Daily Archives: April 27, 2022

BUFFALO, N.Y. A new book by a University at Buffalo historian examines the largely unexplored ways in which utopian thinking became a model for civil rights activists and provided the foundation for a worldview that informed the work of people who would later emerge as key figures in the long movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Pauli Murray, Father Divine, and Howard Thurman.

Living in the Future: Utopianism and the Long Civil Rights Movement, (University of Chicago Press) by Victoria W. Wolcott, PhD, professor of history in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, frames what is an otherwise incomplete picture of civil rights by investigating how the utopian activists, groups and institutions of the 1930s and 1940s created change in the social, economic and political fortunes of African Americans.

There is a refreshing optimism to the American utopian tradition, which is particularly appealing in our current historical moment of pessimism, saysWolcott, an expert in 20th century and African American history. The groups I studied for this book envisioned a future different from their present in ways that helped shape society for the better.

That kind of thinking can be generative.

Sir Thomas More introduced the term utopia in his early 16th century book of the same name. Utopia translates from Greek into English as no place. Utopia manifests itself through the practice of social dreaming. Utopianism is a constructive, progressive mindset that encourages a social imagination committed to seeing and creating a more perfect society.

The groups in Wolcotts book each had a nuanced view and their own history of utopianism, yet they all shared three central tenets in their united call for immediate social change: building cooperatives, interracialism, and radical nonviolence.

This book is the result of questions raised while researching my previous book onrecreation and segregation. I kept encountering these radical pacifists living in ashrams and other types of intentional communities. I wanted to learn more, says Wolcott. These cooperatives challenged competitive capitalism and were as equally focused on the means as the ends. They demanded revolutionary change in society and they lived in ways that reflected their goals.

These groups also practiced a form of Gandhian nonviolent direct action that was much different from the passive resistance promoted by traditional peace churches like the Quakers and Mennonites, according to Wolcott.

They are developing the kinds of tactics that will be central to the long civil rights movement, she says. These are radical pacifists involved in direct action, but just as importantly, they trained others in radical nonviolence.

And thirdly, Wolcott says, there was a sweeping interracialism to their activism.

They worked to desegregate American society, which is the process of challenging and dismantling Jim Crow, but by interracialism were talking about an established policy of equality that includes interracialism in organized labor through the Congress of Industrial Organizations; liberal interracialism, like the YMCA movement; and utopian interracialism, or the belief of race as a social construct.

Its these utopian ideas and practices, which are central to understanding the civil rights movements, that shouldnt be overlooked.

Utopian ideas fell out of fashion after World War II because they were associated with totalitarianism, the Cold War, and enforcing the will of the state, says Wolcott. The American utopian tradition is a way of thinking about community, cooperation and equality and there is a lot of attention today being given to utopian ideas.

Im glad this book arrives at a moment when theres interest in a broader discussion on the role of utopian societies.

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Book looks at the unexplored impact of utopian ideas on the civil rights movement - University at Buffalo

Not all senior living communities are designed equally. While some focus on getting the maximum number of units possible in their design, Melody Livings Lake in the Hills focuses on creating a Life in Harmony through thoughtful design. When creating the community, the focus was on intentional design elements that encourage the Eight Dimensions of Wellness (emotional, physical, environmental, social, occupational, intellectual, spiritual, and financial).

The benefit of having a community that was built with this philosophy, is that the design is forward-thinking and not an after-thought. The flow of intentional design ensures that residents have easy access to comfortable living spaces, luxurious amenities, and a relaxing atmosphere that was created just for them.

Mobility can be a concern for loved ones; therefore, our hallways are short but wide for accessible-use and elevators and stairs are all located a few seconds away from key community life rooms where activities occur. Outdoor spaces also are an important element. One thing to think about is the flow of the outdoor space. Consider whether the sidewalks are smooth and paved in a way that is safe for residents using a wheelchair, walker, or who may have limited mobility. Look for ample seating and environmental features like landscaping and dcor such as trees, patio umbrellas, and flowers that create a sense of peace and comfort.

Internally, the layout of community features also is important. For example, be on the lookout where places like the main dining room are located. Is this space positioned in an area thats comfortable and away from the front entrance in a more exclusive restaurant style dining space, or are residents dining near the constantly opening and closing lobby doors?

Its important for seniors to continue to thrive in their living environment, whether they age in place or enjoy living in an assisted living and memory care community. Melody Living offers residents a safe and welcoming atmosphere to call home. For more information, contact 847-957-7070.

Melody Living

525 Harvest Gate Road

Lake in the Hills, IL 60156 847-957-7070

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Senior Living - the importance of intentional design - Shaw Local

Juan Calderon has been involved with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center for most of his life.

He was a graduate of the centers child care program and involved in its public health program. And he has become part of the Building Infrastructure for Human Services team just as the center looks to create Puerto Rico Town.

Our framework is visualized on self-determination, self-actualization and self-reliance, said Calderon, 35. Part of our 10-year vision is to repopulate Puerto Ricans and Latinos that have left the area, be that because of gentrification and displacement or high cost.

Puerto Rico Town would have four pillars: affordable housing, education resources, health care and a commercial corridor.

Now, through a new $2.7 million initiative, the affordable housing pillar is one step closer to coming together.

The Puerto Rican Cultural Center was one of three organizations selected to split funding from the Neighborhood Developers Initiative, a new program run by Community Desk Chicago with funding from the McCormick Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Polk Bros. Foundation and JPMorgan Chase.

The Desk was created by The Chicago Community Trust in 2019, in partnership with Boston Consulting Groups Center for Illinois Future and JPMorgan Chase.

It was really looking at what are some of the systemic issues that are impacting the ability for communities to move forward with projects and build robust project pipelines to bring the necessary infrastructure to these communities, explained JaNet Defell, director of The Desk.

In addition to the center, Teamwork Englewood and the South Shore Chamber Community Development Corp. were selected for the program, which will provide each group with resources for development.

We spent a good chunk of time advocating for community projects that we believe are wealth building for communities and also improve the quality of life, Defell said. We were very intentional about targeting those types of projects, because generally those projects are riskier projects that often have very difficult times accessing the capital to move those projects forward.

The Desk was also intentional about supporting communities of color, neighborhoods where there was potential concern around gentrification, said Defell. She added these communities were also ripe with opportunities to transform neighborhoods because of a big event.

In South Shore, that big event is the Obama Presidential Center.

The South Shore community is rich in assets, said Tonya Trice, the Chambers executive director. With the announcement of the Obama Presidential Center coming less than a mile away, there are investors that are interested in the South Shore community, and we want to make sure that we have a voice and a seat at the table, so that what happens in the South Shore community is reflective of the residents and the stakeholders in the community.

The two-year program will culminate in the creation of a community development project by each organization. Financial assistance will be doled out in phases; so far, a planning grant has been disbursed.

Next steps include a financial assessment of the groups current abilities to achieve their goals, which leads to an action plan for their community development projects and customized learning programs around real estate.

Each group is also provided a consultant. Trips around the country will also be covered by The Desk so the groups can learn from other community organizations.

The funds will allow Teamwork Englewood to build upon their Englewood Quality of Life Initiative, a community-driven plan organizing and supporting economic development efforts in the neighborhood.

We want to support that momentum and add to the growth that can happen in Greater Englewood, said Cecile DeMello, executive director for Teamwork Englewood. We are eager to learn, bring those leanings to the community and build in a community that desperately needs sustainable economic development.

Sustainable development is one key factor for the program, Defell said.

So often in neighborhoods, people think the solution is a big catalytic project, she said. We have to move beyond the catalytic project because in most cases, especially when you talk about Black and Latinx communities, you assume that the market will take over, and it doesnt always happen that way.

For Calderon, The Desk is providing the center a chance to serve their community.

This is our culture, he said. Oftentimes, weve had to patch resources together. This is a one-time, capacity-building program [that] continues to build on what we as an organization have been moving for over the last 50 years.

Cheyanne M. Daniels is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times viaReport for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the papers coverage of communities on the South and West sides.

Original post:

$2.7 million initiative to spur real estate development on South and West sides - Chicago Sun-Times

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Alvaro Sanchez is vice president of policy at the Greenlining Institute. This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, which is run by The Progressive magazine and distributed by Tribune News Service.

Every April, right around Earth Day, we see stories of multinational corporations pouring millions of dollars into new technology to fix climate change.

While the climate crisis is certainly an all-hands-on-deck emergency, we should not be narrowly focused on technology as our sole path out of this mess.

I understand the fear that only a miracle can save us. There are terrifying reports about the existential threat of climate change coming out all the time. But it was rampant capitalism that created the conditions that led to the climate crisis that we are now trying to fix. To fight climate change, we need to use technology as a tool, not a solution.

Climate change hits communities of color and low-income communities first and worst due to systemic racism and intentional disinvestment. The machines of industrialization were deliberately placed in these communities, locking in pollution and harming residents health for generations. Technology cant solve that, but community-led policymaking can.

Against these overwhelming challenges, communities have identified creative ways to tackle climate change. Our work at the Greenlining Institute over the past three decades has shown that when communities lead, results follow. Weve worked in coalitions to advance community-led solutions to climate change, creating models for climate action across the globe.

Government responses to environmental racism and redlining tend to be siloed and top-down, with limited community engagement. Transformative Climate Communities, a Greenlining Institute initiative, helps build healthy and resilient communities, empowering them to fight climate change. This involves creating new models for community-led ownership over climate action plans, while also reducing carbon emissions.

Our transportation system is the largest source of air pollution in the United States, with environmental and health hazards hitting low-income communities of color the hardest. Systemic racism limits access to affordable and efficient transportation for people of color, exacerbating disparities when it comes to the impact of pollution.

Towards Equitable Electric Mobility, another Greenlining Institute Project, brings together advocates and community leaders to advance state and local level policies and programs that foster a more sustainable and just transportation system, as has happened in Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia and Michigan.

When programs that promote the use of alternatives to fossil fuels in transportation are designed to maximize environmental and economic benefits for historically underserved communities, they work better for all communities.

Another community-based effort, Green Raiteros, is an electric ridesharing program or an Indigenous Uber as Huron Mayor Rey Leon calls it. Volunteers use the programs electric vehicles or their own to drive fellow residents to access medical appointments or other services in exchange for a small fee. Greenlining helped the program secure early resources and technical assistance.

Operated by a local nonprofit with support from a coalition of community stakeholders, Green Raiteros serves predominantly low-income Latinx residents, many of whom are farmworkers. They endure some of the nations unhealthiest air and highest transportation costs.

We can accelerate progress, innovation, and, yes, even technology, to tackle climate change. But without equity at the center, we stand to replicate the harms of the fossil fuel economy.

If we start with the voices and priorities of people most impacted, we can withstand the climate disasters heading our way, and advance an ambitious long-term climate agenda.

This year, were celebrating our 52nd Earth Day. Lets get this one right.

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Let's get Earth Day right by focusing on low-income communities and people of color - Bangor Daily News

An equity-based tree-planting initiative is celebrating "Earth Week" by expanding Operation ReTree Baltimore County to plant trees in lower-income neighborhoods."We know from the data and from our tree canopy that far too many of our urban, often communities of color, lower-income neighborhoods don't have the same tree canopy of other neighborhoods," Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said.This marks the second season for the Operation ReTree Baltimore County program. Last year, the county planted 300 trees in residential yards and public spaces in Dundalk.On Thursday, 45 trees were planted at Northwest Crossing Apartment Homes in Randallstown."I certainly look forward to all the benefits additional trees will bring to the citizens of Baltimore County -- beautification, shade, but more importantly, we're talking about clean, fresh air," Baltimore County Council Chairman Julian Jones said.Officials said they hope to plant 450 native trees at single-family and apartment homes across the county as follows. Each tree costs around $600.130 trees at Morningside Apartments and Townhomes in Owings Mills123 trees in Eastfield-Stanbrook in Dundalk77 trees in Stansbury Park in Dundalk45 trees at Northwest Crossing Apartment Homes in Randallstown42 trees in Fox Ridge Manor in Essex37 trees, in addition to the 300 trees already planted, in West Inverness in Dundalk"We're building out a complete urban forestry division within our Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability so that we are more intentional about putting trees in these communities that have been left behind," Olszewski said.Not only is there a correlation between canopy cover and race, but there's also one with health. Officials said correlations between tree canopy coverage and health benefits include reduced emergency room visits and reduced asthma attacks.Operation ReTree Baltimore County is funded through a combination of sources, including $400,000 in Baltimore County capital funds and $1.5 million through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Baltimore County residents can get three free trees on Arbor Day weekend on April 29-30. The trees must be pre-ordered on the county's website.| LINK: Arbor Day 2022 free tree giveaway

An equity-based tree-planting initiative is celebrating "Earth Week" by expanding Operation ReTree Baltimore County to plant trees in lower-income neighborhoods.

"We know from the data and from our tree canopy that far too many of our urban, often communities of color, lower-income neighborhoods don't have the same tree canopy of other neighborhoods," Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said.

This marks the second season for the Operation ReTree Baltimore County program. Last year, the county planted 300 trees in residential yards and public spaces in Dundalk.

On Thursday, 45 trees were planted at Northwest Crossing Apartment Homes in Randallstown.

"I certainly look forward to all the benefits additional trees will bring to the citizens of Baltimore County -- beautification, shade, but more importantly, we're talking about clean, fresh air," Baltimore County Council Chairman Julian Jones said.

Officials said they hope to plant 450 native trees at single-family and apartment homes across the county as follows. Each tree costs around $600.

"We're building out a complete urban forestry division within our Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability so that we are more intentional about putting trees in these communities that have been left behind," Olszewski said.

Not only is there a correlation between canopy cover and race, but there's also one with health. Officials said correlations between tree canopy coverage and health benefits include reduced emergency room visits and reduced asthma attacks.

Operation ReTree Baltimore County is funded through a combination of sources, including $400,000 in Baltimore County capital funds and $1.5 million through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Baltimore County residents can get three free trees on Arbor Day weekend on April 29-30. The trees must be pre-ordered on the county's website.

| LINK: Arbor Day 2022 free tree giveaway

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Operation ReTree Baltimore County focusing on underserved communities - WBAL TV Baltimore