Black Communities must develop stronger Civic Associations
Obama Presidential Library Park Covers All Bets: Win! Place! Show!
Chicago put all its markers on winning the Obama Presidential Library (OPL).
If Mayor Emanuel is really listening to Chicago's voters and tax payers, he should know that it is time to do something EPIC to demonstrate that we are in fact one of America's greatest cities. Chicago has won the Obama Presidential Library, the South Side has won, and University of Chicago has won. The Mayor has not received a court ruling, but has won over the Chicago Park District and Friends of the Park, and certainly won with the State of Illinois. Now that we have the power, let's use it wisely and do the right thing. This is the home of community organizing and community development. Let's demonstrate our own special play known as the Triple Bottom Line.
Here's how it works and how to apply it to the OPL.
Highest and Best Use:In this case, the Obama Presidential Library being on Chicago's South Side is not the only victory to be had. But let's acknowledge that the first African American President was always expected have his own prestigious park site. In Chicago, that means the Library and Museum would have its own Lakefront Park. Not in Grant Park (where he celebrated his first victory) or Jackson Park, or Lincoln Park. Those Presidents deserved their own park, and President Obama deserves the honor of having his own park as well. Obama Park should have the same prominence, and not be truncated into a sliver of land in historic Washington Park (destroying a 100-year-old Tree Arboretum in the process). Failing to put to use a portion of all the vacant land throughout the south side of Chicago would strongly contradict so many things that this Presidency supports (designating new national parks, promoting outdoor recreation, planting trees and gardens, supporting the environment and a sustainable workforce). Chicago just dedicated Maggie Daley Park and the new Steelworkers Park, so we are definitely still in the business of designating lakefront parks. The Obama Presidential Park should be strategically located within the Millennium Reserve, as an acknowledgement to one of the President's Initiatives, America's Great Outdoors, which has given Chicago the distinction of enjoying the largest open space park in the Nation.
Bottom Line: Obama Park should be located prominently on Chicago's South Lakefront within the Millennium Reserve.
Second, you have to lead.
The University of Chicago has won the OPL trophy. We as tax payers and voters must insist that the Obama Presidential Library be built closer to the original site of the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago was first instituted in the area around 34the Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, a neighborhood with a rich, authentic history. Since well before the OPL process began, the University of Chicago has worked hard to grow from being a land locked institution, amassing enough land in the historic Washington Park neighborhood to match what they already own in Woodlawn. Their long-term plan is supported with real estate holdings that provide them with land for future endowments, all the way from Cottage Grove Avenue to the Dan Ryan Expressway. The speculative investments made on Garfield Boulevard for the 2016 Olympic Bid have now been realized (you can read about this in the ULI Garfield Corridor Study), so there should not be any concern about unfairness to the University of Chicago. For all intents and purposes, they are in very good standing. They do not need the OPL to finally develop a retail center on 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, or on 55th Street and King Drive (these locations, among others, are long overdue). But even their students and faculty view the lack of a U of C trauma center, and food and commerce centers in Washington Park, shameful and unacceptable. The Community Advisory Board that the University of Chicago assembled to represent the community's interest, signed on without demanding transparency of the OPL site proposal, or even having a community benefit agreement in place. The community has not begun to visualize just how much more land will be needed for parking and security in the two contending historic Park sites. What the U of C could have done to truly help the community with its economic development, was to ensure the deployment of affordable access to high speed internet. The Partnership for Connected Illinois committed 2 million dollars to Chicago's Mid-South Region (starting in Woodlawn), with Gigibit Squared as its vendor. This company, misrepresenting its capacity and ability, received the money and provided nothing in return. The University of Chicago reneged on its part of the commitment, having never formally signed the agreement. Instead, they stated that unlike Columbia University or John Hopkins Hospital, neither the University of Chicago nor its Hospitals participate in community benefit agreements. Buyer beware! Obama's Legacy is affordable high-speed internet access, and equity in both education and healthcare. We know the wealthy land barons (real estate firms) will get their share, but let's share some of that wealth within the community.
Bottom line: Leverage technology to place "Black Metropolis" on the map. This is the nation's first digital Commander and Chief and the OPL needs to be a major digital content provider. The University of Chicago and the University of Illinois in Champaign and Chicago represent the best in public and private research institutions. Putting the OPL in the McCormick Place High Speed Broadband Zone, next door to the Lakeside Technology Center (the largest data server in the mid-west) will brand and fortify Chicago's place around information technology infrastructure and provide unprecedented digital information access. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, give these disadvantaged African American youth in Chicago a future, put them at the forefront of technology and connect them to the global marketplace!
Third, fill the holes! Get it done, and engage and celebrate everyone involved. That means do not pass off prime Lakefront real estate as a contaminated site (a reminder of the failed 2016 Olympic bid). The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area will celebrate the 2016 Centennial of the Great Migration and showcase the impact of African American innovation in Chicago and the nation. President Obama and his family are active participants in the story and the legacy of the Great Migration. The President told this story best in his speech at the designation of the Pullman National Monument, where he explained the role of the Chicago Defender and the Pullman Porters. The Great Migration paved the road from the south, through Chicago, to the White House! As a young community organizer, Obama knew that if his dream was possible it had to be realized in Chicago. In is speech at the Pullman National Park ceremony, he made the case for heritage tourism development and highlighted what the National Park Service calls "Teaching with Historic Places." Over the past twenty years, the African American community has been gerrymandered out of the original geographic boundaries of the 1st Congressional District and the 2nd Aldermanic Ward. The 2nd Aldermanic Ward (the Mother Ward) gave us Oscar De Priest, William Dawson, Charles Hayes, Earl B. Dickerson, Bobby Rush, Harold Washington and so many others. The OPL strategically located at this prime Bronzeville lakeside location will stand as a powerful and authentic testament to the Great Migration experience in Chicago's Black Belt, and the civic engagements that could not be restricted or confined by racist real estate covenants.
The Bronzeville TIF was created for this type of tourism and already has the transportation infrastructure in place, with Transit Futures and CrossRail Chicago. The site will sustainably connect regional visitors from O'Hare to Indiana. Several writers such as Blair Kamin (the Tribune), Greg Hinz (Crain's), other editorials, and even Chicago Bears fans have noted the epic opportunity in placing both the Lucas Museum and the Obama Library together at the Michael Reese lakefront park site, in the already existing Bronzeville TIF. The mixed-use vision of this prime, 100-acre waterfront site generates three times the economic impact of any of the other sites, in construction and development opportunities alone. Innovation, imagination and inclusion can co-exist here. This heritage tourism vision pays off the city debt, raises the bond rating and discourages any future $1 dollar land deals to millionaires. In making us this deal, Governor Rauner understands the reality that we can no longer afford not to develop this prime lakefront site. It directly spurs the Motor Row/Record Row entertainment District, the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area and the adjacent Draper/Kramer/Master Plan already approved by the Chicago Development Commission. The next major development is already on the drawing board: the DePaul basketball stadium and lakeside hotel.
Bottom line: Prove that we can stay on plan. Continue to build in a concentric circle of influence, where there is the greatest potential for economic development, entrepreneurial business enterprise, job creation and International Tourism. Utilize the Lakefront and Natural Assets and Recreation/Entertainment Amenities. Build on the authentic Neighborhood Heritage and Culture, the stories that link us to our New National Park. Leverage the Technology Infrastructure.
That's it. The Triple Bottom Line, the Trifecta! Maybe there is a good reason why the President has held off announcing the winner of the final designated site. We hear that the President looks at the We the People website portal daily to gauge the voice of the people in the Civic Polls. If he is listening like the Mayor, he may hear the galloping hoofs of an American Pharaoh dark horse coming up fast for a winning photo finish!
If you agree with this Triple Bottom-line, inclusive community civic engagement perspective for the Obama Presidential Library, go to wethepeople.org and look for "OPL to Win! Place! Show!" We ask that you please demonstrate your support and add your thoughts and ideas to the vision for the Obama Presidential Library Lakefront Park on the former Michael Reese's Hospital site.
