Black Futures Month: Tony Salaam

At Heartland Alliance, we believe that everyone has the right to prosper and reach their full potential. As we continue to strive toward a better, safer Chicago, it is important this Black History Month to recognize the impact of racial injustices on our participants.

However, it is equally important to celebrate our successes and the ways we are working to correct these injustices. We talked with Tony Salaam, director of Greater Englewood READI Chicago Outreach, about Black Futures Month (“reimagine the idea of Black History Month and change the emphasis from history of people of color to our futures”) and how his work with READI Chicago is promoting equity and opportunity for all.

 

Where do you see racial inequities or barriers in your work? How does this impact the people you serve?

The young men we serve in READI Chicago come from poverty-stricken neighborhoods—think food deserts, lack of resources, lack of opportunities—and I see that as deliberate and systemic. I’m focused on the institutionalized racism that keeps these men from achieving equity and opportunity, because we see it play out in violence in our communities.

When you live in an environment where there is a sense of hopelessness, there is a sense that you’re not valued or appreciated. When you walk down the street and you feel targeted by the police or by your own people, that someone is likely to hurt you—that trauma affects you. This is generational trauma that we see over and over in this work—it’s not only our participants who are exposed daily to trauma, but their families, their children, their parents.

How does your work with Heartland Alliance address these barriers?

I recently heard a young man say, I’m not going to live to be 21. He couldn’t see a future. We need to fix that, and I think that’s what READI Chicago is doing—giving these young men hope, letting them know that they’re valued and valuable, letting them know that we believe in them. If no one else believes in them, we do—we understand how trauma has impacted their lives, and we’re doing what we can to help these young men change the trajectory of their lives.

I think READI Chicago’s approach to addressing institutionalized racism is to work with this specific population to eradicate the violence in their communities and to help provide access.

I believe the most important thing I can do personally is to be an example as a black man for our participants and for my staff. Like me, a lot of my staff have lived experience—I know what it took for me to transform my own life, so I’m committed to being the best possible role model I can be. Working in this space, with READI Chicago and other organizations in Greater Englewood and across Chicago, helps me to have a voice, and that’s what I want for our participants.

Who do you look up to as a foundation for your work, especially in the fight for equity?

Malcolm X—specifically, his rhetoric around blacks having independent financial self-sufficiency and being empowered to establish our own businesses, own our own hospitals, own our own schools, and educate our own people. I think that’s very valuable, empowering communities to build themselves up from within.

I also look to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his nonviolent approach. He advocated for us to integrate within the American system—not to separate or reject the existing framework, but to integrate and work together to bring about change.

What makes you hopeful for your work in this space? Do you see potential for true racial equity in this sphere?

What makes me hopeful is looking back through history and seeing the resiliency of human beings to transcend their conditions, whatever those may be.

I have tremendous pride seeing my outreach workers who have been incarcerated, and who have come home and changed their lives. It’s a testimony to the fact that having made some bad decisions and gone to prison does not mean that you can’t change your life, or that great things can’t happen for you. I’m a living example of that—I went to prison for 10 years, but then I decided to change and began doing this work. Particularly as a black man who was once part of the problem, I’m proud to now be part of the solution. It gives me strength, faith, hope, and commitment, and it helps me continue doing this work, in spite of whatever challenges we may face.

For me, READI Chicago really exemplifies what Black History Month is all about—READI Chicago is committed to investing in marginalized, vulnerable communities, and to working with a population that others have not or don’t want to work with. I believe we can reduce violence, and I believe we can eliminate it. I know that’s a lofty goal, but I have to have faith in humanity, and faith in what we’re doing here at READI Chicago. I believe we can all have an impact together, and I’m just grateful to be a part of that.

 

Looking for other ways to celebrate Black History Month? Join our READI Chicago partners!

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC) is hosting a Black History Scavenger Hunt on Feb. 19.

Join INVC for a hunt through history, where you will decipher riddles in teams to discover the identities of five historical figures as you honor their impact and dedication to nonviolence.

   
UCAN is celebrating with events throughout the month of February, including a panel on The Future of Black Chicago, a Valentine’s Day Brunch, and their 3rd Annual Black Women’s Leadership Brunch.

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