2020 CUE Fellows | Chicago United for Equity

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What does it mean to love Chicago? Is it simply enough to take pride in our best moments? Or does loving our city require more than simply celebrating what has been, and consider instead what could be? In announcing the 2020 cohort of CUE Fellows, we recognize their pursuit of a civic love that requires what James Baldwin calls that “tough and universal sense of quest and daring and growth.”

2020 fellow showcase

Starting in January 2020, these 30 Fellows worked together to bring their bold ideas for our city’s future to life. Each month, they explored strategies for social change, built trust with individuals and organizations across our politically divided region, and developed strategies to put their love for our city into practice. Watch a few of our fellows' year-end presentations at the 2020 Fellow Showcase.

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Eve Rips

Civitas ChildLaw Center at Loyola University School of Law, Clinical Teaching Fellow

Our current reactive, complaints-based system for rental housing inspections often fails to catch health hazards until it's too late. A proactive home health inspections model, if effectively implemented, could help reduce exposure to health hazards like lead and mold.

Alexandra Ensign

Cook County Government Deputy Director of Communications

Refining and improving County communications and engagement to be more equitable and engage communities that are typically disengaged from our work; raising awareness about the need for government to advance racial equity.

Crystal Laura

Chicago State University, Professor of Education

My project explores capacity-building to advance racial equity in and through the College of Education at Chicago State University.

Jessyca Dudley

Illinois Justice Project, Advisory Board Member

Understanding the impact publicly released justice data and the responsibility of the City to consider the ethics of sharing this data.

Candace Coleman

Access Living, Racial Justice Organizer

Access is a human right, and it should be treated as a norm in our culture.

Justin Valas

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, Policy Director

Engaging communities, in languages other than English, to create policy and advance language justice.

Estefania Hernández

Illinois Action for Children, Community Engagement Associate

Ensuring incoming policy changes do not negatively disrupt the current early childhood workforce which is made up primarily of Black and brown women.

Melissa Texcahua

Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Quality of Life Organizer

Equitable access to resources and economic development for non-English speakers.

Andrea Hall

Illinois Department of Human Services, Director of Strategy, Equity and Transformation

Create an equity table at IDHS that collaborates with municipal, county and state entities to increase access to services and resources for the most vulnerable communities.

Marcella Bondie Keenan

Center for Neighborhood Technology, Program Director

A facilitated half-day workshop teaching planning professionals to understand and operationalize practices that further equity.

Natalie Neris

Kids First Chicago, Chief of Community Engagement

My project includes analyzing Chicago's current school accountability policy and advocating for an evolution of the policy to one that promotes school improvement and equitable access to resources.

Matt Sweeney

UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, Senior Research Specialist

Romina Castillo

MUSE Community + Design, Community Planner

Develop an equity-centered framework to evaluate Vision Zero implementation strategies (engineering, policy, education & enforcement) and move forward priority projects/initiatives.

Shehara Waas

Metropolitan Planning Council, Research Manager

In partnership with community-based grassroots organizations/stakeholders, I’d like to develop a funding pool and research agenda—to be housed at MPC—that will “make the case” for a city-wide reparations policy framework.

Amy Meek

Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Senior Counsel

I will be examining racial equity implications of school funding and resource distribution.

Jianan Shi

Raise Your Hand, Executive Director

Fight for equitable school funding.

Nicholas Zettel

1st Ward Office, Alderman La Spata, City of Chicago, Policy Director

I want to assess the impact of transit oriented development in the 1st Ward by using a racial equity lens.

Katanya Raby

Addressing the biases of policies to better align with long-range planning goals for the communities we serve.

Rocío M. García

United Working Families, Membership Director

My project seeks to challenge the status quo by developing sustainable processes that yield community voice and power, via democratic processes that serve to shift the power dynamics among the few wealthy elite and the many working poor.

Bethany Patten

Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, Workforce Policy Director

Effectively incorporating a focus on racial equity into the Governor's Early Childhood Funding Commission

Jessica Torres

Esperanza Health Centers, Care Coordination & Programs Manager

I will explore the feasibility of embedding voter registration practices within a non-traditional setting, a federally qualified health center on the southwest side of Chicago, with the end goals of a creating a best practices manual for such center and to increase voter registration among its patients and service area residents.

Kyra Woods

Sierra Club, Campaign Organizer

Developing a community-informed clean energy transition framework to guide Chicago's transition to 100% clean energy

Libia Bianibi

Arts Alliance Illinois, Associate Director, Finance & Policy

Arts advocacy training to strengthen the access to civic power of communities that can't vote.

Liliana Scales

CHANGE Illinois, Advocacy Director

An independent redistricting plan for the city.

Paul Fitzgerald

Friends of Big Marsh, Executive Director

Developing a framework to evaluate the economic and public health benefits of Big Marsh Park and other natural space being developed/recreated on the Southeast Side.

partners and funders

The CUE Fellowship is possible thanks to the investment of partners, including The Field Foundation of Illinois and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The work is also supported by individual supporters like you who donate amounts ranging from $10 to $500 each. Join our team of partners and supporters by becoming a donor today and show your civic love for a Chicago that works for all of us.

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2020 fellow showcase

Drea Hall | 2020 Fellow Showcase

Kyra Woods | 2020 Fellow Showcase

Matt Sweeney | 2020 Fellow Showcase

Melissa Texcahua | 2020 Fellow Showcase

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partners and funders