CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT OF OPIOID CRISIS ON BLACK CHICAGOANS

CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT OF OPIOID CRISIS ON BLACK CHICAGOANS

Calls for coordinated policy and public health response as disparities persist despite recent progress

CHICAGO — The Chicago Urban League (CUL) released the second iteration of Whitewashed: The Opioid Crisis in Black America, a report calling for equitable, urgent policy reforms to combat opioid addiction based on research analyzing the disproportionate impact of the opioid crisis on Black communities.

Chicago and Cook County have made measurable progress in reducing overdose deaths since the publication of the first Whitewashed report in 2017, reflecting expanded access to naloxone, treatment, and community-based response. However, these gains have not been evenly distributed. Black residents continue to experience a disproportionate share of overdose deaths, underscoring the need for sustained and coordinated action.

The Chicago Urban League outlines several key policy recommendations to combat the crisis, including:

Expand Black-led harm reduction programs and incorporate Black voices into public health strategy.

Increase access to community-based overdose prevention, including naloxone distribution and information about xylazine.

Reclassify low-level drug possession offenses.

Ensure access to medication-assisted treatment for individuals after they leave incarceration.

Integrate substance use prevention and treatment with primary care providers.

Conduct proactive outreach to older Black men, who are most likely to die from an opioid overdose and least likely to seek primary care.

“At the Chicago Urban League, our mission is to dismantle the systemic barriers that disproportionately affect Black communities. Since the first wave of the opioid epidemic in the 1990s, Black communities have experienced disproportionate harm. Chicago has made real progress in reducing overdose deaths, but the data make clear that Black communities continue to bear a disproportionate burden,” said Karen Freeman-Wilson, President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. “Whitewashed II is about ensuring that our response is coordinated, data-driven, and rooted in equity so that this progress reaches every community. Black lives depend on it.”

The Whitewashed II report highlights how systemic barriers fuel opioid addiction in Black communities. The report stresses how chronic pain is often undertreated, incarceration disrupts care, and racialized policies make MOUD (medications for opioid use disorders) less accessible. With fentanyl on the rise, these already deadly disparities have become even more dangerous. In 2023, 66% of people who died from opioid overdoses in Chicago were Black, while the city is only about 28% Black.

The report also highlights that overdoses are disproportionately concentrated in Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RCAPs), such as Austin, Humboldt Park, and North Lawndale—communities with predominantly Black and Latinx populations.

“This report is both alarming and enlightening, and we commend the Chicago Urban League’s commitment to documenting racial inequities in opioid mortality and access to care,” said Donald J. Dew, President & CEO of Habilitative Services. “For decades, HSI has served communities at the epicenter of these disparities. We view Whitewashed II as an important step—but also as a call to deepen our shared analysis and sharpen the structural critique needed to drive meaningful change and continued impact.”

The Chicago Urban League held briefings on the report, engaging policymakers, service providers, and affected individuals to introduce its policy recommendations and convene relevant stakeholders to address the racial disparities.

“The recommendations laid out by the Chicago Urban League reflect what we’ve been fighting for in the 8th District,” said Illinois Rep. LaShawn Ford. “The strategies in Whitewashed II such as reclassifying low-level drug possession offenses and expanding Black-led harm reduction programs, are critical steps we must take now to address the disproportionate opioid crisis in Black communities.”

The report was produced by the Chicago Urban League’s Research & Policy Center (RPC), which serves as the League’s hub for research, policy, and strategic insight. By connecting data, community experience, and programmatic work across the League’s centers, RPC helps translate on-the-ground realities into coordinated policy and systems-level solutions for Black Chicago. The research was conducted in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago’s Institute for Racial Justice (IRJ), which supported data analysis and research development. The report draws from recently released data on the opioid issue from several sources, including the Chicago Department of Public Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and others.

For more information or to access the full report, visit https://chiul.org/reports/.

Established in 1916, the Chicago Urban League works to foster economic empowerment, cultivate leadership, and dismantle systemic barriers in the effort to drive lasting equity and prosperity for Black Chicago. We help people find jobs and establish careers, become homeowners, enhance their educational experiences, strengthen their leadership skills, and grow their businesses. As one of the oldest and largest affiliates of the National Urban League, we promote strong, sustainable communities through advocacy, innovation, and collaborative community, corporate and civic relationships. For more information, visit www.ChiUL.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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