>>> HOW WOULD YOU GAUGE THE STATE OF BLACK CHICAGO?

WELL, THE CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE IS OUT WITH A NEW REPORT THAT DOES JUST THAT.

THE FINDINGS INDICATE THERE IS STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE IN ADVANCING EQUITY FOR BLACK RESIDENTS.

AMONG THEM, OVERWHELMING RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION PERSISTS.

NEARLY THREE TIMES AS MANY BLACK RESIDENTS AS WHITE RESIDENTS LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL.

GRADUATION RATE FOR BLACK PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT ARE ABOUT 20% LOWER THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS, AND THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR BLACK RESIDENTS IS 10 YEARS SHORTER THAN THAT OF WHITE CHICAGOANS.

JOINING US NOW ARE RYAN L CAMPBELL JUNIOR, VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH AND POLICY CENTER AT THE CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE.

AISHA JAKO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WESTSIDE UNITED.

AND CARONDELET LUCAS, CBS PARENT AND KIDS FIRST CHICAGO PARENT ADVOCATE THANKS FOR THE THREE OF YOU FOR JOINING US.

LIONEL, LET'S START WITH YOU, PLEASE.

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS REPORT?

>> THE PRIMARY GOAL IS TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE CONDITIONS AND CHALLENGES THAT FACE AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON BOTH THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO.

I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS STRIKING TO ME IS THAT, REALLY, THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THINGS STAY THE SAME.

UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE IDEAS AND SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT COME OUT IN OUR REPORT, BUT I THINK THE GREAT THING ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS THAT WE TRY TO ISSUE A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND BE IMPLEMENT IT IN BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND THE GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL.

>> AISHA JAKO, THE LIFE EXPECTANCY GOT IS STAGGERING.

WHAT DOES WESTSIDE UNITED CSM OF THE DRIPPING FACTORS TO THAT GAP, AND THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED TO THE POLICY?

>> SURE.

SO OUR BIG CARRY A DAY OF GOAL IS TO ELIMINATE THE GAP.

RIGHT NOW, THERE'S A 13 YEAR LIFE EXPECTANCY GAP BETWEEN RESIDENTS OF CHICAGO'S LOOP AND THE WESTSIDE Z.I.P.

CODE.

AND SO WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE KEY DRIVERS IN THAT GAP BEING RELATED TO HEALTH CONDITIONS LIKE CARDIO METABOLIC DISEASE AND THE GROUPING THERE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, FOLLOWED BY CANCER, OPIOID OVERDOSE, HOMICIDE, AND INFANT MORTALITY.

AND NOW, THERE ARE LIMITATIONS FROM COVID.

SO IN OUR APPROACH, WE BELIEVE THAT, YES, YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THE BARRIERS IN ACCESSING HEALTHCARE, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF RESIDENTS, THE EDUCATIONAL, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.

AND SO OUR STRATEGIES ARE BASED ON LOOKING AT MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, LOCAL HIRING INITIATIVES, CAREER PATHWAYS, AND THEN ALSO THINKING ABOUT INVESTMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESSES, CORRIDORS, HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS, ACCESS TO INTERNSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, PIPELINES FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS AS WELL IS VERY CRITICAL.

SO WE HAVE A, AN APPROACH THAT LOOKS AT THE SOCIAL DRIVERS, THAT'S COMPREHENSIVE, THAT REALLY TAKES AN ALL HANDS ON DECK APPROACH, NOT JUST WITH HEALTHCARE ANCHORS, BUT OTHER INSTANCES.

>> YOU HAD THREE CHILDREN IN CPS SCHOOLS OVER THE YEARS.

DO YOU THINK THE SYSTEM IS APPROPRIATELY MEETING THE NEEDS OF ITS BLACK STUDENTS?

>> NO I DO NOT, ACTUALLY.

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE WITH CHILDREN IN LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES VERSUS WEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

I DO LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO, AND MY CHILDREN HAVE A -- ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, SO WE DO SEE A DIFFERENCE IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN BOTH THE WESTSIDE, NORTH SIDE, EVEN THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.

>> I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU, YOU FEEL THE NEED TO TRAVEL FROM YOUR WESTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ALL THE WAY TO, TO UPTOWN TO GET THE EDUCATION THAT YOU THINK YOUR STUDENTS NEED AND DESERVE?

YOUR CHILDREN?

>> YEAH, IT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE, BECAUSE, AS I'VE NOTICED AT THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT AT ONE SCHOOL VERSUS ANOTHER, AND IT'S JUST THE HONEST FACT THAT CPS HAS THIS MODEL THAT THEY THINK ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL.

AND SOME THINGS AREN'T OFFERED TO OTHER SCHOOLS, OR SCHOOL IN LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES.

SO THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT CPS WILL OFFER SOMETHING, AND THEN THEY'LL CLOSE THE WINDOW.

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO WAIT TWO YEARS BEFORE IT OPENS UP.

AND IT'S REALLY NOT -- THEY REALLY DON'T OFFER THE SAME OFFERINGS TO LOWER INCOME THAT THEY DO FOR KIDS IN THE MORE WEALTHY COMMUNITIES.

SO EVEN AS FAR AS PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN -- >> LIONEL, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEW MAYOR FOR MAKING CHICAGO A MORE EQUITABLE PLACE FOR BLACK RESIDENTS?

>> I THINK WE NEED A SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY.

I THINK WE HAD SYSTEMATIC NEGLECT OF OUR COMMUNITIES, AND LISTENING TO WHAT MAYOR JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION IS TALKING ABOUT IN THEIR PLATFORM AND THEIR IDEAS FOR THE CITY, I THINK THAT THERE IS REALLY HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PRESS THE ADMINISTRATION, BUT I THINK THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PART OF THE ISSUE IS THAT WE CAN'T SIMPLY RELY ON THE BLACK MAYOR TO TAKE CARE OF BLACK PEOPLE ISSUES.

WE HAVE TO REMAIN VIGILANT, ATTEND OUR MEETINGS, CONTINUE TO AGITATE FOR CHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND I THINK THOSE ARE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME OUT OF THE STATE OF BLACK CHICAGO REPORT.

AGITATE, AGITATE, AGITATE.

>> WHAT IMPACT WOULD YOU SAY THE COVID PANDEMIC HAD ON HEALTH POLICY IN CHICAGO, AND DO YOU THINK THERE ARE ANY LESSONS THAT HAVE BEEN APPLIED, THAT COULD BE APPLIED, TO IMPROVE HEALTH EQUITY?

>> SURE.

SO COVID EXACERBATED WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW TO BE TRUE.

THE SAME COMMUNITIES THAT HAD THE HIGHER RATES OF DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, INFANT MORTALITY, ARE ALSO THE SAME COMMUNITIES THAT HAD THE HIGHER RATES OF COVID MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY.

AND SO COVID JUST BLEW THAT OUT OF THE WATER.

AND WHAT WE FOUND AT THE ONSET WAS, THE CITY OF CHICAGO, THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR PREVIOUS MAYOR , COMING TO SAY WESTSIDE UNITED IN PARTICULAR, WE NEED A MODEL TO ADDRESS THE HIGH RATES OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.

WE BROUGHT HEALTHCARE, COMMUNITY, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND CIVIC GOVERNMENT AROUND THE TABLE FOR A STRATEGY WHERE COMMUNITY LEADERS DICTATED WHERE PPE WAS DISTRIBUTED.

VACCINE, MUTUAL AID, ET CETERA.

SO SOME OF THE LEARNING FROM THAT MODEL IS TO LEAD WITH COMMUNITY VOICE AND PROVIDE RESOURCES, BECAUSE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND THAT LIVE IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MOST IMPACTED OFTEN HAVE THE MOST VIABLE SOLUTIONS.

AND SO THAT WORK HAS TRANSITIONED TO WHAT WE NOW SEE COMING OUT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE CHICAGO EQUITY ZONE, AND OTHER INITIATIVES THAT WE WANT TO ALIGN WITH MAYOR JOHNSON AROUND FOR CONTINUITY AND TO CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE THOSE BEST PRACTICES.

>> AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU'VE BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH THEIR CHILDREN'S SCHOOL EXPERIENCES.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DO TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF CPS STUDENTS?

BLACK STUDENTS IN PARTICULAR.

>> YES, IN PARTICULAR, I MEAN, DEFINITELY OFFER OUR SCHOOLS THE SAME MODEL WHICH YOU WOULD IMPLEMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

SO, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE AT SCHOOLS ON THE NORTH SIDE ARE STEAM INITIATIVES THAT ARE OFFERED AT THE SCHOOL WHERE THEY GET MORE FUNDING, THEY GET, YOU KNOW, MORE RESOURCES, THEY RENOVATE THOSE SCHOOLS, THEY HAVE ACTUAL OFFERINGS.

AND I HAVE SEEN MANY SCHOOLS, IF ANY, ON THE WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO WITH THE SAME PLAN.

SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD TRY TO IMPLEMENT ACROSS NOT JUST AT SELECTED PLACES OR AT SCHOOLS WHERE THEY HAD THAT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT THAT PUSH FOR THESE THINGS TO GET DONE.

IT SHOULD BE A PUSH TO GET GIVE KIDS QUALITY EDUCATION.