During this Women’s History Month, we put a special spotlight on women who lead.
In Chicago, many sisters are doing the historical heavy lifting, leading the economic community development and the preservation of our communities. However, there are two sisters who are outstanding as leaders of their communities.
Queen of Bronzeville: Paula Robinson
Many years ago, Bronzeville was considered one ofthe most unsightly, crime-ridden communities in the Chicago area. No one seemed to care about the numerous boarded-up houses, the poor living conditions, and the poverty that made itself at home in a community.
It was not long before developers, noting the close proximity between Bronzeville and Chicago’s Loop, began taking a closer look at that community. Homes were built along Bronzeville’s Oakwood Boulevard. However, the people living in that area could not afford them. Gentrification seemed imminent.
Bronzeville needed a leader, an advocate, a queen. Thirty years ago, Paula Robinson became that leader, that advocate – and through her work and accomplishments of over thirty years, she has earned the title of “Queen of Bronzeville.” Robinson resides in historic Bronzeville and is an arts patron and antique collector.
Today, she serves as the Managing Member of Bronzeville Partners LLC and the President of its two civic organizations. She presides over the Bronzeville Community Development Partnership (BCDP), a 30- year private non-profit community development corporation (CDC) which she founded.
The BCDP is a collaborative partner with the Chicago Park District and Chicago Field Museum for the Burnham Wildlife Corridor with initiatives for nature trails, outdoor gathering spaces, public art, and youth conservation. Robinson is also President of the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission.
This Commission is a 501c3 organization, actively revitalizing Chicago’s historic African American community as an international tourism destination. Through her leadership for over two decades, the Commission’s advocacy has led to the completion of a formal feasibility study, as well as a legislative nomination to the Department of the Interior for congressional designation.
Robinson, a marketing and communications veteran, operated her own full-service firm, BR&R Communications Inc. for more than ten years. BR&R directs consumer marketing and corporate communications and is recognized with numerous industry awards. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Arts from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She has completed the required coursework at DePaul University for a Master of Science degree from the School of New Learning, focusing on Heritage Tourism as a Sustainable Development Strategy for Urban Markets. Robinson also completed the Minority Business Executive Program, with the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. In 2012, Robinson became a co-founder of the Urban Innovation Center.
This organization is an incubator supporting social enterprise and civic entrepreneurship in tourism, technology, and transportation. She is the principal of Profit From Rentals (PFR) Chicago Inc., which is a community economic development (CED) practice implementing measurable social and equity capital investments.
A Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, Robinson is also advisor emeritus to the board of advisors for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is also on the Calumet Collaborative Steering Committee, transforming the southeast Chicago lakefront and the northern Indiana region.
As a Community Economic Development specialist, Robinson holds professional certificates from NeighborWorks and other local agencies. She chairs the economic development committee for the Morgan Park Civic League and serves on the committee for trail-oriented development and community wellness around the Major Taylor Trail. As we celebrate Women who Lead during Women’s History Month, we pay special homage to Queen Paula Robinson.
A Rose in Roseland: Diane Latiker
Roseland is one of the deadliest neighborhoods in Chicago, despite stepped-up efforts by City Hall to curb gang violence. Within this deadly environment lives Diane Latiker, working to keep the peace, always there for her kids.
Although all of Diane’s biological children are grown, with Aisha, the youngest, in her early thirties, she still considers the kids of Roseland “her kids.” and Diane is there to protect them, to provide a safe haven for them, to create activities for them, to keep them out of harm’s way, rescuing them from gang membership, and protecting them from gang recruitment. The latter comes with threats on her life.
This all began when Aisha was thirteen years old and, at the time, the only one of the Latiker’s eight kids still in the home. The neighborhood had become a whole lot worse than when they first moved there, and Diane and her husband were concerned about Aisha’s safety.
Keeping her home and inviting her friends into the home, as opposed to allowing her to go out with them, seemed to be the best solution.
So, nine of Aisha’s friends began coming to the home on a regular basis, not only to visit Aisha, but to talk with Diane about their problems and fears, and to get help with their homework.
The numbers grew and soon the Kids Off the Block program was fully operational. A 2018 article reported that 3,100 kids had been helped through the program.
The world has taken notice of Diane Latiker’s many accomplishments. She was featured in a Comcast special broadcast and the Waymaker magazine in 2021. She
was named as one of the most inspiring Chicagoans in 2020. Also in 2020, she was honored as Frontline Hero by Variety Magazine and Lifetime, featured on the front page of the Chicago Sun Times, and acknowledged by President Barack Obama. In 2019, she received the “Chicago Peace
Fellows Award,” and she served as the Keynote speaker at the Illinois Treasurer’s Black History Month Celebration of
that year. That same year, she received the “iHeart Media Community Partner Award.” In 2018 she appeared on the Steve Harvey Show and was featured in CNN’s Great
Big Story in September of that year. The Gentlemen of Abraham Lodge presented Diane with the “Outstanding Urban Leadership Award” in 2018. She also received the “A.R.C.H. (Always Reaching Children’s Hearts) Award,” and in that same year was presented with both the Salem Baptist Church “Women of Influence” Award and the Cook County Juvenile Probation “Community Recognition Award.”
Back in 2017, Diane received the Global Girl’s “Community Leader Award” and was the featured speaker at RM72. She launched “Fierce Over 40” Women’s Empowerment Movement in April 2017. Also in 2017, she received the “Phenomenal Woman Award” at the Black Women’s Expo
and the “MBIB Catalyst Award.” Diane received the Governor of Illinois’ “Leadership Award” in 2017 and was featured in the Ambassadors Circle “ChiTown Warrior Series” in March of that year. The year 2017 was a busy year for Diane. She also received the “Gentle Warriors Award” from the National A. Philip
Randolph Pullman Porter Museum and was a featured speaker at the Women’s March in Chicago. In 2016, Diane was a “Women of Worth” Top 10 Honoree, “Points Of Life” Honoree, and she received the Bronzeville
Children’s Museum “Dream Maker’s Award” at the Kwanzaa Celebration, as well as the “Homer Deakins Service Award“ and the “Outstanding Community Leader Award” from the AFP (Association of Fundraising
Professionals) Chicago Chapter.
There are many more awards, media appearances and mentions about this remarkable woman – too many to name here. During this Woman’s History Month, we are proud to salute Diane Latiker, the Rose of Roseland, a woman who truly leads.
