Thank you for engaging with our production of Where We Stand. Our communities live on after we condemn the citizens who cause harm or we choose to absolve and support them. As you reflect on how your decision, and the decisions of your fellow audience members, will affect the fictional community of Where We Stand, we invite you to use the city of Chicago as a jumping-off point to reflect on your role in your real community.
Below we revisit the questions we asked at the beginning of the show to start a discussion on key aspects that are commonly used to identify where we stand.
Do you own the home you are sitting in now?
Chicago has a homeownership rate of 45.7%, and the national average is 63.9%. Do you own the home you are sitting in now?
In the early days of the United States, property ownership directly contributed to one’s influence in one's community, because it was a requirement of the right to vote. While that is not the case anymore, owning a home can still change the way you think about and influence the community you live in.
Some renters may feel less stable, because their residence lies at the mercy of their landlord. Some renters may feel less of a connection to where they live, because they know it is impermanent and that they will eventually move. Conversely, some renters may feel immensely connected to their community, because their family has rented in the same neighborhood for generations.
Some homeowners may feel more agency, because they have complete control over their property. Some homeowners may feel connected to their community, because it is where they have chosen to lay down roots permanently. Conversely, some homeowners may not feel connected to the local community at all, because they see their property merely as an investment.
How does your homeownership status affect how you feel about your community?
How many Chicago neighborhoods have you been to?
Chicago is often referred to as a “city of neighborhoods,” 77 to be exact. How many have you been to?
When people search for housing, they tend to look at places they know a lot about already. They become familiar with their neighborhood surroundings and, if the infrastructure in the neighborhood provides adequate resources, have little need to explore. They get recommendations on shopping and entertainment from people who are similar to them. This natural impulse effects Chicago in a very specific way, due to the historical segregation of the city.
The association between the racial makeup of a neighborhood and its property values and safety index can be traced back as early as the 1910s in Chicago. The influx of Black migrants through the Great Migration and the resistance to public housing in White neighborhoods collided in a way that has kept Chicago segregated. Even the public transportation of the city is designed to keep people in their designated sections of the city.
This separation has given each neighborhood a specific culture and structure, but it also makes us unaware of large sections of our city.
How similar are the areas you frequent in your city to the area in which you live?
How often do you think about money?
In Chicago, the median household income was $58,247 in 2019. Where do you stand in comparison? How often do you think about money?
Money permeates every aspect of our lives. It determines what we can afford to do and where we can afford to live. Therefore, if you are thinking about money a lot and worrying about having enough, then you might live in a less affluent area. However, if you are thinking about money a lot in terms of pondering how to invest your assets to increase your wealth, then you might live in a more affluent area. If you hardly think about or worry about money at all, then you might find yourself somewhere in the middle.
Communities that are more affluent tend to have more amenities that can lead to a higher quality of life. However, more affluent communities might find themselves less connected, because they do not need to rely on their neighbors as much for support.
In Chicago, the financial insecurity rate is 9% higher than the national average and 62% of Chicago families are financially insecure, which is defined as having less than $2,000 in savings.
Do you think about money more or less than the average member of your community?
Sources:
census.gov
cnbc.com
news.wttw.com
Who do you interact with?
Chicago has been called one of the most segregated cities in America. Of the people you interact with daily, how many look different than you?
When looking at the racial makeup of the city as a whole, Chicago’s population is almost evenly split among three groups: 29% Latinx, 30% Black and 33% White. However, when looking at a map of a city, you’ll notice that these groups are also evenly split up into distinct locations. Segregation has been so thoroughly embedded in Chicago that it is hard to see it as little more than part of the city’s lore.
Now-outlawed lending practices kept minorities out of home ownership and kept investment out of Black and Brown neighborhoods. These practices are so entrenched that any efforts to reverse them in recent years have had little effect. This segregation continues to foster racial inequities in housing, employment, resources, economic development, health, poverty, violence and education.
How does maintaining homogenous neighborhoods effect one’s perspective on systemic issues?
Did you vote in the last municipal election?
Chicago elected its current mayor in 2019 with a voter turnout of roughly 35%. Did you vote in the last municipal election?
Source:
chicagoelections.gov