Disrupting Segregation in Chicago w/ Tonika Johnson
54m
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According to Weeze
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In this episode Tonika talks about the change she is making to desegregate Chicago through community education, policy reform, and engagement with her non-profit, the Folded Map Project. The Folded Map Project explores the present day impact of Chicago's historic segregation, showing how you can have two different kinds of lived experiences that are often on the same street, but just miles apart.
ABOUT WEEZE
Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female-identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She’s known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist, and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.
ABOUT TONIKA
Tonika Johnson is a photographer/social justice artist and life-long resident of Chicago’s South Side neighborhood of Englewood. She is also co-founder of two community-based organizations, Englewood Arts Collective and Resident Association of Greater Englewood, that mobilize people and resources for positive change. She turned the Folded Map project into a non-profit organization where she serves as Executive Director. She was named one of Field Foundation’s Leaders for a New Chicago and most recently, she was appointed as a member of the Cultural Advisory Council of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events by the Chicago City Council.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT
- How Tonika’s multimedia art project and non-profit, Folded Map, explores the present-day impact of Chicago's historic segregation by using her very unique grid map to compare different kinds of lived experiences that are often on the same street, but just miles apart.
- The insidious part of segregation and racism that minimizes the intellectual ability and genius of Black and Brown youth.
- Chicago as a legacy segregated city, meaning the segregation that people witness there is literally the same kind of segregation from 50-60 years ago.
- How segregation influences social networks, relationships, access to jobs, and quality schools.
- If the very thing that divides us is race and geography, what would it be like if we actually talked to our distant neighbors about the very things that are wrong with our cities?
- How the New York Times stole the concept of the Folded Map project.
CALL TO ACTION
- Make a donation to Folded Map project
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ak9t5PPHXcBnSVCffG1Lqsuf8FYhYlFu/view?usp=sharing
FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
FOLLOW TONIKA TO STAY ENGAGED
Creator of Folded Map Project - article by Chicago Tribune
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-folded-map-project-chicago-20180521-story.html
www.foldedmapproject.com
www.tonikaj.com
www.BelongingChicago.com
www.englewoodartscollective.com
The episode Disrupting Segregation in Chicago w/ Tonika Johnson from the podcast According to Weeze has a duration of
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