CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot and the Office of Equity and Racial Justice launched Monday a new citywide effort to promote racial healing across the city.
The campaign, titled "Together We Heal" is aimed aimed at building racial healing across Chicago, with goals to empower all Chicagoans to engage in activities fostering connection, restoration and learning at this time of racial reckoning for both the city and the nation.
Alongside six anchor partners, Together We Heal announced a community challenge to activate residents from every neighborhood in Chicago to participate in candid conversations, healing circles, and other activities. The initiative culminates at the end of January with a virtual healing summit that will reflect on progress made and envision a path forward for the coming year.
“Whether it be the ongoing health crisis or protests that have erupted in response to racial inequality, the events of this year have urged us to fully acknowledge how racism continues to drive systemic inequity both in our city and across our country," said Mayor Lightfoot. "Through the ‘Together We Heal’ initiative, we will turn this acknowledgement into action—constructing discursive spaces for our residents to listen to one another, heal and work together to create a Chicago free from the scourges of racial injustice. By building bridges to one another through this racial healing work, we will not only be more united as a city but develop the empathy we need in order to holistically recover from the challenges of this unprecedented year."
The “Together We Heal” initiative is an all-encompassing project to address the nation’s current racial climate – exacerbated by COVID-19; the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others; and the civic unrest that followed, loss of jobs and businesses, and destruction of community assets – as well as the decades of racial inequities in Chicago.
“This past year has shown us that we cannot afford to ignore historical trauma, racism, and inequality,” said Candace Moore, Chief Equity Officer for the City of Chicago. “We must take steps forward in communion with one another, in recognition of our mutual humanity. We must commit to heal ourselves, our communities and our city."
A key component of the new initiative is the community challenge, calling on Chicagoans from now until the end of January to:
• Organize a virtual healing event with friends, neighbors, colleagues, family members, and other social networks
• Share their experience through an online form that populates an interactive “Healing Map” that showcases reported events throughout the city; and
• Champion efforts throughout the next several weeks through community and social media activations.
Residents are encouraged to visit www.chi.gov/togetherweheal to share their experiences, follow the map and learn more about the initiative.