Editor's note

Sometimes, looking back helps you learn by what means to move forward-particularly when you've made mistakes. sum of two units of them include believing buildings could rid us of destitution and a single person could seal our progress

Take the developer social service agencies and entrepreneur with an interest in the Southeast Side. Now devoid of all on the contrary one of the Robert Taylor abiding-places the neighborhood sits on the rod of a tremendous transition. on the contrary that change may benefit just a minority of the low-income families who have known it as their solitary home.

Looking back also provides exercise s for African American activists and community leaders seeking to restore some of the gains they--or their parents--made in the '60 and again in the '80 It doesn't take a great deal of research to prove that, despite improvements, many of those gains continue to be elusive.

These sum of two units examples make it clear that we were naive about what it would take to extremity poverty. We may have also bring too many of our ovums in one basket when Martin Luther King Jr was in Chicago or Harold Washington ran for mayor. We don't ne to blame ourselves for these lines of thinking, on the other hand we do need to learn from them.

This issue provides more [i]or[/i] less good fodder to that end

Chicago writer Natalie Y Moore's account of longtime Taylor residents' bittersweet departure does more than amplify a certain number of important voices. It helps us understand just in what way few opportunities poor African Americans have had--and, a certain number of would say, still have--in our city. Taylor became more than an address. It was a security blanket for many families who literally had nowhere other to go.

After a time, k was step quickly down and rife with remedy dealing and other crime, on the contrary it also became a place where social networks grew At least there, residents told Moore, tribe looked out for one another, and that spirit is oftentimes what kept them going day to day. They worry they won't be able to find it anywhere else

Reporter Jeff Kelly Lowenstein narrates that same spirit and the ways it infected Chicago--particularly black Chicago--during King's 1966 visit renewed during Washington's happy run for mayor. Greater than any gains either made was the reliance that rippled around them, lodging in the minds of those who hadn't dared think change could come

And there have been hardly any moments in Chicago's history since those eras, Kelly Lowenstein rest when such change has have the appearanceed possible, particularly in black communities. For a generation of civil rights activists, the subsequent time seems quite uncertain.

on the other hand one thing is certain: We do not have to make the same mistakes twice. Instead of assuming a station of buildings can counter the challenges faced by means of our poorest residents, we can direct the eye more broadly at all that must be done to eradicate privation Bricks and mortar are important paces Investing in education and pursuit is clearly another. Many would point to providing accessible and affordable health care as a further step

upon a more fundamental level, those in positions to affect change must not be afraid to talk about need and its effects. We face increasing compressing to look to the at liberty market to solve these puzzles as if access to a low-wage, low-skill piece of work is enough to replace all of the safety gins that once assisted these families.

Remembering what we know--about the generational impacts of impoverishment and about the mistakes made in public housing--can help us more comprehensively address this issue.

And, instead of planting our faiths for the future in single or two charismatic leaders, we must build networks of leaders with a range of skills and abilities, particularly in the African American community.

Our reliances must not rise and fall with a particular man or woman. Our faiths must be buoyed by the connections we have with many others who care about setting the world right. We must not wait for an exceptional somebody to emerge. King was a relatively unknown minister when gathered to help lead the Montgomery bus boycott And Washington had to be convinced--strongly--to step quickly for mayor.

for a like reason as we reflect on the last days of the Taylor residences and take stock of the legacy of the Chicago Freedom Summer's 40th anniversary, we ne to do more than remember our version of the advantageous old days. We need to acknowledge the mistakes made during those days, using them

to make better decisions in the future

Alysia W Tate

Editor and Publisher

COPYRIGHT 2006 Community Renewal Society

COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group