fulfills all these roles as she teaches kids to connect with themselves. She teaches them to reflect, to engage in dialogue and to peacefully resolve problems. By teaching them to be agents of change, in their own life and their community, she is breaking cycles of trauma, dysfunction and disinvestment.

“I want them to know that violence isn't normal,” Elaine said. “It is not normal. It's really about the choices we make.”

“And we can get the tools that teach us how to not respond that way.” 

Her wisdom comes from a variety of academic and professional experiences. It also comes from life itself, often a greater teacher than any classroom can be. 

Elaine, like several of the kids she mentors, was raised by her grandmother. Her mother became pregnant at age 14 and her father was killed when she was 5 years old. 

At age 16, she got pregnant. Determined as always, she did not stop pursuing her goals despite many people not believing in her. 

“Because I'm driven when you tell me I can't do it, that's got to be my motivator to do it,” Elaine said. “Because you said I can't, I’ma rise above what you say. And I'm gonna show you that I can.“

She enrolled in parental classes and found support in a local youth service organization called Youth Service Project, located at the intersection of North and Pulaski Ave. Thanks to the counseling and resources she found there, she was able to finish high school, get a job, and attend college. In short, this organization provided the support system needed to succeed as a young woman, young mother and soon-to-be college student. For a few years, she went to Northeastern University and after a 15-year break from school, returned to Roosevelt University, where she graduated with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources. 

She didn’t know it then, but the youth-serving organization that helped her as a teen paved the way to become the leader she is today. A mother of five, grandmother of six, faith leader, and mentor to dozens of Westsiders. 

“We don't always make the best decisions when we're young, but what an amazing thing when you have an adult or a team there that says ‘You know what? I know you made a mistake, but let me help you through the next phase of this.’”

Del Marie is a Chicago born Creative Visionary & Performing Artist hailing from the Westside of Chicago. Teaching Artist by Day Performing Artist by night,  Del Marie was originally known for her Afro Diaspora & Hip Hop Dance Moves, and now she is primarily known for her powerful music and beautiful live performance concerts. 

Fun fact, you may have caught her on national television a few times: in Black Girls Rock National Commercial "Love",  Windy City Live, and in Chance the Rapper and Joey Purps music video "Girls@". 

Outside of being great on the stage or T.V. screen, you can find her being great in the classrooms. She is a Teaching Artist in schools across Chicago, for Dance, Rapping, Poetry and Visual Arts. She has  taught Performance Arts to students in Juvenile Detention Centers, India,  and trained in the arts in Costa Rica.

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

Felicia Oliver has dedicated her talent to the Westside, from looking after some of the youngest Westsiders to sharing step-by-step budget guides. After almost three decades living, doing business and raising her family in Austin, Felicia has experienced the richness in this Westside community – and continues to invest in it. 

Felicia’s business journey spans from financial and tax services to a home daycare center in Austin. While vastly different, both businesses have something in common: they provide education – a solid foundation – for Westsiders to reach their goals. 

Her own path is proof of the opportunities education may bring. When Felicia transferred to Wells High School, she had to enroll in an elective class to gain needed credits. She chose a tax class, which would later help her provide for her family and start her own business.

A teenage mom, Felicia overcame challenges that could have hindered her education in lack of a support system. Instead, with her family’s support, she and her now-husband were able to raise their first child and finish high school.

Throughout Felicia’s 18 years of operating the home daycare business she started, she provided a similar support system for young Westside moms and families.

“I got an opportunity to be to the young mothers what they needed while being able to help guide them with their children as teenage mothers,” she said. 

Having lived through similar experiences, Felicia helped teenage mothers navigate new challenges and prevent them from becoming “another statistic.” Single parents with children make up 15 percent of all family households in Austin, according to U.S. census data compiled by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. That is two times the average percentage for the city of Chicago and the Chicagoland area.

“I tried to show them how even in the midst of a time when you had a lack of judgment, you can still survive and thrive,” Felicia said. 

Deeply rooted on the Westside, Felicia and her husband raised a family of five children in Austin. Her financial services business has operated in the community for 35 years. Her home and the place some of her children and grandchildren call home is the Westside. She ministered at the VeriSource Center located in Austin, where she recently assumed the role of community engagement specialist for all of the church’s locations. She also works part-time at the Boys and Girls Club on Chicago Avenue. 

Felicia has served her community and invests in people through both businesses and her faith.

Her business Oliver and Associates offers free financial literacy workshops throughout the Westside, breaking down essential tools to manage individual or family finances that adjust to their means and possibilities. Ultimately, when they learn to use these tools, Westsiders can apply them to increase their wealth and achieve goals that seemed unachievable. 

“I take the tools that I use, like simple budgets, budgets that don’t break the bank and help them set realistic, achievable and measurable goals,” she said. 

Teaching Westsiders how to build generational wealth is one step toward increasing the existing wealth in Austin. After many years as a business owner, she is excited about the potential of commercial corridors like “Soul City” on Chicago Avenue and the opening of more local businesses. 

“It means that we have the ability to now keep the dollars flowing through Austin…” she said. “I can't talk enough about equity here, we’re putting value back on the Westside.” 

The people and the amazing community make Austin so special, she said. As she invests in Austin’s people, she is investing in the community’s future, she said. 

“We're causing Austin to now bloom and blossom so that the next generation will see what their parents and grandparents didn't see. They'll see life come back, “ she said. 

For years, Felicia invested in the next generation through her home daycare Kingdom Kidz. There, she planted seeds in young people, many of whom she still keeps a relationship with.

While the home daycare business has been closed for a few years, Felicia’s passion for education continues. At the Boys and Girls Club, she remains involved with neighborhood kids seeking a safe place. 

As a mother and neighbor, Felicia and her husband provided a safe space for young people in their home’s backyard. 

“We put a rim up so that they could come back and play basketball. But they had to make sure that their homework was done,  they couldn’t curse and they had to be respectful or they were not allowed to be on our property,” she said. 

In what seemed to be simple rules at the time, Felicia instilled values young kids would carry beyond the backyard. 

“I did not realize I had impacted lives,” Felicia said. 

The love for her community and active community engagement was passed on by her father and grandmother, two family members who unknowingly instilled these values in Felicia and her siblings. 

In the future, Felicia’s goal is to open a daycare center where she can “plant the seed of education” from an early age. She holds an associate’s degree from Harold Washington College, completed many years after she finished high school. 

Based on the current stage of education, she sees the need for an education system that teaches essential skills like writing, reading comprehension, memorizing and analyzing information; skills that many kids have not developed as they rely on technology. Furthermore, Felicia knows the importance of developing socio-emotional skills, instilling confidence and empowering children. 

“I tell people ‘This is gonna be my legacy. If I get your child at that infancy stage and they stay with me until it's time to go to school, no teacher will be able to break them because I will have encouraged them and empowered them in their learning.’”

By Francia Garcia Hernandez 

Out of Chicago’s Westside was born a creative mind who is changing narratives one project at a time. Jay Simon is a visual artist, marketing expert and creative entrepreneur from North Lawndale who uses his talents for good. 

“A lot of my work is focused on changing narratives, stigmas and biases,” he said.  

His community has shaped his professional creative journey as much as he is reshaping the narratives about it. 

Through his series of coloring books “Elvin Explores North Lawndale,” Jay tells the story of North Lawndale through Elvin Baca The Elephant. Elvin is a grey elephant dressed in black pants, a branded t-shirt, a hat and “Concord” Jordan sneakers. His fashion choices are intentional, representing the style and culture of many of the people who call this neighborhood home. 

Elvin visits numerous historical sites and meaningful community areas, such as Stone Temple Baptist Church, the Douglass branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Martin Luther King Exhibit Center by the University of Illinois Chicago, and the Firehouse Community Arts Center of Chicago. The books also include historical facts, addresses, and games for readers to learn more about the neighborhood and each of these sites.  

“The book becomes a coloring book, but it’s also a history book. But then, it is transformed into a tourism guide,” Jay said, adding he hopes the book will invite other Chicagoans to visit the neighborhood and change any preconceived notions they may have about it. 

The idea for the book came after the local nonprofit Open Books asked Jay to collaborate on a project to foster literacy in the community. With his creative partner and co-founder of the creative company Jones Corner Store, they designed a character that could uplift the rich history, culture and people of the neighborhood while making reading appealing and fun. 

“I want people to see the beauty that exists,” Jay said. 

More than a book series, it is a transformative tool rooted in community. 

Upon its launch, Jay hosted a series of events, organizing neighborhood tours and events at the sites featured in the book. 

In the second volume, Elvin drives around the neighborhood, visiting local businesses, historic sites and the portion of the historic Route 66 that crosses through North Lawndale on Ogden Avenue. 

Every element in the book is carefully designed to educate readers in multiple dimensions. For the third volume, Jay envisions Elvin biking as a way to promote exercise and healthy habits. To go beyond the pages, he hopes to partner with local organizations to organize biking tours. 

“Outside of a cool coloring book, how do we make an impact?” Jay said. “That's why we did the activation of each site, bringing people here, patronizing the business, engaging the community from different age groups and different places.” 

Eventually, he hopes to see Elvin exploring all 77 Chicago communities. But it all starts on the Westside, what he calls “the forgotten stepchild,” and the place he and his four children and wife call home. 

In 2024, Jay was selected as a resident artist for the School of the Art Institute at Homan Square. In his residency, he is creating an architectural photo book documenting the beautiful structures on Chicago’s Westside. 

The book includes photographs of homes and buildings in Westside communities and the stories of the people who live there. Through its pages, it illustrates and pays homage to the Black people who arrived on the Westside during the Great Migration.  

His family’s history inspired Jay to find and tell more stories about Westside homeowners. His mother inherited the house where she lives from her father. Jay’s grandfather purchased homes for each of his three kids on the Westside of Chicago, passing down wealth across generations. 

Jay’s passion for architecture and beauty was indirectly inspired by his father. Originally from Mississippi, his father arrived in Chicago at age 16 and established himself on the Westside. Leaving behind a life in the cotton fields and having completed less than an eighth-grade education, his father learned the trade of plastering. Growing up, Jay would often accompany him as he plastered walls in beautiful homes in Chicago and neighboring Oak Park. 

“The spirit of entrepreneurship that he had came over me,” he said. “If it wasn't for him, exposing me to beautiful homes, I wouldn't be photographing our buildings and talking about architecture.” 

And just like his father, Jay has faced his share of challenges as a creative entrepreneur. 

“When you're an entrepreneur, a creative entrepreneur, the road can be very lonely,” he said. Before joining CLF, he contemplated leaving Chicago for a city where he could find a community of artists to work with. As an entrepreneur, he has also faced financial challenges. Yet, “living in his purpose” keeps him going. 

“'It’s the work that I'm doing, the seeds that I'm sowing, the people that I'm impacting that brings fulfillment,” he said. “And because I know that, the money just comes automatically, without me having to be so pressed for it.”

Sowing seeds in others is fundamental to Jay. His first introduction to photography was by volunteering with a friend - now, a professional video producer - in his teen years. His friend eventually gifted him a camera, which in time led to Jay running his own photography business and getting a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Columbia College Chicago. 

Now, Jay is sowing seeds in other youth who are also interested in photography. 

Last summer, Jay partnered with North Lawndale’s Beelove Cafe and the Lincoln Park Zoo to teach a nature photography storytelling class. In the class, a young participant demonstrated his interest in photography, and months later, Jay invited him to be an apprentice for his photography business.

“If someone hadn’t done that for me, I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in now,” Jay said. “And I always think ‘Man, me giving him this time, that could potentially save his life.’” 

In his childhood and teenage years, Jay was exposed to different perspectives. The youngest of eight siblings, he was looked after by his older brothers while he enjoyed time playing basketball, riding his bike around the neighborhood and spending time with friends. Twice a month, the father of one of his friends organized gatherings for kids to meet professionals from different careers - doctors, financial advisors, accountants, attorneys, to name a few. 

“That really allowed us to think differently,” Jay said. “You know it. It taught us to have other options versus just wandering around in the streets and getting in trouble.” 

Following his experiences and passions, Jay invites people to “change their lens” to be part of the change they want to see. 

“Someone else may say ‘Oh look, it's dirty outside,’” he said. “And I may say ‘You know what, it is. But let me round up some people who care about the neighborhood just as much as I do and let’s do a cleanup day and make that cool.’”

“And, because I change my lens on what I see, I don’t accept the fact that it is dirty and I change that.” 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

Out of Chicago’s Westside, Drea is building paths that ensure the richness and history of Westside Black communities is not only preserved but celebrated. 

In the last few years, Drea has served as community engagement manager for the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, a role that ensures this emblematic Westside gem remains a hub for longtime neighbors and future generations. 

Drea remembers Garfield Park neighbors often visiting the Garfield Park Conservatory in her childhood. It was where many people, “as young as they were, went to decompress and breathe from the chaos and beauty of living on the Westside,” Drea said.

Today, not as many Westsiders visit the last standing of three conservatories that used to exist in Westside parks in the early 1900s. It is one of the largest conservatories in the nation, standing in a rapidly changing neighborhood, and attracting thousands of visitors from all around the city. Yet, fewer long-time neighbors cross its doors. A 2021 community engagement assessment showed neighbors and community members want the Garfield Park Conservatory to be more accessible and welcoming to them. 

As a result, Drea works to ensure Conservatory is accessible and responsive to the community outside its glass walls. 

“It's just hard to imagine for so many people that live in the same area I grew up in, it isn’t a staple for them as much [as it was],” she said. 

She created an advisory council made of Westsiders and is pushing for events, programming and service hours that allow neighbors to enjoy this beautiful place close to their homes. 

“You have to radically invite people when you historically left them out of the conversation,” she said. 

The goal is to ensure Black and Brown neighbors feel “this is their space” – one where they are welcomed, represented, and free to be themselves. 

“Come, have your picnic and sit outside, do the things that you culturally do at this place up the street that is your cultural touchstone,” she said. “It should be for you first and foremost because this is your backyard.” 

It is as much a personal mission as it is for future Westsiders. She has a picture of herself and her young nephew at the Garfield Park Conservatory on her desk. Through her work, she hopes young generations will continue to call this place a second home and make their own memories. 

Drea’s hopes for the future are also rooted in her experience as a mother. 

Being a mother informs the way she leads others. Her son is a reminder of what Westside leaders like her are working toward – a Westside in full glory by its people and for its people. 

Her passion for celebrating community culture extends beyond her job. A fashion lover and collector of beautiful things, Drea owns All Things Beetiful, a small business selling brooches, Croc charms, pins, customizable gift boxes, and cocktail classes. 

It is an ode to her grandmother, Kelly Marie Slaughter, who used to wear beautiful brooches. She would wear them to church, in coats and jackets, hats and skirts. 

“I always thought they were cool and then as I got older, especially considering myself a student of fashion, I would always try to come up with different ways to reinvent them,” she said. 

Strong and beautiful women influence Drea: her mother, “an eclectic and very culturally competent woman” and her aunt, “a cool artist” raised her to appreciate her community’s culture. 

In her early years, Drea lived in Garfield Park and spent summers with her aunt in Humboldt Park, where she experienced the Westside's rich, vibrant and friendly culture. 

Her childhood was “magical,” spending time with cousins, family, and friends. Days were filled with bike riding, outdoor playing, ball playing, and cookouts. She would visit Westside bastions like the Golden Dome, Legler Library, and the Garfield Park Conservatory; shop at the mall on Madison Street and Pulaski Avenue; and go roller skating at the Hot Wheels rink. 

Everyone knew each other and there was that special camaraderie that makes Black Chicago so special, even if it’s not always associated with the Westside, she said. 

“The Westside held just as much magic and wonder and intelligence and access and opulence and fun as any other kind of place,” she said. 

As her family saw resources shrink and disinvestment increase, they moved to suburban Oak Park, where Drea completed high school. There were more opportunities and great experiences in this community, but she never disconnected from the Westside many of her lifelong friends and family still call home.

Her love for fashion eventually led her to college and back to Chicago, where she worked in retail for a number of years. She later switched to healthcare, working as a patient service coordinator at the University of Chicago, where she would apply skills that still transfer to her work as a community leader.

“At the end of the day, the job was all about communicating and making sure everybody had what they needed,” she said. 

Only recently has she “made her peace” for not completing college, recalling her dad's words, she said. 

“Completing college is not the only measure of intelligence,” he told her. 

Across industries, Drea served people in different ways, always true to herself.  All these experiences inform who she is and how she holds space for those around her and for the community she loves and cares about. 

“I'm just trying to create my own path and so far, so good,” she said. 

In the future, she sees herself starting a consulting business and continuing her community work. She will continue to build community wherever she goes and uplift her culture. 

“One thing that I have learned in this role is that I'm connecting a lot of people culturally, and I feel like that's the beauty in it,” she said. 

Drea embodies what is special about the Westside, informed by Westside culture and experiences.  

“We had these amazing childhoods on the Westside that were the foundation for the leaders we all are now.” 

While it doesn’t always dominate the conversations about these communities, Drea is one of several Westsiders stepping up to preserve, celebrate and uplift their community. 

“We're here. We've always been here,” she said. 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez 

The Westside is home to many leaders for change – people working to improve their communities' quality of life and access to many of the resources they need. From healthcare to afterschool programs, violence prevention, culture and education, many Community Leadership Fellows have shown if there is a need, a Westsider is willing to step in. 

In this context, Dee Anthony Velez, a son of Humboldt Park, sees himself as a leader who brings resources closer to those who need them. 

“Some people like to use the word connector, if you're from Chicago or the Westside, you say ‘the plug,’” Dee said. “I know a lot of people, have connections… I’m a guy who networks and connects with different people.” 

Across roles and capacities, Dee uses his social skills to “create and develop effective relationships in the community to get them resources and things they need.”

Day to day, this looks like attending events to meet people and inform them about existing programs, volunteering with nonprofits, talking to neighbors or making introductions that could lead to collaborations between organizations or individuals. He is part of the outreach team and online church director at his church and works in the outreach team for the healthcare provider Oak Street Health. 

As a man of faith, he aligns everything he does with his purpose. His personal, professional and community life align with his mission statement. 

“To make a long-lasting impact in my city, my country and the world,” Dee said.

When he developed his mission statement in 2020, the world was facing the COVID-19 pandemic, Dee had gone through a difficult breakup and some of his family members had lost their jobs. 

When asked by a business coach to develop a mission statement, he reflected on his life’s mission statement and how he could make a difference. 

Dee worked in sales for a company downtown at the time, but as the COVID-19 pandemic allowed him to work from home, he had more time to volunteer and help people in the city. 

He started building stronger relationships and realized how important they were to make a change.

In Chicago, and on the Westside, “everything’s built on trust and relationships,” he said. “First, you got to get involved and build relationships. Because if you don't have a strong relationship with someone, it's hard for them to receive from you.” 

Relationships also lead to collaboration, breaking siloes and uniting people with similar purposes to work together and have a greater impact.

“On the Westside, if you walk down three or four blocks, you'll find all these organizations and a lot of times they don't even know each other, or they don't work together, or everyone's trying to do their own thing,” Dee said. 

He hopes that by sharing information and making connections, this will eventually change. 

Born and raised in Humboldt Park, Dee has experienced firsthand how one organization providing resources can change people’s lives. Born and raised “in a very stereotypical Puerto Rican family,” he was exposed to gangs, drugs, violence and poverty. 

Humboldt Park’s New Life Covenant Church provided opportunities to fill many of his family’s needs. They were one of the first families to move into the church’s women’s shelter, for families experiencing homelessness. There, he saw many of the outreach efforts led by the church, which he would eventually join. 

In his upbringing, Dee also saw that change does not happen overnight. 

“I grew up in a church, but also grew up in the hood, I had two different worlds growing up,” he said. 

He learned to understand the struggles many other families face after watching his parents’ journey. They want to provide a better life for their family, are in challenging circumstances and can fall back into habits that hinder their progress. 

“When people see that you overcome or you came out of a negative situation, it gives [them] h especially people who are currently going through that situation, which is why I'm really big on sharing struggles,” he said. 

Ultimately, with the help of the church’s different programs, exposure to other ways of life and utter determination, the family and Dee built better lives for themselves. 

Throughout it all, faith and his purpose have continued to guide him in times of uncertainty. Faith helped him when his father passed away in 2012.  In 2020, amid riots following the murder of George Floyd, misinformation circulating about the COVID-19 pandemic, people getting sick and many others hurting, Dee wanted to send a message of unity to the city.

Under his brand “Dee Velez Global” he created mugs, t-shirts, hoodies and other products featuring an impactful image: a sign calling for prayer with the city’s skyline in the background. 

“Many people in Chicago were really hurting, they needed a message of hope. And I feel like prayer is just like a universal message of hope,” he said. 

That merchandise line was successful and quickly sold out, with profits being donated to community efforts like warming centers or food giveaways at the time. 

Recently, Dee launched another line of merchandise calling to a stop to the violence that impacts his neighbors in Austin, where he lives, and others who call Chicago home. This time, the clothing shared the message “Thou shall not kill” and a prayer sign.

In the future, Dee hopes to be a full-time entrepreneur so that can he have “the time and money to do the things he wants to do.” 

As he looks forward, Dee is determined to make the most of his time to help others and make a lasting difference. 

“I learned a lot in my early 20s, I made a lot of decisions that I probably should not have made. But I learned from it, and I reflected on it. And I'm better because of it,” he said. 

He wants to be an example for young people, those between the ages of 18 and 26, who are at an important part of their lives but may not have people or spaces outside of school or work that help them grow and make better decisions. 

“I want to be able to just have a successful business and then teach people things I've learned as a way to give back and help the next generation,” he said. 

In his plan, he’d like young people to learn more about relationship building, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and communication; skills that can be used across their professional and personal lives. 

While he continues to work to improve “his city, his country and the world,” Dee is working on becoming a better version of himself, from his personal habits to the way he networks, he carries the mantra shared by his pastor and shares it with others.

 “Speak as if you know everything but learn as if you know nothing.” 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

“Grace, although not deserved, should be offered to every human being,” said Edward Ward, a Westside restorative justice advocate, organizer and educator. 

This broad principle guides Edward’s work in the Chicago Public Schools system across many situations that call for grace among students and teachers. 

Restorative justice requires compassion. Compassion needs empathy; making it possible to understand other people’s journeys and the decisions they make along the way. It calls for giving grace while demanding accountability, Edward said. 

“Accountability is what I'm willing to do to come back from and make up for the harm that I caused to a certain community,” he said. 

Edward knows this well. As a restorative justice coordinator at a South Side school, his role is to help the school community —including 300 students— take responsibility for their actions. 

He understands the many circumstances students and teachers may face outside school. Even in school, students, teachers, and parents have different needs and often lack the relationships and communication to work together. At other times, they need space for de-escalation, dialogue and self-reflection, he said. 

As Edward shows students and teachers, restorative justice does not give anyone a pass. Instead, it creates space for empathetic listening, critical thinking, and conflict resolution. 

With these, anyone can move closer to accountability, he said. 

“Accountability cannot be given without the consent of the accountable,” he said. 

Traditional punitive methods rely on suspension, detention, or expulsion but do not allow individuals to take ownership. These methods fail to teach students all their choices come from within; restorative justice offers an opportunity for autonomy, he said. 

Certified in restorative justice practices, Edward has worked training thousands of other educators in and out of state. Prior to joining CPS, he worked for the local nonprofit Alternatives as a restorative justice coach and specialist. 

His early years in Chicago Public Schools helped him become the empathetic leader he is today. 

In a Westside elementary school, Edward was heavily bullied, forcing him to transfer schools several times and become an advocate for those whose voices were suppressed. 

“I want to be to other folks what I wish the world would have been to me,” he said. 

It also taught him to never underestimate the experiences of young people. 

“There's always been this dismissiveness when it comes to young people,” he said. “A lot of our young people are carrying the weight of so much and they need an outlet to release what they carry because there’s a lot of trauma.”

Ahead of an anticipated election for a Chicago Public Schools elected school board this fall, he’s running for a slot as a school board member and advocate for young students. 

“I'm working to get into a position where I can be one of those decision-makers, but be reachable to the people,” he said. 

He champions changes in education that will help students, especially those in traditionally disinvested neighborhoods, discover different career paths and find more opportunities. He pushes for changes that will break the school-to-prison pipeline, he said. 

“I remain a strong advocate for our young people over and over again because if we treat them like criminals, eventually they're going to fall into the identity of a criminal,” he said. 

One of his ideas is requiring trade programs. The outcome is that students could have more opportunities to succeed after graduation because they would have applicable, ready-to-use skills that allow them to find a job or start their own business. 

There is potential to build on the Westside and with it, are opportunities, he said. 

“I want our young people to have access to some of those opportunities to give them the opportunity to build up their own communities,” he said. 

Edward’s advocacy extends beyond the school system. He holds a B.A. in political science from DePaul University and will soon start law school. His goal is to become a human rights and constitutional attorney, “fighting for the rights of folks who had their rights stripped.” 

When he starts this endeavor, Edward will not be new to advocating for people’s rights. 

Outside of his restorative justice work, he has helped organize and educate young people—millennials and Gen Zers—about voting rights and voter suppression. 

Black people make up about 16 percent of the population in Illinois, yet, they are 60 percent of the prison population. Losing their right to vote while incarcerated is another form of voter suppression, he said. 

Working with the organization Transformative Justice Coalition, Edward has worked to combat voter disengagement and educate voters about their elected officials. 

With that, he also pushes for change in leadership to combat gatekeeping and bring new generations to power. 

“It really is about recognizing our power,” he said. “A lot of us don’t recognize our power because we’ve become so detached politically and our leaders are in our grandparents generation,” he said. 

Edward’s life on the Westside has also shaped his understanding of the world. 

His mother “had the best heart” and would go out of her way to help people experiencing homelessness and feeding the hungry. 

“I adopted that part of her because I noticed that even while she struggled, she continued to open our doors to give to the hungry,” he said. 

He has lived in all West Side communities and seen the disinvestment in these neighborhoods. 

In many schools, young people lack understanding and an avenue for student voice.

Looking at the future, he sees himself continuing to be an advocate for young people in the school system. He will continue to pursue his goals in law and organize for peoples’ rights. 

Furthermore, he will continue to change mindsets, stereotypes and beliefs that limit people’s ability to learn, make mistakes and come back from them, he said. 

“It's not about what you did, per se, it's about how you come back from it.” 

Some people say the first impression is the last. 

“I challenge that with every fiber of my being. The first impression is not the last; every day is a clean slate and an opportunity for a new impression,” he said. 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

Michelle Williams loves Austin, the community where she grew up and the one where she is raising her 10-year-old son. She remembers days playing outside, sitting on the porch chatting with her friends in the summertime and walking up the block to her cousin’s house.

“We used to just be able to walk around the neighborhood and feel safe. We didn't really have much to worry about,” she said, adding violence was not at the level that it has risen to in recent years. 

Though violent crime rates in Austin have decreased in the last couple of years according to police data, violent crime rates in Chicago remain higher than before the pandemic. 

These days, Michelle spends time around the neighborhood as a Chicago Police Department officer for the Austin district (15th), working to make her community safer and better. 

“It was very important to me to be able to work and serve in a community that I grew up in, where my friends and family are,” she said. 

In the police force, Michelle’s role is not what many assume to be the norm. She is the affinity liaison officer for the Austin community policing office, where she works to solve chronic problems in the community. In this role, she serves faith groups, the LGBTQ+ community and people experiencing homelessness, among other community members. 

To address homelessness, a rampant problem in the neighborhood, she hosts monthly pop-up events to provide in-kind resources to people experiencing homelessness and information that can help them overcome the barriers to housing. 

The events feature free showers provided by Shower Up Chicago, along with clothing, food and other resources donated by local organizations. Other organizations and groups attend the events to offer information about available programs, similar to resource fairs held in other parts of the city. 

Through these events and outreach efforts, she helps people enroll in programs where they can get housing support, find job opportunities, and access services like mentoring and counseling. 

Other efforts include leading youth programs to prevent violence or providing support for families who have experienced domestic violence. 

Before this role, Michelle was a district coordination police officer for two years. She tackled chronic issues in the neighborhood and used problem-solving techniques to get to their roots. 

“It was a way for the community and the police to have a better relationship instead of just running to give them a report, putting a bandaid on it and then just going back to the way it was,” she said. 

This way, public safety improves by solving some of the problems that community members face. It also helps prevent crime, by providing guidance, mentorship and opportunities to young people or those at higher risk of engaging in violence or being victims of violence.  

Since age 10, Michelle knew she wanted to be in law enforcement and dreamed of becoming a homicide detective. In 2017, while working as a teacher for city schools, she applied to the Chicago Police Department and was hired.

“What makes me go back every single day is the community because I know that the narrative is so bad in the Black and Brown communities with law enforcement and I've been a witness of how just my presence can calm people down,” she said. 

In her experience, people interacting with police tend to feel better when they encounter a police officer who is part of their community. She looks like them, and more importantly, she can better relate to their experiences. 

“I know when mom has to work all night, she can barely hang out with the kids. Or the kids are at home alone because mom is working. I know how it is when you're in a single-family household,” she said. “I know the struggles so I understand the issues that they face on a daily basis and that drives me to go back every day and do what I do.”

Born and raised in Austin, she knows there is a need to improve public safety so kids and adults can safely enjoy their neighborhoods. 

“We're collaborating with different community organizations to get kids jobs and just to do different things so that the main focus is not arrest, arrest, arrest. We try to steer away from that all of the time,” Michelle said. “We are trying to figure out long-term solutions.” 

While she is aware of the negative perceptions and interactions some neighbors have with police, she strives for change. 

“I'm out in the community. I'm out speaking to people and holding conversations during different community events,” she said. “Because even if it's only me, even if I'm the only officer there to give them that positive interaction, they can't continue to say they've never had one.”

In her work as an affinity officer, she helps reach people in extremely difficult circumstances and provides resources that can make a difference. 

“I hope people see they’re not alone and they have a village, and it really takes a village,” she said. 

As a Westside Sports League coach, she mentors young people and helps provide a safe space for kids who she loves as if they were their own. 

“Kids just have to grow up so fast these days,” she said. “I learned that a lot of them go through so much that they don't talk about, so just letting them know that you care does a lot for them.” 

Mentoring them is an opportunity to show them someone cares, to guide them and to provide what they may lack at their homes. Furthermore, working with other police officers who volunteer as coaches, neighbors and faith leaders, the Westside Sports League bridges the gap between the police and community members. 

With this love for Austin, Michelle decided to buy a home on the Westside instead of leaving for another area or suburb in search of a safer or better neighborhood.

“I love the Westside. I love my Austin community,” she said. “If I run because I am successful, if I run and leave my community, that's me turning my back on my community.” 

While she continues to work to improve her community, a bright future lies ahead. She is preparing to be a sergeant within the police department and aims to become a detective. She wants to lead a mentorship group for young girls in Austin to help them develop life skills and provide access to different experiences. She also sees herself opening a shelter for people experiencing homelessness, applying the knowledge and skill she has gained. 

“I just feel like the sky's the limit,” Michelle said. 

By Francia Garcia Hernandez

Metasha Young is a police officer, certified doula and personal trainer building a stronger Westside. In all her roles, Metasha supports Westsiders through life-changing events. While some events may seem more difficult than others, Metasha shows up for people and helps uplift them. 

In the Chicago Police Department, Metasha serves as the domestic violence liaison officer for the Austin police district, providing support to victims or potential victims of domestic violence. As a personal trainer, Metasha shows Westsiders how exercise can help them become physically and mentally stronger. As a doula, she supports mothers before and after birth. 

“Being mentally strong and physically strong, we're setting boundaries and creating our healthy self for later, not just for today,” she said. “It’s building ourselves up so our foundation is strong and when something gets weak, we still have a strong foundation to stand on.” 

Metasha reaches victims of domestic violence to provide information and access to resources needed to escape an abusive relationship, if a victim desires to do so. She also advocates for victims to protect themselves and their families, helping them obtain orders of protection when needed. 

Last year in Illinois, more than 40 victims contacted a local hotline every hour, as reported in a 24-hour survey of domestic violence support providers led by the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Numbers could be higher, as many victims of domestic violence do not report incidents due to fear, intimidation or stigma. Others may not even recognize they are in an abusive relationship, one that can span beyond romantic partners and include family members or people who live in the same household. 

While her role with local police focuses on supporting survivors and trying to prevent domestic violence from escalating, Metasha hopes out of her North Austin fitness studio, she can help prevent domestic violence before it occurs. According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, promoting healthy behaviors among individuals and families can help prevent domestic violence. 

As a certified trainer, Metasha helps Westside neighbors become more confident with themselves, build healthier habits, and become stronger. She was moved to open a studio after recovering from COVID-19, a disease with higher risks for people who suffer from asthma, like her. 

A mother of five, she originally became a personal trainer after giving birth to her last child.

“The more I trained, the more confident I became in myself,” she said. 

“That weakness that I had mentally, I overcame it because physically I was looking different,” Metasha recalled. “My endurance was different, I could do things differently and my clothes fit differently. And it wasn’t about getting skinny. It was just changing what I did not like and through the process, it made me happy.” 

The fitness studio is a testament to her strength and determination. Despite lockdowns, restrictions and many uncertainties, she opened the studio amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continues providing training classes and personalized training. In the future, she hopes to create groups that help women and other Westsiders learn about self-worth, what domestic violence may look like and how they can receive support. 

“If we have a strong body and strong mind, then hopefully through that process we can make for stronger not just women, but stronger people,” Metasha said. 

As a certified doula, Metasha wants to build stronger support systems for future mothers and their families on the Westside. Her future goal is to create a nonprofit that provides birthing services, lactation classes, fitness classes, postpartum information and education about pregnancy, both for mothers and their partners. Doulas can also liaisons between health care providers and pregnant mothers, improving maternal care.

Black women in the U.S. face disparities that increase the risk of pregnancy-related deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related deaths than White women. 

In Metasha’s experience, many single moms or moms are not supported by spouses or family.  For them, a doula can provide support, answer questions, attend health care appointments, be present during birth and continue to provide support as they navigate the complexities of motherhood.

It is no surprise Metasha’s passion for helping others has led her down this road. The Maywood native wanted to be a doctor but found herself pursuing a career in police after her godfather floated the idea. Reluctant at first, she was motivated by the challenge. 

“You don't particularly see a lot of Black women on the job, so that challenged me to do it and do the best I can as an officer,” she said. 

She soon fell in love with the job and remains happy with her decision. 

“What I love the most about the job is the people that I help,” she said. 

Not everyone experiencing domestic violence is able to recognize it. If they do, they may not be able to get help. To navigate these complex realities, Metasha relies on prayer and therapy and continues to advocate for victims, reminding them she is there when they need her. Part of her job is following up and being available for victims when they need it. 

“Maybe in that moment when it happened, they didn't really listen to what was told to them or they didn't really process the information that at the time was given to them,” she said. ”If anything changes, they can always follow up with me.”

The source of her resilience? Her life experiences. After losing her father at age 19, she took time out of college, yet she returned to make him proud. She saw her mother work hard to provide for her family after losing her husband. And as a mom of five, whose first child arrived when she was 17 years old, she wants to teach her kids to push through adversity. 

“No matter what happens in life, as long as you want it and you work really hard, you can achieve it,” Metasha said. In her experience, if there is a problem, there is a solution. 

She embodies the different ways she shows up for Westsiders, showing people that they don’t have to overcome adversities alone. Therapy, prayer, self-love and finding ways and time to process emotions in difficult times are important – and essential for anyone who wants to help others.

“If you're not caring for you, you can't care for everyone else,” she said. 

Looking at her place as a Westsider, Metasha hopes to inspire others not to give up. 

She is a mother of five, a daughter, a police officer, a fitness trainer, a doula and an entrepreneur. She graduated from Concordia University with a degree in biology and is completing her master’s in exercise science with a concentration in sports nutrition. She has been in the police force for about six years while continuing to pursue her goals. 

“I hope when people meet me, they see the resilience and the perseverance,” she said. “They see a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a provider, and a caretaker, and they understand that we can do all those things,” she said.