Little Village

Chicago, Illinois
Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)
By: Omar Zahra
Institutions

Physical
Spaces
Association
s

Individuals

Economy
 • La Semilla After-School
Associati Program
ons • Little Village Community
Council
La Semilla After-School Program
• La Semilla (The Seed) offeres after-school programing to
help the children in the neighborhood where many
encounter a language barrier, gang pressures and are in a
poor educational system. Many parents have come together
to help aid the local children both academically and
spiritually. There programs usually include homework help
and tutoring, games, Bible lessons, nutrition education, and
much more. They usually meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays throughout the school year.
Little Village Community Council
• The mission of the Little Village Community Council is to
“help, assist and empower the residents of the Little
Village community in all areas of endeavor, namely, civic,
social, education, economical, and citizenship.” This
council works to promote the employment for all of those
who are seeking jobs and wants to promote the local and
small businesses for the people of Little Village.
 • The Arturo Velasquez
Westside Institute
Instituti • St Augustine College
ons • Little Village
Environmental Justice
Organization (LVEJO)
 LVEJO
• Was founded in 1994 by parents of children who were exposed to toxic air
particles due to school renovations. Once they forced their school administration
to change their plans these group of parents turned to other environmental
justice issues. They helped retire the Crawford and Fisk plants in 2012. LVEJO
also turned to their youth in developing a strong leadership development
program. Their mission is to “organize with our community (Little Village) to
accomplish environmental justice …and to achieve the self-determination of
immigrant, low-income, and working-class families.” LVEJO has a theory of social
change that is embedded in grassroots organization. Their model is based on
three guiding principles which are: A) to integrate leadership that can sustain
community self-determination B) to assume that those who are directly affected
have the necessary solutions to solve their own problems C) to build upon
existing assets and resources of the community for social change
 The Arturo Velasquez Westside
Institute (AVI)
• This institute is a satellite campus of Richard J. Daley College.
Their mission is to “provide a quality learning experience for our
students that echoes our belief that an empowered community
is an educated and successful community.” This institute works
to provide individuals with the necessary skills to obtain entry-
level jobs in health, manufacturing, and office careers. They
offer Adult Education programs that prepare people for the GED
exam and the Citizenship Exam. Another important aspect of
AVI is to provide classes in ESL where they are tuition-free and
are designed to help individuals attain their specific goals in life.
 St. Augustine College
• This is an independent college established in 1980 that
prides itself as the first bilingual institution of higher
education in Illinois.. It was created under the sponsorships
of the Episcopal Diocese to allow the system of higher
education to be accessible to a diverse student population
with an emphasis on those of Hispanic decent. St.
Augustine’s mission is to “strengthen ethnic identity, to
reinforce cultural interaction; and to build a bridge to fill
cultural, educational, and socio-economic gaps.
 Physi
cal • La Villita Park
Space • Piotrowski Park
s
 La Villita Park
• This remarkable 21-and-a-half-acre park was established in December of 2014,
relatively new. This park had replaced a former brownfield, Celotex, which was an
industrial complex that had polluted the area for years. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), had realized how damaged Celotex was to the community
of Little Village and was designated as a superfund site. The clean up process was
completed in 2009 and the Chicago Park District acquired the site in 2012. This area
offers one of the highest needs for open space in Chicago. The park includes 2
artificial turf athletic fields with lighting, three natural grass fields, a skate park,
community gardens, basketball courts, a large playground with a water spray
feature, comfort stations with concessions, a multi-use trail with fitness stations, and
a picnic pavilion. The name of the park was contested by over 700 residents and
represents the vitality of a great immigrant neighborhood, as well at the
contributions that the Mexican immigrants and Mexican American have made to
Little Village and the city of Chicago.
 Piotrowski Park
• Developed in 1946, Piotrowski Park is home to a large
outdoor swimming pool, a field house, a comfort station, and
a few playgrounds. It encompassed a total of 23.76 acres
and offers several meeting rooms and spaces for rental.
These spaces are used for afterschool programming and
summer camp programs. It was originally known as
Lawndale Park because of the surrounding community but
was later renamed in 1974to honor Lillian Piotrowski who
was a life-long neighborhood resident.
 • 26th Street
Econo • Cook County
my Department of
Corrections
 Cook County Department of
Corrections
• This 96-acre facility is the largest singe site jail in the entire
United States. It houses about 6500 prisoners and employers
7000 civilian employees and 3900 law enforcement officials. This
use to be one of the three sites that use to hold executions by the
state of Illinois. The jail has been used in segments of TV series
including Chicago Fire and Better Call Saul . According to the
U.S. Department of Justice report the facility has been indicted of
poor food quality, systematic beatings by corrections officers,
rodent infestation, failure to provide adequate medical care, etc.
 26th Street
• 26th street is the commercial anchor of Little Village. This
strip of street is Chicago’s second-highest-grossing
shopping strip after only the Magnificent Mile. The two-
mile stretch of land is clustered with food carts,
restaurants, and many small businesses. The branching
streets are filled with residents who bring life to 26th
street. Mexico’s Independence Day Parade has been held
down 26th street for over a half-century now.
Individu • Jeff Zimmermann
als • Kimberly Wasserman
 Jeff Zimmermann
• Jeff Zimmerman was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He has
become a very well-known artist amongst the neighborhood of
Little Village for his artwork. His most notable piece the “Un
Milagro” on 3050 W. 26th St. depicts residents of Little Village.
Zimmerman is known for creating self rendered portraits and to
include pop-culture references. He has a background as a
graphic designer and has achieved national and international
recognition for his large-scale murals. His overall painting style
involves discrete and sensual images saturated in flat colors.
 Kimberly Wasserman
• Since 1998 Kim has served as the executive director of LVEJO. Mrs.
Wasserman is also the Chair of the Illinois Commission on Environmental
Justice. Growing up she has always been involved in community work and
accomplished many things. With the helps of LVEJO and residents, Kim
was able to remodel a local school park, built a community garden and a
new playground, and forced local polluters in the neighborhood to
upgrade their facilities in order to coincide with current laws. One of her
most notable accomplishments was the closure of the country’s two
oldest and dirtiest coal power plants and was able to transform the area
into a bustling green space. This earned her the 2013 Goldman Prize for
North America.
 Action Plan

Education Environme Local

Communit Shuttle
Programm ntal Infrastruct
y Garden System
ing Parade ure
 Community Garden
-La Villita Park, La Semilla After-School Program and Jeff
Zimmermann

• In order to address the environmental problems of our modern way of living a community
garden would be the perfect beginning. By combing these 3 assets we would be able to
assist the development of environmental concerns within Little Village. The La Semilla
After-School Program is geared towards helping children both academically and
physically. By creating a new community garden at La Villita Park we would be creating a
space where children and parents from the entire neighborhood can enjoy. With the help
of Jeff Zimmermann we can create a few murals and portraits surrounding the community
garden. Not only will this be artistically appealing, but it may also spark some interests in
the children who can assist with the paintings. The goal of this garden would be to make
the residents feel welcomed in their own neighborhood. Also the La Villita Park would
make a great spot to choose for the garden because it used to be a coal factory. With the
community garden in place the entire neighborhood would be able to benefit from the
fruits and vegetables that are grown.
 Educational Programming
-The Arturo Velasquez Westside Institute (AVI) and Piotrowski
Park

• Next, we can begin the educational programming of why we should be

environmentally aware. The Arturo Velasquez Westside Institute is directed
towards helping the greater community. The students who attend AVI can
produce a couple videos on how to protect the environment and what individuals
can do to make a difference. These videos can be showcased at Piotrowski Park
where all the residents would be able to first watch the videos and then to
appreciate the green space they have. The goal of this educational programming
is to make the residents aware of what their daily lives could mean for the
environment and to realize the changes that have happened within their
neighborhood. The educational programming is meant to educate the residents
on the benefits of practicing environmentally friendly behaviors including water
conservation, food waste, and daily plastic uses.
 Environmental Parade
-26th street and LVEJO
• The environmental parade would be at the heart of the environmental awareness. The
people living in Little Village spend a lot of their time on 26 th street and this is where the
parade would be held. LVEJO is a well-known organization that is heavily involved with
environmental issues. Therefore they would be responsible for organization this parade
filled with floats and people who can portray the environmental issues that Little Village
is facing. This would involve awareness of plastic water bottles, single-use plastics, and
plastic bags, all of which are commonly used amongst the residents of the neighborhood.
26th street has the livelihood and is the main target of the people, including the food
vendors, who would benefit from the parade as well as enjoy it. This parade can have a
coinciding day with Earth Day in order to bring more awareness to the significance to
environmental justice. LVEJO can also utilize their assets and strengths in networking
with the neighborhood. They can pass out eco-friendly water bottles that all the vendors
and residents can use.
 Local Infrastructure
-Kimberly Wasserman and St. Augustine College

• Then we would focus on the local infrastructure of the surrounding neighborhood. Many
of the buildings and pipelines are very outdated and need to either be replaced or
renovated but can be quite costly. With the help of Kimberly Wasserman she would
hopefully be able to talk with local partners/sponsors in order to fund some renovations of
the neighborhood. St. Augustine College prepares students for fields in accounting,
business management, marketing, and many others. These students can help Kimberly
Wasserman produce individualized market analysis of the cost and benefits to renovating
the infrastructure. The goal of this is to build upon the work that Kimberly Wasserman
has done to remove the harmful coal plants from Little Village and to build on the green
aspect of safe living. There are many small businesses that have been in operation for
many years and with the expertise of Kimberly Wasserman and the enthusiasm from the
students at St. Augustine College, these businesses would hopefully realize the benefit to
renovations.
 Shuttle System
-Cook County Department of Corrections and Little Village Community
Council and 26th Street

• Lastly, we would introduce a shuttle system within little village like the bus
routes. The idea of this action item is to utilize the high foot traffic that is
produced from the Cook County Department of Corrections. This Departments
sees many visitors on a daily basis and these people end up either crossing
through 26th street or visiting 26th to buy things. What this shuttle system would
do is it would provide a direct route to and from the Department of Corrections
and 26th street. The Little Village Community Council is already involved in many
of the small businesses within the neighborhood. By creating a shuttle system
the neighborhood would be able to benefit from less air pollution caused by the
many cars that are driving through. After which this Shuttle System is created
the neighborhood can benefit from an understanding for the environment.
 Works Cited
• Emmanuel, Adeshina. “A Guide to Local Favorites in Little Village.” The Washington Post, WP Company,
17 June 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/travel/united-states/little-village-neighborhood-chicago/.
• Sofianos, Jason. “LITTLE VILLAGE (LA VILLITA).” The City of Neighborhoods, The City of Neighborhoods,
14 Nov. 2016, www.thecityofneighborhoodsproject.com/blog/2016/11/13/little-village-la-villita.
• District, Chicago Park. “Think & Do Tank with Arts & Business Council at Piotrowski.” Chicago Park
District, www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/piotrowski-lillian-park.
• “La Semilla.” New Life Centers of Chicagoland, 9 Oct. 2019, newlifecenters.org/programs/la-semilla/.
• “Academic Programs.” St. Augustine College, 13 Nov. 2019,
www.staugustine.edu/academics/academic-programs/.
• Koski, Andrew, et al. “Best of Little Village & South Lawndale 2017.” South Side Weekly, 20 Sept. 2017,
southsideweekly.com/best-little-village-south-lawndale-2017/.
• “Little Village History: Enlace-Chicago.” Enlace, www.enlacechicago.org/littlevillagehistory.
 Works Cited Continued…
• Yeo, Sophie. “Chicago's Mexican Immigrants Are Fighting Toxic Air Pollution-Again.” Pacific Standard,
4 Apr. 2018, psmag.com/environment/chicagos-mexican-immigrants-are-fighting-toxic-air-pollution-
again.
• “ Arturo Velasquez Institute.” City Colleges of Chicago - Arturo Velasquez Institute,
www.ccc.edu/colleges/daley/departments/Pages/Arturo-Velasquez-Institute.aspx.
• “THE LITTLE VILLAGE INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR MODERNIZATION FRAMEWORK PLAN WAS
RELEASED.” LVEJO, www.lvejo.org/.
• “Kimberly Wasserman.” Goldman Environmental Foundation,
www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/kimberly-wasserman/.
• “Academic Programs.” St. Augustine College, 13 Nov. 2019,
www.staugustine.edu/academics/academic-programs/.
• “Cook County Jail.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Mar. 2020,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_County_Jail.