21st Ward Candidate envisions a new ward, wants community input

Ayana Clark is running for 21st Ward Alderperson. She has worked as a Community Advocate and Executive Assistant for former Congressman Bobby Rush, as well as with the Counting on Chicago Coalition to get people counted during the 2020 Census. PHOTO PROVIDED BY AYANA CLARK.
Ayana Clark is running for 21st Ward Alderperson. She has worked as a Community Advocate and Executive Assistant for former Congressman Bobby Rush, as well as with the Counting on Chicago Coalition to get people counted during the 2020 Census. PHOTO PROVIDED BY AYANA CLARK.

 21st Ward Candidate envisions a new ward, wants community input

By Tia Carol Jones

Ayanna Clark always said she would never run for office. But two things happened in 2022 that made her decide to run for the 21st Ward Alderperson. The first thing that led her to run was a series of shootings that took place close to her oldest son’s school.

“Children are 1, legally required to be at school, but 2, having to look my kid in the face and explain to him that a place where he’s supposed to feel safe is not safe was heartbreaking,” she said.   There was a lack of response from the elected officials about the shootings she added.

The second thing was having a nine-year old come into her backyard and play for three hours. “To me, that said that kid was so desperate for a place to be a child, that he was willing to break into a strangers’ backyard just to have a moment of peace,” she said, adding that her backyard is designed for her children to play because the parks are not necessarily safe, infrastructure-wise.  For Clark, the backyard incident really highlighted the need for affordable or free programming for children.

Currently, Clark is the program director for the Ready to Work program, which is hosted at the Hope Center Foundation. She works with young people ages 16-24 in the program, which provides job readiness skills and training. She also is the executive assistant for retired Congressman Bobby Rush. Prior to that, she was the Community Advocate and Executive Assistant for Rush.

Clark worked with the Counting On Chicago Coalition to get people counted during the 2020 Census. She also is an alumnae of Young Invincibles, an organization focused on people ages 18-34 whose mission is to amplify the voice of young people in the political process and expand economic opportunities for people in that age group. She is an alumnae of the Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s Political Bootcamp.

The things Clark has been through in her life have prepared her to run for office. Every system she had to navigate has been something she now wants to reform. Her childhood was spent in homeless shelters and having to deal with different agencies really taught her the shortcomings of them.  That experience has given her the insight she needs to reform them.  As a Community Advocate for Rush, what she heard from people is they felt left behind by their Alderpeople, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “Our Seniors, especially, were in dire need of resources and there was nobody at the local level doing the work to connect them with those resources they need,” she said.
Clark wants a 21st Ward she can raise her children in.

 According to Clark, the way it looks right now, it isn’t a safe and productive place for her children. She goes outside of the 21st Ward for activities, with the exception of The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center Chicago, located at 1250 W. 119th St. She wants to create a coalition of people who live, work and play in the 21st Ward. Her overall vision is to empower the community with the knowledge and resources they need to hold elected officials accountable, but to also create a ward that represents the vision of the residents.

“I can talk about my vision all I want, but I’m not the only person who has to live here. So, every policy and everything I’m trying to put in place is designed to give the larger community a say in what happens in our neighborhood,” Clark said.

The New 21st Ward is about 65% of the 34th Ward and 40% was the old 21st Ward. Clark is committed to going block by block and finding out the needs of the residents.

Clark acknowledges there is a difference between politics and government. Government is getting on the ground and working toward the betterment of people, while politics are cliques and dinners. Working with Rush, she attended community meetings, so she is familiar with the big issues of the 21st Ward and the way different levels of government are going to have to work together accordingly.

Clark has built up a network of more than 400 organizations throughout the city, the state and federal level. She created a resource guide that she has been distributing while she has been knocking on doors. “This is not a part-time job; it really does have to be a way of life if you’re going to make an impact. There are a lot of elected officials who move unilaterally, but when people speak up, we can really get people to move,” she said.

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