At
Blacks in Green™ we talk about "the whole-system problem common to black
communities everywhere," and in our work aim to transform that whole-system
problem through a "whole-system solution" we call The 8 Principles of
Green-Village-Building. We authored and teach green-village-building in
workshops and lectures around the country, and since 2011 have designed and
delivered "walkable-village" programs cultivated to work in tandem, and over
time produce an increase in household income for residents. In this way, the
square-mile walkable village - where every household can walk-to-work,
walk-to-shop, walk-to-learn, walk-to-play - is a greenhouse gas reduction
strategy; and as importantly, the wealth of a community remains within to
fertilize the village, and the culture of a place is preserved.
THE
6TH PRINCIPLE OF GREEN-VILLAGE-BUILDING
Village
Centers & Borders
Each
village is a walkable, self-sustaining whole with perceptible
borders,
inter-dependent
local ties, global context, organized and in action for
self-interest.
The latest project of Blacks in Green™ explores
the impact of organizing and being in action for self-interest in the realm of
representative democracy. How can creating a system of civic tools designed to
improve legislator representation of the Black community translate into
increased household income? We joined a coalition...facilitated the process
among members with mutual interests...reached out to subject matter
experts...served as chief drafter of the Questionnaire, which emerged during the
process...cooperated with members to invite all candidates in Chicago's February
24th election to respond...participated in evaluating responses for how they
supported our Black Agenda [or not]...and this week published those evaluations.
It's never been done in Chicago.
COALITION
OF BLACK COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS [CBCO]
Municipal
Candidates Questionnaire Results Are
In!
BIG™ believes
the Questionnaire Initiative is an important step in achieving essential goals
in critical times for the Black community, and is proud to be a member. It
begins building a foundation for holding elected officials (and ourselves)
accountable for representing Black interests. We applaud the Coalition
and encourage all in our community to view our
Evaluations, and use and engage others on the results.
CBCO
composed 60 questions in 7 categories and has provided the full, original
responses received from candidates online at
blacksingreen.org.
Our
At-A-Glance chart below features 2 complementary scores on candidate support of
the CBCO Black Agenda. Consider them both, read the candidate Questionnaires,
and judge for yourself their strength. A candidate's SCORE is lower on the
1-to-10 scale if they provided no rationale for the positions they
took; however, support of the Black Agenda is also evidenced by a high
PERCENTAGE of 'Yes' responses to questions.
- PERCENTAGE of candidate's YES answers to our
60 questions
- SCORE on
a scale of 1-to-10 of points earned from YES+NARRATIVE
SCORING
Our
Methodology
Each
question had the potential of earning 2 points. Candidates received 1 point for
a YES answer, except with Question 9 where 1 point was given for a NO answer.
If the candidate gave a rationale for a YES or NO answer they received 1
point. No answers received a "0". In general, the higher the score, the closer
the Candidate is aligned with all aspects of the Black Agenda.
BE
IN TOUCH
Listen
Out For News Of "Council Watch" & "Report Card"
We
hope you find value in our Initiative! Keep in mind - it's just the beginning
of an ongoing process of raising the legislative bar to ensure a righteous
representative democracy. Please be in touch with news of
similar initiatives in your town. Let's
compare notes and grow the impact of this tool. We invite your organization to join CBCO! We encourage you to call us with your thoughts!
NOW VOTE!
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