North Lawndale Economic Development Project Is A Finalist For The Chicago Prize

Lawndale Christian Development Corporation hosts leadership skills training and HUD Certification classes. Photo provided by Lawndale Christian Development Corporation.
Lawndale Christian Development Corporation hosts leadership skills training and HUD Certification classes. Photo provided by Lawndale Christian Development Corporation.

North Lawndale Economic Development Project Is A Finalist For The Chicago Prize

By Tia Carol Jones

A project with the goal of energizing the economic ecosystem for North Lawndale is a finalist for the Pritzker-Traubert Foundation Chicago Prize. Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, along with the North Lawndale Employment Network, New Covenant Community Development Corporation, the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council and the One Lawndale Children's Discovery Center are leading the project, which includes job creation, workforce training, boosting entrepreneurship and building new infrastructure.

Lawndale Christian Development Corporation (LCDC) was established in 1987 to empower the community and to eliminate wealth and health disparities. The Chicago Prize was launched in 2019 as a way for local leaders to share their plans for catalytic change within their communities. Winners of the Chicago Prize include Always Growing Auburn Gresham and Sankofa Wellness Village in West Garfield Park.

This is the second time that LCDC was recognized as finalists for the Chicago Prize. Whittney Smith, Deputy Director and Counsel for Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, said it is an honor to receive the recognition and it highlights the opportunities that exist in North Lawndale for organizations like LCDC that have grassroots leadership. She said the majority of the staff at LCDC are born and raised in North Lawndale.

“To have our efforts recognized in such a meaningful way, it’s an honor, but also, a testament to what we’ve already seen in North Lawndale and what we’ve always known, which is that this community is posed for transformation, and it’s going to be a transformation led by community residents,” she said.

Part of the project is the 1600 Lawndale Business Hub, which Smith said is part of LCDC’s comprehensive vision of what it takes to bring the North Lawndale community forward into a new era. The goal of the business hub will provide retail space for the co-ops that LCDC is incubating, an arts and activation space which is a partnership with Out West, which is run by a North Lawndale resident. The Soul Food Lounge will also have an expanded restaurant space in the building.

“It’s just a testament to a commitment and a rightness of the moment for our community members to see themselves reflected back in all facets, as business owners, as homeowners, as powerful voices,” she said.

Smith said that when communities have businesses that are owned by community residents, the value system is different. She said the goal is to have more businesses owned by community residents, which she hopes will lead to different outcomes, such as growth over time and stability. She said it also means that equity stays in the community because the owners are in North Lawndale, which will mean the dollar turns over additional times within the community.

The LCDC is working to ensure there is development in the community without displacing the community members. Smith said organizing is important and through a leadership class, LCDC trains community members to refine the leadership skills community members already have. There is also a HUD certification class, which teaches people what it means to be homeowner, how to budget, how to finance it and how to maintain the home they purchase. Smith said being hyperfocused on ensuring that every North Lawndale resident has information and knows the opportunities that exist in the community is another way to develop the community, while keeping current community members engaged.

Smith said community partnerships with other local organizations are vital to the success of the projects that LCDC develops. She said that the expanded reach from being recognized as a Chicago Prize finalist will introduce LCDC to more people and those people will understand the heart and the value of their work, as well as see the importance of collaborating with them in their work.

Smith said the LCDC wants Chicago, and the rest of the country, to see that organized people can overcome any obstacle, and can push back against organized power.

For more information, visit lcdc.net.


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