BGA Community Forums: Navigating the Story of Cabrini-Green

More than 20 years ago, Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration promised Cabrini-Green residents they would return to a revitalized neighborhood, would receive thousands of construction jobs and get scores of other economic opportunities. At the time, residents feared the promises were empty. They were right to worry.

A recent Better Government Association investigation, “Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises,” examines the taxpayer-financed redevelopment of one of the only Black neighborhoods on the city’s North Side. The project, now more than a decade behind schedule, carries a $2 billion price tag of taxpayer dollars. The money has paid for new homes, the expansion and beautification of parks, new schools and a walkway along the North Branch of the Chicago River that is now lined with private boats. And it’s not over. Construction continues with more homes and public amenities on the way.

To make way for the redevelopment, thousands of Black families were forced out. In the years since, affluent white families moved into the mixed-income communities built for them.

Listen to the recording of the conversation on Cabrini-Green, moderated by City Cast Chicago podcast host Jacoby Cochran. This recording has been slightly edited for clarity.

On Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, Cochran joined a panel of experts to discuss the BGA investigation, Cabrini-Green’s history, how the Chicago Housing Authority’s record on public housing has affected the lives of Black families — and even the stigmas and untold stories of the Cabrini-Green community.
Panelists included:

• Alejandra Cancino, author of “Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises”
• Davon Clark, 2020 CatchLight Local fellow
• Carol Steele, Cabrini-Green Local Advisory Council and Cabrini-Green Resident and Advocate
• Charles Price, former resident liaison to the Cabrini-Green neighborhood
• Shakira Johnson, oral historian and assistant educator at the National Public Housing Museum
• Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, historian at Chicago Mahogany, cultural worker and public employee

This event is part of the Better Government Association’s series, “Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises,” which featured photography from the CatchLight Local: Visual Storytelling Initiative in partnership with CatchLight and the Institute for Nonprofit News. “BGA Community Forums: Navigating the Story of Cabrini-Green” is also in partnership with City Cast Chicago podcast.