Actively observe your neighborhood and identify three things you didn't know before. Attend at least one meeting with your city council, school board, community center or place of worship that is actively addressing community concerns. Read a Chicago Magazine article on the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Freedom Movement 1966 and the status of Chicago […]
Tag: Housing
Understand how where people live shaped their access to opportunity, from redlining to fair housing today. These posts cover segregation in housing, neighborhood investment, and the policies that built and broke communities. A home address has never been a neutral fact in America.
Week 10: Housing: My Address, My Future
LET'S GO! To understand the challenges Dr. King faced in addressing poor housing in Chicago, read Chapter 28 of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson and share your thoughts on the 50 Weeks of Action Facebook Group page. Identify possible examples of gentrification around you. Is there a platform from which the […]
Week 16: The Meaning of Blight
“ Look around your neighborhood to see what areas need improving and join a city beautification organization – or start a mini-cleanup project on your street yourself. Learn about Asset-Based Community Development and available resources that may be applied to your community. Join young activists and families in the […]
Week 24: Affordable Housing: New Challenges, Old Policies
Because the demand for renting a home is so high, many renters are forced to pay pay up to 50% of their monthly income (20% more than recommended). (1) “Mapping America’s Rental Housing Crisis,” Urban Institute. April 27, 2017. LET’S GO! Tips On Making Home Affordable President Barack Obama created programs to assist home buyers […]
Week 30: Decent Housing- Redlining Your Community
Check out the website Mapping Inequality to check out how the neighborhoods in your city evolved. View this Map of Socioeconomic status by the Urban Institute to show that inequality isn’t just about money, but where you live. See what’s happening exactly where you live. Share Your Story! How has redlining influenced development in your communities? Have you […]
Week 37: Decent Housing – Connecting Neighborhoods
Decent Housing: Connecting Neighborhoods In 1968, a week after the assassination of Dr. King, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibiting discrimination of the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex.(2) This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the passing […]
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Knew Health Equity and Civil Rights Go Hand in Hand
By Dr. Russ Wigginton Guest Columnist King understood that poverty, inadequate healthcare, and systemic inequalities were barriers to individual well-being and national progress. as published in The Tennessean, Jan. 17, 2025, 5:01 AM CT Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for economic equity found expression in the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, a movement to create […]
President Jimmy Carter: A Giant Among Leaders
The National Civil Rights Museum joins the world in mourning the passing of President Jimmy Carter. A giant among leaders and a true example of the highest ideals of public service, President Carter’s legacy will forever be etched in history. As a recipient of the Museum’s 1994 Freedom Award and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, […]
Model Slave Cabin
Among the interstingly novel artifacts in the National Civil Rights Museum’s collection is a model slave cabin donated to the museum along with figurines, furniture and accessories. It was fashioned by the well-regarded dollhouse enthusiast Jacqueline Andrews of Ashland, Virginia. In 1975, Barbara Grey commissioned Ms. Andrew to create these dolls and the house. It was […]
Black America Gets Pneumonia
Just as 9/11 defined the new millennium, the novel coronavirus will certainly be the story of the decade. The global pandemic has caused a devastating public health crisis, initiated a global economic disaster, and in the United States, pulled back the curtain on the deep-rooted racial inequities that persist. Just as COVID-19 is a deadly virus, so […]
Gradual Matriculation: Brown vs. Board of Education
White columns guide you when entering the Brown vs Board of Education exhibition. On the right are pews and a short video recapping the world-changing U.S. Supreme Court decision on May 17, 1954, 66 years ago this week. For 89 years, schools across the South were racially segregated and drastically different. Despite a court order […]
How are the Children?
I often think of a customary greeting in some African countries, ‘How are the Children?” The response is generally, “The children are well.” The question is asked because child well-being is a good measure of community well-being. Regrettably, we cannot provide that response. By all measures the children are not at all well. The policy […]