(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Advocates for West Side residents say it will take a new way of thinking — and acting — to reverse what a new study says are generations of disinvestment and racism in North Lawndale.
Teresa Còrdova, director of the Great Cities Institute, outlined findings for the City Club of Chicago. The study shows there are few goods, services and opportunities in North Lawndale.
Jobs may have grown in recent years, she said, but they were not the kinds of jobs local residents could get.
For example, Brenda Palms Barber, CEO of the North Lawndale Employment Network, said 20% of available jobs required college degrees. But only 13% of the residents have them, she said.
Employers need to ask if those credentials are really necessary to do the work, Barber said.
Related
