BRONZEVILLE AND CHATHAM ARE GETTING A CULTURAL BOOST.

THEIR AMONG 10 COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE.

7 IN CHICAGO RECENTLY DESIGNATED BY THE STATE AS CULTURAL DISTRICTS THAT ARE OF UNIQUE VALUE THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO APPLY FOR STATE FUNDING TO SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT UPLIFT THEIR COMMUNITIES, SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVE THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE MAJOR SPEARS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GREATER CHATHAM INITIATIVES, BERNARD TURNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BRONZEVILLE BLACK METROPOLIS NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

AND JOINING US VIA ZOOM FROM SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR EDDIE HUNTER, WHO REPRESENTS ILLINOIS'S 3RD DISTRICT, WHICH INCLUDES THE BRONZEVILLE COMMUNITY.

THANKS TO ALL 3 OF YOU FOR JOINING US.

SENATOR HUNTER, WANT TO START WITH YOU WHEN THE STATE ANNOUNCED THIS, THEY TALKED ABOUT CULTURAL DISTRICTS BEING ABLE TO APPLY FOR A 3 MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING.

BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR, THAT 3 MILLION DOLLARS, IT'S NOT.

IS IT 3 MILLION PER CULTURAL OR IS IT A 3 MILLION DOLLAR POT TO BE DIVIDED AMONG THE APPLICANTS?

HOPING STICKS.

SENATOR ASK YOU TO REPEAT YOUR ANSWER BECAUSE THE ZOOM FROZE BECAUSE IT'S LIVE TELEVISION.

>> 3 MILLION DOLLARS IN TOTAL SPLIT FROM ALL CULTURAL DISTRICTS.

>> OKAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH IN AND YOU GREW UP IN BRONZEVILLE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS CULTURAL DISTRICT DESIGNATION WILL MEAN FOR THE AREA AND WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?

>> YES, WELL, GROWING UP IN BRONXVILLE, ISO FIRST THE LASTING IMPACT OF AREA'S VIBRANT HISTORY.

WE HAD AND IMPROVES NAT KING COLE GREW UP AROUND CARE, WASHINGTON.

PHILLIPS HIGH SCHOOL.

WE JUST WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL GAME.

A TEEN TURN IT RATHER THE SABLE HIGH SUCH A WAY ITS COACH, COACH OR JUST REALLY EXCITED THAT THIS A KURD BUT OF BROWNSVILLE.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO PUTTING KINDS OF RESOURCES IN CONTINUING TO GROW THAT >> BERNARD HUNTER, YOU ALSO GREW UP IN BRONZEVILLE IN THE 50'S AND 60'S.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE AND AND WHAT MADE IT SO SPECIAL THAT YOU THINK THAT'S WHAT'S WORTHY OF PRESERVATION TODAY.

>> IT WAS A VERY VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD.

WHEN I GREW UP, I REMEMBER WALKING AROUND HEARING MUSIC.

I'M WATCHING PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT JAZZ THE HISTORY, THE CULTURE VE INSTITUTIONS THAT THEY GREW UP THERE, PARTICULARLY THE RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS THAT CHURCHES, ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

>> CONTRIBUTED TO THE CULTURE THAT WE HAVE THERE NOW.

>> SOME FEAR.

SAME QUESTION TO YOU.

LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP AND WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL WAY?

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT PRESERVED?

I DO LIKE CHILDHOOD IN CHATHAM, HOME.

>> WHEN PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO MIGRATE BRONZEVILLE, THEY CAME CHAD.

I'M GOING TO GRAND CROSSING AND IT WAS IT.

IT WAS.

IT WAS JUST IT WAS AND SO WE'RE PROMOTING MAO, WHICH IS ON 79TH STREET BETWEEN STATE IN COTTAGE GROVE.

I USED TO WALK FIREHOUSE AND WE AS AS A CHILD IN US LIKE THERE WAS A LIVING AMONG AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO CELEBRATE RICHNESS OF OF CHATHAM, THE THE LEGACY, THE ARE NO DOUBLES.

JOBS ALTER SHANE SO TRAIN HAD BEEN THE OTHERS THAT REALLY IT ECONOMIC ENGINE THAT FINANCES CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND REALLY WAS KEY IN CREATING BEST.

PAST PRESENT NETWORK GREAT SINGERS, PEOPLE SAY THEY WOULD NOT BE A BEYONCE HAD BEEN NOT TELL YA THE.

YEAH.

THOMAS DORSEY, THEY CREATED SPOKE WITH HIM, BUT THEY ALSO WAS CREATE THAT A RECORD INDUSTRY THAT SUPPORTED HIM.

AND SO THEY WERE BOTH MUSICIANS.

BUT THEY WERE ALSO COULD BUSINESS PEOPLE AND THE SINGLE HANDEDLY.

SHE FIND IT SHE FINANCE THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

SO THEY WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO WHO WE WERE AND WHO WE BECOME.

WE TALK A LOT ABOUT WHAT THE HISTORY OF THESE COMMUNITIES IN AND HOW GREAT THEY WERE.

>> BUT WHAT'S CHANGED?

ARE THEY LIKE TODAY AND WHY DO YOU DRAW START WITH YOU?

AND THEN I WANT TO GET TO THE AS WELL.

>> WHAT CHANGED IN THE COMMUNITY WAS WHAT MADE IT WAS THAT IT WAS DISCRIMINATION AND WE ALL HAVE TO KIND IN THE SAME POT.

NOW MY BLOCK MY MOTHER WAS A TEACHER.

MY FATHER WAS A FOUR-MINUTE FOR JUDGE DOWN THE STREET.

THERE WAS A POSTAL WORKERS ACROSS THE STREET AND FAIR HOUSING LAWS HAPPEN AND PEOPLE COULD MOVE PEOPLE MOVE.

AND SO SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.

BUT WHAT I'M PLEASED TO SAY IS THAT WHEN I STARTED WITH GRATED INITIATIVE, WHICH PROMOTES I'M GREAT AT CHATHAM AND MAIL.

YOUR SMILE.

USED TO BE KNOWN AS YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S NEIGHBORHOOD.

WELL, THE GRAND DAUGHTERS HAVE STEPPED UP AND THEY ARE COME I WANT ASK YOU THE SAME QUESTION.

WHAT'S WHAT'S CHANGED FOR BROWNSVILLE?

WELL, WHAT WHAT I SEE IS.

>> FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE.

>> BECOME A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT.

IS GIVING THE DISTINCTION TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

NOT VERY MANY CITIES HAVE NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS, BUT THIS IS WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE OVER 2 DECADES BY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN PRESERVATION HELPING TO PRESERVE BUILDINGS AND HOPING TO PRESERVE THE CULTURE THAT WE HAVE.

SO THE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE.

CHANGES ARE GOING TO INCREASE THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO YOU PROBABLY KNOW ABOUT THE BRONZEVILLE LAKEFRONT PROJECT.

IT'S GOING TO IMPROVE THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY.

THERE'S A LOT OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, BUT OUR WORK IS REALLY, TOO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REPRESENTING WHAT CHICAGO IS.

AND BERNARD, YOU ARE ONE OF THE LEADING VOICES CALLING FOR BRUNSVILLE TO BE DESIGNATED AS A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

AS YOU MENTIONED, THAT'S HAPPENED.

>> WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BRONZEVILLE, ESPECIALLY NOW THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE STATE FUNDING AS WELL?

>> WHERE WE ARE RIGHT CURRENTLY WORKING ON A MANAGEMENT PLAN.

AND SINCE WE'RE PART OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, WE HAVE TO COMPLETE A MANAGEMENT PLAN WITHIN 3 YEARS.

AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WE WILL RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AS MUCH $500,000 A YEAR, MAYBE AS MUCH AS A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.

THE ONLY CATCH IS YOU HAVE TO MATCH ALL OF THAT.

SO OUR WORK IS TO.

FUNDING FROM SPONSORS FROM FOUNDATIONS TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND TO PARTNER SO THAT WE CAN DO THAT.

>> SENATOR YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THE 3 MILLION DOLLARS SPLIT BETWEEN 15 DISTRICT.

SO IT PROBABLY MEANS EACH OF THEM WILL GET SEVERAL $100,000 WHEN YOU CONSIDER, THOUGH, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE DECADES OF DISINVESTMENT THAT SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES HAVE EXPERIENCED.

HOW MUCH ARE YOU HOPING OR HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT ARE YOU HOPING THESE ADDITIONAL FUNDS WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AN AND WHAT MORE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE DONE FOR THEM?

>> THANKS.

FOR ALL THAT POT OF MONEY TO GROW BECAUSE I KNOW THAT BY 2025 THE STATE PLANS TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF CULTURAL DISTRICTS AND 3 MILLION CERTAINLY IT'S NOT MONEY TO GO AROUND.

AND I EXPECT THE GOVERNOR AND HIS ADMINISTRATION AS WELL WORKING IN COOPERATION WITH THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO FIND MORE DOLLARS TO ENSURE THAT CULTURAL DISTRICTS ACROSS ROAD.

>> AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LIST OF THE 10 THAT HAVE CURRENTLY BEEN DESIGNATED.

AS YOU MENTIONED, WE KNOW THAT 5 MORE EXPECTED TO BE NAMED BY 2025.

HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE FOR NOW OF MY THANKS TO STATE SENATOR MATTIE HUNTER AS WELL AS NEED ARE SOME FEARS.

AND BERNARD 100, THANK YOU.

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