Mayor Lori Lightfoot mentioned Wednesday she has “great plans for re-introducing Chicago to the nation” mid-summer and into the autumn that features a “re-union weekend” to inspire African-Americans who’ve fled Chicago to “come back home.”
Lightfoot introduced a sneak peek at her plans to rebuild a Chicago financial system ravaged by means of the coronavirus pandemic whilst moderating a digital panel she referred to as, “Cup of Joe.”
It was once an area, Inauguration Day model of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, and featured Chicago industry and neighborhood leaders and activists discussing their hopes and goals for the incoming Biden management.
Carlos Nelson, CEO of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, set the level for Lightfoot’s preview when he talked concerning the want for “Black and Brown folks from our communities” to have a “lead role” in rebuilding their long-neglected neighborhoods.
“It’s so vitally important that … catalytic projects that are so needed to establish workforce in our community rebuild wealth that has been … stolen from many of us due to systemic and structural racist policies,” Nelson mentioned.
“I would implore you and implore the federal government that, as funds come into our community — whether it’s Opportunity Zone or stimulus or CARES Act funding — that those funds go to leaders from our communities, economic development professionals from our communities, developers from our communities, so we can build our communities back for us, by us.”
Lightfoot mentioned she “couldn’t agree more” concerning the want to construct wealth and capability in Black and Brown communities. It’s what her $750 million Invest South/West plan to rebuild 10 impoverished inner-city neighborhoods is all about.
“One of the things that we have planned going into the future is a reunion weekend. We’ve lost a lot of population over the last 10-plus years. People leaving Chicago, particularly Black Chicago, going to other places in the country — Atlanta, Dallas and even just moving to the suburbs because they didn’t feel like Chicago was welcoming and their home,” the mayor mentioned.
“We’ve got to change that around and when we open back up, we’re gonna be heavily marketing to all areas of the country that we know the Chicago diaspora has gone to and saying, ‘Come back home. Give us another look. We are a different city. We want you to come back home.’ I’m excited about that and other opportunities as we open up.”
Greg Schulson, chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association and proprietor of Burrito Beach eating place, mentioned a pandemic-ravaged eating place business pressured to put off greater than 20% of its staff desperately wishes a bailout related to what the airways were given not too long ago, and the monetary business won in 2008.
“Our almost singular focus right now is keeping people employed. Anything you can do to bring dollars into the restaurant industry, into the hospitality industry, tourism, the hotels to get people back to Chicago to then visit the restaurants — those are the things that … would really help … give more opportunities people we employ,” Schulson mentioned.
There are “great plans for re-introducing Chicago to the nation once we are able to fully open,” Lightfoot mentioned.
“My hope is, by mid-summer and into the fall, there are gonna be tremendous opportunities,” the mayor added.
“We haven’t talked about it but our arts community has also been very hard hit. They’re excited about the plans for late summer and fall. And when people come back into the city people feel like they can be out and about, that’s obviously gonna … [be] to the benefit of small businesses and particularly the restaurants and bars.”
Some activists on Wednesday’s panel hosted by means of Lightfoot’s political PAC talked concerning the want to give 8 million undocumented immigrants residing within the United States a trail to citizenship, as Biden has proposed. Others talked concerning the…