If you haven’t visited the Auburn-Gresham Community lately, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at its new look. African Adinkra symbols can be seen on banners, along the streets, and embedded in the sidewalks. Kenta Cloth placards drape the light poles. “These symbols have meaning of love and respect, kind of like the principles of Kwanzaa,” explains Carlos Nelson, Executive Director of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, the organization responsible for the symbols throughout the community, and a lot more.
Carlos Nelson began volunteering with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation in 2002, and in January 2003, he took over as the Executive Director. “GAGDC had one staff person back then,” he tells us, “that was me.”
Since then, with the help of his wife, Tanya Nelson, who is the Fiscal Contracts Manager, and Kathy Welch, the Executive Administrator and Health & Wellness Pillar Lead, Carlos has grown the organization’s staff to nearly fifty full and part-time employees, most of whom live in the South Side Community. Carlos explained that the non-for-profit, community-based organization does what is called comprehensive community development under five pillars:
. Education and Youth Development pillar. The staff provides after-school programming and attendance assistance in six schools in the community and other schools as well. For instance, many of the wonderful things that are going on at Simeon Career Academy, including the after-school programming, are courtesy of resources from Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC). Programs at Simeon and other schools include music, dance, spoken word at high schools, culinary and robotics. In addition to several after school programs, GAGDC launched a summer camp.
There is a $25 registration fee, and beyond that, everything is free, including a math and reading literacy program that has enrichment in the afternoons. The program is on par with the Morgan Park Summer Camp and the summer camp in Hyde Park, and it is valued at about $2,000 per child. “We take the kids and teach them African Drumming, how to fish, Agriculture and more” says Carlos. . The Summer Camp begins after the fourth of July and goes from July 6 until mid-August.
. Housing and Senior Services Pillar. Free home repairs for seniors, acquisition and renovation of vacant homes and training and preparing first- time home buyers for purchase and ownership of those homes is only part of what comes under that pillar. As Kathy Welch explained, “We partner with others such as Mather’s and Life to assure that our seniors have a great experience with line dancing and other fellowship kinds of activities. Sometimes we provide free legal services, particularly because a lot of our seniors are targeted for scams, and because they are a vulnerable population, we partner with CEDEL (the Center for Disability and Elder Law) to help combat some of those attacks, which otherwise they would fall victim to.”
Once a year, five hundred seniors are treated to a delicious breakfast and a live blues band at the annual Breakfast and Blues event.
. Economic Development Pillar. The organization works with small businesses, locally owned businesses, and prospective entrepreneurs to help them start their businesses.
They also do façade enhancement grants for businesses along key commercial corridors west of the Dan Ryan. Also, there are the Business Improvement Districts, and a lot of business corridor improvement work is carried out.
. The fourth pillar is Health and Wellness. GAGDC is focused on bringing high quality health care to the health desert, which has been Auburn- Gresham far too long. In addition to high quality health services, Kathy Welch explained that under the health and wellness pillar, GAGDC serves as the south area regional lead for the Healthy Chicago Equity Zone, also known as HCEZ. HCEZ was created as a Covid response, and GAGDC served as a leading agency to make sure the community was well-informed about vaccinations in terms of the science and availability. Mobile units were sent to homes to make sure seniors in the area had easy access to vaccinations. Since then, GAGDC has pivoted under HCEZ to address other health matters, including diabetes, mental health, and public safety.
Although HCEZ is the biggest health initiative they lead at the moment, GAGDC also partners with the American Cancer Society, as well as the Diabetes Prevention Program with UI Health in providing a one-year free prevention program for people at risk of diabetes, where they learn how to manage their moods, their meals and their movements to optimize their health outcomes.
.The Chicago Department of Public Health supports the Healthy Chicago Equity Zone work. As the region lead, GAGDC also supports Bronzeville through the Bright Star Community Services Organization, Project Hood and their work in Woodlawn and Washington Park, Acts of Kindness Campaign and their work in Greater Grand Crossing and Chatham, Teamwork Englewood and their work in West Englewood and the Chicago Family Health Center, which is out of the Chicago east side. As part of that Pillar,” Carlos says, “we built a brand-new state of the art, federally qualified, primary, and immediate care health center steps away from 79th and Halsted. It’s the UI Health Primary and Immediate Care Center, and it has physical health, mental health, and dental services.”
. The Fifth Pillar is Community Engagement. “Everything we do is about engaging residents, businesses, clergy, elected officials, seniors, families, and youth in the community to keep them tied into our work,” Carlos explains. The organization’s culminating community engagement event is the iconic 79th Street Renaissance Festival. This year will be their 19th year of bringing twenty thousand people to 79th street near Racine. The Fest supports small business vendors. They have carnivals, petting zoos, a senior corner in which they feed the first five hundred seniors a large meal, and music as a welcoming backdrop. “And in 19 years, with all these people on 79th street for the Renaissance Festival, we’ve never had an act of violence,” Carlos brags, “and I’m proud to say in the last two or three years, Real Men Cook has been the provider of our meals for our Senior Corner.”
Currently, about $180 million dollars’ worth of development is happening in Auburn-Gresham. The Auburn-Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub at 839 West 79th Street used to be the old public aid building. Besides that $21 Million Project, there is also the Renewable Energy and Urban Farming Campus at 650 West 83rd Street, which used to be an auto pound. Urban Growers Collective, owned by a Black woman, is also a partner in that $43 million project of which GAGDC is the largest equity owner. Two apartment buildings are being developed, plus a reimagined Save-A-Lot at 79th and Halsted, and they are redeveloping a vacant Bank of America. He points out that even Jamaican Jerk Villa, has received grants of nearly $2 million and they’re opening up a grill and bar like the one they have on Cermak and Michigan Avenue. Carlos sums it up, “What is taking place is a lot of growth, a lot of development, a lot of opportunities, and for us, the focus is building wealth and community ownership. That is the key. If you own your own, then people cannot push you out and gentrify your neighborhood.”
The GAGDC is not only great for the community, but they are an ideal employer. “We want to make sure that every staff member, whether they’re an hourly person or part-time, is on a path to wealth generation,” says Carlos, “we want to make sure they are paid in such a way that they can purchase their first home or building if they so choose.” Hourly workers start at $28 an hour. As for salaried personnel, “We really try to present their salaries in a way that makes us competitive to new graduates coming out of college,” Carlos explains. In addition, they provide 401K savings and full health benefits and are looking toward developing employee-based housing where the apartment rent will be subsidized by the organization, and the subsidy is put into a pot. “When an employee is ready to purchase their first home or condo, they can use that money for a down payment,” he explains.
Many of the jobs at GAGDC do not require a college degree, but Carlos points out, “If you have a high school diploma and you have a desire to work to improve your community, come on board and we will work with you and help you to get an associate degree and beyond that an undergraduate degree, or even a master’s degree. Currently, GAGDC has position openings for a Staff Accountant, a Manager for Education and Youth Development, A Data Coordinator, and an Office Manager.
You can get more information at www.gagdc.or or direct all job inquires to Senior Director, Linda Johnson at 773-483-3696. Working with Father Michael Pfleger, whose been on their board for nearly sixteen years, as well as Target Area Development, and New Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, positive change and progress can be seen throughout the community.
As for those Adinkra symbols, they are the organization’s way of saying it’s a new day in Auburn Gresham. “We believe if we invest our resources, it will have the effect of reducing violence,” Carlos says, “That’s why we work in the schools and work with the parents, and work to grow our businesses and build the wealth, and violence reduction will be a byproduct of the progressive work that we do.” Most recently, they discovered an African American artist who designed a tower of Adinkra symbols in St. Louis. His name is Thomas Sleet, and they are bringing him to Chicago to create the Adinkra Tower in the Auburn Gresham Community.
Look for it in the next six months.
