Category: Chicago Peace Fellows

by Oz Ozburn How can urban planners work with grassroots activists to make neighborhoods safer? That was one of the topics of a deep and wide-ranging conversation on August 27 between several Chicago Peace Fellows, Mallory McClaire, chief of staff of the Rebuild Foundation, and Gia Biagi, principal of urbanism and civic impact at famed architectural… Continue reading The Role of Urban Planning and Design in Building Safe Communities

In his book, “Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance,” Edgar Villanueva makes a strong and needed critique of traditional philanthropy. In many ways, his analysis is similar to that made by my late brother, Phillip Jackson, who was the founding director of the Black Star Project. Phillip was an important inspiration… Continue reading Peace Fellows Explore Decolonizing Philanthropy with Edgar Villanueva

Six thirty a.m., Sunday morning, teens ages 15-21 wait in great anticipation for the bus that will take them away from the Windy City, Chicago, with the bright lights, loud noises to the serene shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin – the Outdoor Wisconsin Leadership School (OWLS) in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. [quote]For many of the youths,… Continue reading Chicago Youth Exchange Builds Trust in the Great Outdoors

The DuSable Museum of African American History hosted a panel July 25 called “Black and Brown Lives in Green Spaces: Race and Place in Urban America.” The panel featured several voices that work on this issue across the city and in different disciplines: Tonika Lewis Johnson, an Englewood resident and member of Resident Association of… Continue reading Advocates: Parks an Essential Community Resource

On July 24, a delegation of Chicago Peace Fellows presented their work together thus far to a large meeting of 2019 grantees as well as the funders of the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, a coalition of more than 40 Chicago philanthropies and donors who have provided grants to community groups trying to reduce… Continue reading Peace Fellows Present to Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities

On Tuesday, July 23rd, Chicago Peace Fellow Robert Beikman and his organization, Alternatives to Incarceration Collaborative, took a group of youths involved in his restorative justice program to Indianapolis to learn about the 10 Point Coalition and the work they do to tackle the issue of violence in their city. The day started with a… Continue reading Peace Fellows visit 10 Point Coalition in Indianapolis

On July 16, the Peace Fellows met with one of Chicago’s most influential elected officials, Alderman Walter Burnett of the 27th Ward. Fellows Jacquelyn Moore, Pamela Butts, Jeanette Coleman, Gloria Smith and Adi Lerner as well as Goldin Institute Executive Director Travis Rejman and Coordinator Burrell Poe met with Ald. Burnett in his City Hall… Continue reading Alderman Walter Burnett Advises Peace Fellows at City Hall

On Monday, July 8, the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago hosted a Kingian Nonviolence workshop for the Chicago Peace Fellows and grantees of the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities. The Institute for Nonviolence is a street outreach organization that specializes in connecting with individuals who are most at risk of being a victim or… Continue reading Peace Fellows Trained in Kingian Nonviolence

Along with my collaborator Gloria Smith of the Black Star Project, I am pleased to share an update from the 2019 Family and Youth Peace Day.  This project is one of eight projects the Chicago Peace Fellows collaboratively designed and supported to put our principles and insights into practice to build peace over the summer. What… Continue reading Neighbors Celebrate Family and Youth Peace Day

The Chicago Peace Fellows visited the Field Museum of Natural History on June 19, 2019, for a guided tour of the “Looking at Ourselves: Rethinking the Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman” and discussion on the theme of the Role of Race and Representation in Peace Building with museum staff. The exhibit brings to the public the… Continue reading Peace Fellows visit Field Museum to Explore Role of Race in Peacebuilding